Terms+of+Mobilization

=Mobilization=

Before World War I began, several countries developed strategic plans to mobilize in case war broke out. Mobilization was a risky task and had to be brought about by specific means because it was usually looked upon as an act of war by the country’s likely enemies if mobilized too early or without public declaration. Mobilization was seen as somewhat of a holiday; for example, many of the inexperienced soldiers wore flowers in the muzzles of their rifles as they marched. Trains brought the soldiers to the front lines of battle. In general, the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente had specific plans for mobilization. This is what brought the Great Powers of Europe into World War I without actually utilizing the provisions of either alliance.
 * France: France enacted the “Three Years Law” in 1913 that extended the soldier’s services in the war so it would match Germany’s army; the French army had a population of 40 million, 20 million smaller than that of Germany. French mobilized about 7,000 trains for movement. In France, a massive mobilization by the female population to work in factories allowed the rate of shell production to reach 100,000 shells a day by 1915.
 * Britain: The British also began to race for mobilization and build an army against the Germans; this was sparked by the Naval Law of 1898, which was introduced to the Reichstag, outlining the composition of the naval feet and the number of ships to be constructed by the year 1904, setting a cost limit. The Great Powers could only afford to keep a fraction of the men that were to be mobilized, and the others were known as reservists and had lifted opportunities to train. The British mobilized 165,000 horse cavalry.
 * Germany: Germany was to mobilize under von Moltke’s version of the Schlieffen Plan, which assumed a two-front war--- on the fronts of Russia and France. Germany decided to follow the two front plans despite the one-front war, one day after issuing an ultimatum to Belgium. When the Germans mobilized, it took the movements of 11,000 trains to bring them across the Rhine. They also moved horse cavalry; 715,000 were mobilized.
 * Russia: At the outbreak of the war, Tsar Nicholas II appointed his cousin Grand Duke Nicholas as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army. When mobilizing, the army totaled 115 infantry and 38 cavalry with 7,900 guns and weapons. Divisions were made to fight against the countries: Russia had 32 infantry and 10.5 cavalry divisions to operate against Germany, 46 infantry and 18.5 cavalry divisions to operate against Austria-Hungary, 19.5 infantry and 5.5 cavalry divisions for the defense of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea littorals, and 17 infantry and 3.5 cavalry divisions were to be transported in from Siberia and Turkestan. The expansion of the Russian industry allowed a 2,000% increase in the production of artillery shells.