Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Staffed, and a long overdue apology
Thomas Ricks thinks we could learn a thing or two from the Prussians. And, yes, I knew the identity of the pictured German even before I clicked on the comments. I'm just that kind of guy.
When I was in law school I actually met a fellow -- an American who went to a Big 10 university for his undergraduate degree -- whose last name was "von Moltke" (not the name of the general in the linked post, but Ricks' post brings the story to mind). Having essentially no ability to control what I say, I naturally asked "Are you related to the von Moltke who messed up the Schleiffen plan?" Law school von Moltke: "Yes, he was my great great uncle."
The worst part, of course, is that it is not at all clear that my little quip was historically faithful.
It has taken 25 years, but Mr. von Moltke, wherever you are, I am sorry for having mocked your lineage.
4 Comments:
By 
, at
Thu Mar 19, 08:43:00 AM:
There are times that I wonder if Ricks is as big a fool as he seems or is just trying to antagonize people as a form of entertainment and selling books.
The Prussian, and later German General Staff had a great deal of political leverage, and had a limited but effective veto power over the "civilian" government. As a matter of fact, it was sometimes hard to separate the two.
This is hardly the desired state of affairs for This Old Republic.
Further, the Prussians/German General Staff made a LOT of mistakes, and in turn were heavily influenced by the so-called civilian leadership into doing badly advised things. I give you the Franco-Prussian War (even though the Prussians won), WWI, WWII.
Iraq was a hard situation to resolve not the least of which was because our soldiers went into a country with a very different culture than ours. In comparison, our occupation of Germany at the end of WWII was like occupying the Germanic parts of Pennsylvania, and occupying Japan was like occupying the suburbs of San Francisco.
This is a common mistake of the over-educated journalist; to make meaningless analogies that are unrelated to the present reality to appear more knowledgeable than he is.
-David
By 
John McCormack, at
Thu Mar 19, 09:24:00 AM:
Please delete prior comment as I made in important typo. It should have read this way:
TH,
Although von Moltke the Younger did modify the original Schlieffen Plan (e.g. he did not also invade Holland) only Belgium, the weight of historical opinion does NOT attribute these modifications to the failure to envelope Paris in the first six weeks.
Rather, historians usually attribute responsibility for screwing up the Schlieffen Plan another aristocrat: Alexander von Kluck.
As you say, you can't make this stuff up.
John McCormack
By , at
Thu Mar 19, 04:14:00 PM:
I would have to agree that the failure to envelope Paris was a major fault, inasmuch as the decision to turn the First Army short of the city exposed its flank to Gallieni's forces and allowed the French to push back and regroup.
At this point the Germans should have realized their plan for victory had gone to shambles and taken the opportunity to retreat back home as quickly as they'd come. Unfortunately for all, they decided to linger at Ypres. And those who think Iraq was fubar should read some history of that war. (Perhaps, for starters, Winston Groom's "A Storm in Flanders")
By , at
Sat Mar 21, 12:57:00 AM:
I really like old pictures of German generals. The picture in your linked article (I won't give his name away, to preserve suspense) I've regarded as one of the more handsome headshots of that class of men that I've seen.
