# 50

The Kaiser's Staff Discuss Strategy.

The Kaiser asked Helmuth von Moltke to speak to the group. By that time, everyone

had settled in comfortable chairs, ready for the conference to continue.

General Moltke did not rise from his padded wicker chair, but spoke without notes.

“Your Majesty, Germany faces a most dire threat from its neighbors. It is a threat that

we Germans must face with boldness and fortitude. We must now calculate how to

reckon with our enemies? Primarily, we must do it without creating an economic collapse

that a protracted war would most certainly bring upon us.”
 

“Forty years ago, our unified nation came into existence because of the determination

of Prussia to bring all Germans under one umbrella, so to speak.”
 

“At that time, as you all know quite well, God provided us with three great Prussian

leaders, King Wilhelm, Otto von Bismarck and Field Marshall Count Helmuth von

Moltke, my uncle.”
 

“If we are to continue as a powerful nation, today’s German army must follow the

examples of our heroes of the three unifying wars between 1860 and 1871.”

“Wunderbar!” shouted Willy, as did everyone else.

“Allow me, Your Majesty, to review some of the pertinent history that has brought

the Fatherland to this point.”
 

“We Germans are in spirit, one nation. However, we are a nation, the unity of which

was for centuries denied us. Nonetheless, that unity has always been an ideal underlying

our lives.”
 

“Two score years ago, acting upon the impulse of a group of great writers and

thinkers, our statesmen could at last achieve the unity which had been the unrealized idea

of so many centuries.”
 

“Our hope was influenced by the success of America to form the United States after

two and one half centuries of living under the bondage of England. The Americans

fought the grand armies of Britain for five years before unification of its thirteen states

was possible. Both our nations had to fight tooth and nail to achieve their just ends!”

“In a series of brief wars, Germany accomplished its unity and we amply manifested

our superiority when we defeated the French, whom Europe then conceived to be the

chief military power.”
 

“It is of interest that both the United States and Germany possess a federal system of

government. The former, of course, is a democracy led by a president. Germany is also a

free nation led by a great and just monarch. In the course of unification, the rulers of all

the German states consented to give the Hohenzollern dynasty supreme military power.”

“Gott sei Dank!”

“Thank you very much men. Since Frederick the Great, Germany has propounded the

idea that Prussia shall do all that may seem to advantage the nation, notwithstanding any

European conventions or traditions that govern the international conduct of other nations.

We are aware of the underlying desires of the major European powers to isolate and

control the manifest destiny of Germany.”
 

“For instance, to any convention of so-called European morals that has a condition

saying hostilities should not begin without a formal declaration of war, we would say ‘If

ultimately it would be to our advantage to attack without the declaration of war then this

convention may be neglected!’ I must make it perfectly clear that on this point the

German General Staff and Chancellor Bethmann are in total agreement!”

“We must insist upon the principle that it is a patriotic duty to keep the Reich strong

and that such a need far outweighs all general human morals of other nations.”

“Hoch! Hoch! Hoch!”
 

When the men quieted down, Moltke stood up to stretch his legs.

The Kaiser raised himself up slightly from his seat and farted. Tirpitz quipped, “Has

the war already started?”
 

Moltke raised his hands in the air and said, “Enough jocularity, gentlemen! This is

serious business! The French have made devious plans to ally themselves with the

Russian Bear. As early as 1888, France floated several loans to Russia totaling more than

two million francs! With that money, Tsar Alexander the Third reorganized his army and

contracted for one-half million French Lebel rifles.”
 

“We are aware that by 1894, France and Russia formed an alliance that bound the two

nations as allies in case of war with Germany. Although our Triple Alliance possesses

nearly three million troops, the Franco-Russian alliance possesses a potential of three

million soldiers.”

“The French General Mirabeau once said, and in my estimation rightly so, ‘The

essential thing is to aim at the destruction of the principal enemy. The defeat of the others

will follow inevitably.’ Like a child’s board game, if Germany surrenders, Austria and

Italy will quickly fall. If Germany attacks France, Russia, by treaty, employs all

available forces. Thus, we face a two-front war.”
 

The Kaiser asked, “What evidence do you possess that suggests such a Franco-

Russian strategy?”
 

“First of all, the Russian Baltic fleet, immediately after the signing the Franco-Russian

treaty, as Theo told us, wasted its time by visiting the French naval base at Toulon. We

know that the French and Russian General Staffs agreed that the best form of defensive

war is to take the offensive! They believe this because they fear that German military

strength grows rapidly as well as that of our allies, Austrian and Italy. More importantly,

we are fully aware that France has long sought a protectorate over Morocco and to join

up with Britain and create a vise-grip control of the waterway between Gibraltar and

Tangiers.”
 

The Kaiser said, “Tell the group, Julius, what you learned about the conversation

between the then English Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour and the American ambassador

to Italy, Henry White?”
 

Moltke explained “Just before the Algeciras Conference to resolve the Morocco

Question, Balfour asked Henry White, the American ambassador to Italy, ‘Is Britain

foolish to not make war on Germany before her trade increases any further and she has

time to build a greater fleet to protect it?’
 

“White replied, ‘If you want so badly to overcome German trade, you fellows should

try working, even more, for lower wages.’”
 

“Balfour said, ‘But, my dear White, that would lower our standard of living.

Moreover, would it not be simpler to go to war at once? It may be the only way for us to

maintain our supremacy!’”
 

Wilhelm rubbed the nape of his neck and moved his head back and forth to remove

any cricks that had set in. “I just know that those English bastards won’t leave Germany

alone until they have destroyed us! The cock suckers!”
 

“General Falkenhayn, are you ready to share your thoughts with us?

Tall, handsome, with a definite military bearing, Eric commanded immediate respect

from any audience. Moltke assisted his colleague in unrolling a large map on top of the

table. With a flip of his hand, he motioned for the onlookers to stand up at the table.

Nearly everyone except Falkenhayn wore a monocle. The Kaiser put on a pair of

tortoise shell spectacles.
 

From beneath his chair, Eric procured an attache case. He removed several sheets

of paper which he smoothed out on top of the table. He also produced a red tipped

telescoping pointer that he extended to its maximum length.

“The French frontier, since the defeat of the French in 1871, is basically an open

frontier. It has no natural features upon which the defensive can rely. Thus, the French

have fortified, at very heavy expense, that portion of their frontier which faces Germany

and established a line of forts from Verdun to Belfort calculated to check the first

movement of a German offensive.”

He used his pointer to tap out each location as though he were nailing a message into

each onlooker’s brain.

“But, and we do not know exactly why, the whole line between Verdun and the North

Sea is left virtually open. We guess that the defense of France on that front requires the

cooperation of Belgium. The French must hope that the three great fortresses of Liege,

Namur and Antwerp would hold up any German advance through Belgium. It appears to

be a tactic to delay our troop movements. There, the Belgian army immediately requires

additional French troops.”

 

“Now, as to Paris, the French have fortified the whole region for miles around the

capital. We do know that if German armies menace Paris, the French government will

pack up and withdraw to Bordeaux. They recognize the strategic value of Paris, but the

government would deliberately sacrifice its political and sentimental value. We have

information that the French have already stockpiled large quantities of food supplies in

and around the city in preparation for a possible siege.”

“Now, I am certain, Your Majesty that you want to know what military advantages

France and England possess over Germany.”
 

A murmur passed among the listeners.
 

“Yes indeed, I want to know that, Eric. Yes indeed I do!”
 

“First, they stand between Germany and the ocean. If their combined navies maintain

superiority at sea, then they could ultimately deny us essential materials of war. They

could deny us cotton that we need for explosives, copper for our shells and cartridge

cases, electrical instruments, gasoline, oil and machinery from abroad, too! A prolonged

conflict could lead to a famine throughout our nation.”
 

Using his pointer, he struck several areas on his map.
 

“At the recent regatta at Kiel, our agents learned that the British admiralty has already

selected transports that were to carry Russian troops to Pomerania along the Baltic Sea

coast.”

“Never fear, Gentlemen,” shouted Tirpitz. “Our navy will quickly destroy any Russian

landing craft!”
 

“So, gentlemen,” continued Eric, “this is the reason why any attack we anticipate

upon France must attain a swiftness that will end the war in a matter of weeks. Beyond

that, Germany could suffer severe consequences. Our armies must emphasize rapid,

unimpeded forward movement.”
 

“Just a moment, Eric.” interrupted the Kaiser who asked, almost fearfully, “I need to

know the military strengths of the Triple Entente.”
 

Falkenhayn said, “If, Your Majesty, we go to war immediately, Germany and its

Allies, except Italy, totals about nineteen million effectives. Germany can supply about

eleven million and Austria-Hungary offers about six and one-half million troops. Turkey

and Bulgaria can provide two million. How effective these Bulgarian troops are today is

not certain. I admit that I am not certain how much we can expect from Italy.”

“It will take several years before France can bring up her potential of eight and one

half million troops. England, at the outset can only provide one hundred and fifty

thousand men. However, the English claim their army consists of crack troops. Add to

that, Belgium has two hundred thousand poorly trained men. Russia has a potential of

twelve million troops. Servia’s small army consists of several hundred thousand or so.”

“Again, what about the Belgian army?” pressed the Kaiser who began pacing the

floor.
 

“Your Majesty, the General Staff’s calculations are based upon the assumption that

the six divisions of the Belgian army will not offer any serious resistance.”

The Kaiser, his face writhing, yelled, “What the hell do you mean by serious

resistance?”
 

Falkenhayn calmly replied, “We consider the Belgian troops to be of low effectiveness

and we will deal with them en passant. We will have to limit our initial invasion to

Belgium for we do not have sufficient troops to invade Holland. Besides, we need to keep

Dutch ports open to accept goods from neutral nations. Thus, Wilhelm, we will have an

important source of imports that the English navy cannot touch.”
 

“I think it is about time you told me, without a lot of bullshit, just what our armies

face from day one of the war!” demanded Wilhelm. “I get the distinct feeling that there

are a lot of important items left out of your perceptions of what Germany faces in a

struggle against the Triple Entente!”
 

His War Minister screwed up his face, repressing his displeasure with the Kaiser’s

derogatory attitude. “At the outset of war, Your Majesty, we can put across the Rhine

River approximately two and one quarter million men. In the East, facing Russia, we can

place one-quarter million troops.”
 

“The French have about one and a half million ready troops and, as I said, the English

can provide about one hundred and fifty thousand men. However, if the war drags on, the

British Empire can probably supply the Entente with an additional million or more

soldiers.”
 

Eric hesitated for a moment as though concerned about the next item, which he feared

was about to cold-cock the nervous Kaiser.
 

“Our latest information is that the Russians are prepared to send at least two armies

consisting of two million troops to our border in East Prussia.”
 

A loud bang distracted Eric from his discussion.
 

The Kaiser had fallen to the floor, his body writhing violently. As he gurgled, foam

covered his mouth and mustache.
 

The group stared at their Emperor in horror. A feeling of hopelessness seemed to

prevent them from going to Wilhelm’s aid.
 

Theobald broke the immobility of Germany’s top military figures by kneeling by

Wilhelm’s side. He placed strong hands on his Majesty’s shoulders in an effort to calm

him down. “Get the ship’s doctor here immediately!”
 

No one moved.
 

“Get your fucking ass out of here, Moltke! Call the ship’s doctor! Use the house

telephone. You can call the Hohenzollern from here!”
 

Several of the men picked up sheets of paper and tried to fan the Emperor’s face.

After a few moments, Wilhelm stopped writhing and opened his eyes. Without any

assistance, he sat up. “May I have a glass of water, please?”
 

Tirpitz quickly poured a cupful from a nearby decanter.
 

After Wilhelm emptied the cup, he put his hand up. “Give me a lift up, will you?” he

asked Theobald.
 

Several hands helped pull him to his feet. To the amazement of all, the Kaiser brushed

himself off and sat down in his chair.
 

“Well, gentlemen, I am sorry about that! Now, let’s get back to the business at hand.”
 

Falkenhayn asked Wilhelm if he felt fit enough to continue the conference. “Do you

need your doctor to come here?”
 

“Nonsense, old man, I feel just fine. Please continue with your discussion Eric. Don’t

bother with the doctor.”
 

“All right, Your Majesty, if you say so.”
 

“Although the Russians have numerical superiority, it is counterbalanced by so many

deficiencies that we have good reason to suppose that Russia will not become a serious

menace before sufficient time has elapsed for us to conquer France. Of course, we will,

by then, effectively hold England in check.”
 

“Russia is handicapped more than any other nation because of the vastness of her

territory. Thus, we know that, even today, she is beginning to mobilize her armies before

any of the other possible belligerents do.”
 

“Our strategy is based on the fact that the railroads that she possesses are sufficient to

bring only a small proportion of her troops to the points of mobilization. The majority

must march for days and days over rough country roads. By the time her army reaches

the front they will be exhausted and hardly fit for combat. This will certainly affect the

collection of their military supplies as well as the mobilization of the soldiers themselves.

Let me emphasize that delay, delay, and more delay will be the undoing of the Russian

hordes.”
 

“By the way, the Russian railroad tracks are wider than those of Germany. That means

that when Russian troops travel west by rail, they will have to detrain at our border. If

they get that far, they will waste time entraining on captured German coaches.”
 

The Kaiser raised his shaking hand like a schoolboy. “May I interrupt?”
 

“Naturally, Your Majesty,” answered Eric.
 

“Of course” snickered Wilhelm, “we are not going to leave anything at the border

for them to use. At any rate, there is no doubt amongst us that the Tsar’s boys will ever

get to the interior of East Prussia! I feel so much better now that you have explained what

the situation is on our East Prussia front. Yes, I feel much better! Please continue.”
 

“All right, colleagues,” said the General, “let us look at the map of East Prussia and

Russian Poland. Russia, Austria and Germany own parts of Poland. We are prepared to

drop, from aeroplanes, thousands of pamphlets promising to reestablish a Polish

kingdom.”
 

The Kaiser snorted, “We would just be giving the Poles free toilet paper. Most of them

can’t read! It is abundantly clear to me that I see no possibility whatsoever of finding,

through diplomacy, a lasting solution for the antagonisms between Germany and France

and Russia. As we all know the problem stems from fifty years of never ending Balkan

infighting.”
 

Then, the Kaiser said to Julius, “How long will it take after the outbreak of war on two

fronts against France and Russia before Germany can send really strong forces against

Russia?”
 

Helmuth extinguished a cigarette that he was smoking. “We hope to be finished with

France, after the commencement of operations, in a little more than a fortnight, or at least

to have gotten deep enough in her territory that we can transfer our main forces to the

east.”
 

The Kaiser quickly changed the subject and asked, “How are we doing in Turkey?”
 

“A year ago we sent General Liman von Sanders,” replied a now smiling Falkenhayn,

“to Turkey as Instructor General to the Turkish troops. So far, he has done magnificent

work. Currently, the reorganization of its army is about half done. Von Sanders attempts

to get the Turks to adopt the methods of our German army. He wants a Turkish army,

though small, that is well organized and trained. From the General’s reports, he believes

the Turkish soldier is one of the bravest in the world. I must say I believe the Turkish

soldier to be smart and tough as nails. They love their country and have strong feelings of

patriotism. Yes, indeed, they are a brave lot!”
 

“Finally, let me relate to you that Major Franz Kubel was sent to Constantinople for

the specific mission of adapting the Turkish railway system to the demands of war.

Germany is sending railroad equipment daily to our Ottoman allies. Should the Triple

Entente consider attacking Turkey, they are in for a rude awakening!”
 

When Falkenhayn sat down, the Kaiser stepped over to him and kissed him on the

mouth.
 

“Thank God, I have such great leaders with me, as you, who sit at this table! Yes

indeed. I know deep down that the Lord is on our side and that he will not let us down.”
 

A loud knock at the oak paneled door stopped the discussion.
 

Baron Dichtener entered and bowed to the group. “You Majesty, please excuse my

interruption, but allow me to say that dinner is ready. We would be honored if you and

your entourage will join Frau Johanna to break bread together.”


 FROM
IN THE SERVICE OF GOD AND EVIL
A PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE RISE AND FALL OF KAISER WILHELM
A NOVEL BY DONALD B CONRAD