Plan 1919
Encyclopedia
Plan 1919 was a military strategy drawn up by J.F.C. Fuller
in 1918 during World War I. His plan criticised the practice of physically destroying the enemy, and instead suggested a lightning thrust toward the command center
of the German army
. His plan called for tank
s to rapidly advance into the enemy's rear area, destroying supply bases and lines of communication.
The Allied advance and German retreat across France
and Belgium
in 1918 had begun to show some of the pace and aspects that would mark later mechanized warfare; British tanks played an increasing role, and German rear-guard defenses focused on stopping their advance. Whilst never implemented, Plan 1919 would have carried these trends forward earlier, and can be said to have formed the basis for later blitzkrieg
tactics.
and were getting close to the breaking point. Both sides realized that a new form of warfare was needed for the successful conclusion of the war. Tanks, although used unsuccessfully at the Battles of the Somme and Passchendaele, were used in the Battle of Cambrai and demonstrated their usefulness. Although the main objective was not achieved and the German artillery made short work of them after the initial shock wore off, they inspired military theorists to try to incorporate them properly.
In the spring of 1918, J.F.C. Fuller, a British staff officer, submitted a study titled “Attack by Paralyzation”, a bold new plan involving tanks and air support that aimed to target the German leadership and supply lines, as opposed to the then current tactic of grinding away at the main forces. His plan was to be used as the blueprint for the spring offensive the next year and was titled Plan 1919. The German surrender that November precluded the implementation of the plan, but it was studied extensively by the Germans and used as the model for their Blitzkrieg attacks during the next war (Fuller). Plan 1919, although never carried out, laid the “groundwork” for numerous upgrades in military equipment, technology, and tactics of modern warfare.
To accomplish this "shot through the brain" Fuller's plan required generals to penetrate the enemy’s defenses using tanks and targeting his chain of supply; so that in the ensuing confusion the enemy leadership could then be eliminated decisively. The goal of this was “the destruction of the enemy’s policy” (Reid). This would be accomplished by armored units penetrating the enemy lines and causing havoc in the rear areas, with the ultimate aim of eliminating the enemy leadership. The Plan emphasized the intended use of aircraft in the support role, along with motorized infantry to conduct operations in terrain unsuited to tanks. This mobile form of operations utilizing tanks and aircraft was a huge departure from the established infantry tactics of the day.
Detractors point out the flaws in Fuller’s plan. It is a strong point that the tank required by the plan had not been fielded yet, and that war torn Britain could not afford the manpower and materials needed to implement it (Palazzo), and as was demonstrated at Cambrai, the German artillery was deadly against the current British tanks without accompanying artillery support.
, to make quick attacks designed to penetrate the enemy’s front lines and cause confusion (Fuller). This type of warfare is still used today, as demonstrated by the American forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom, when they first occupied Iraq.
Fuller drew up the plans for Plan 1919 with many beliefs and hopes for the future of armies in Europe and around the world. He believed that Plan 1919 was the groundwork for numerous innovations in the armed forces. The new armies would consist of highly trained and proficient individuals that would be professional in the way they acted and the way they led on the battlefield. Fuller also believed that with time, military technologies would become more advanced and more proficient in their performed operations. This meant that technologies would thus become more deadly and more effective at destroying the enemy, allowing more pinpoint strikes and minimizing collateral damage.
, which penetrated the German masks(47). The technology for this new gas was much closer to fruition than the tank required by Fuller's plan. In addition, Winston Churchill, as Minister of Munitions, had already called for the production of gas agents to be increased by five times the current production(46).
The chemical advocates therefore did not have to contend with technology issues. They were utilizing a proven method of warfare. Their plan only called for increasing the extent of chemical warfare. Palazzo also points out they intended to use airplanes as delivery systems for the chemical agents and envisioned the gas being used to target command centers(45).
In many respects then, the gas advocates plan seems to have offered much the same possibility for success, with little of the implementation difficulties of Fuller's plan. The armistice however made their plans unnecessary also. In history's light however, this plan remains obscure due to the nature of chemical warfare. As Palazzo put it, "few weapons have inspired such universal revulsion"(39).
Reid, Brian Holden. "J.F.C. Fuller's Theory of Mechanized Warfare". The Journal of Strategic Studies 1.3 (1978):295-312
Palazzo, Albert. "Plan 1919- The Other One". The Journal of the Society For Army Historical Research 77 (1999):39-50.
Hofmann, George. "The Demise of the US Tank Corps and Medium Tank Development Program". Military Affairs 37-1 (Feb. 1973):20-25
Johnson, Robert. “Plan 1919”. Chandelle: A Journal of Aviation History 2.1 March 1997. October 2007
J.F.C. Fuller
Major-General John Frederick Charles Fuller, CB, CBE, DSO was a British Army officer, military historian and strategist, notable as an early theorist of modern armoured warfare, including categorising principles of warfare...
in 1918 during World War I. His plan criticised the practice of physically destroying the enemy, and instead suggested a lightning thrust toward the command center
Command center
A command center is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose.While frequently considered to be a military facility, these can be used in many other cases by governments or businesses...
of the German army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
. His plan called for tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
s to rapidly advance into the enemy's rear area, destroying supply bases and lines of communication.
The Allied advance and German retreat across France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 1918 had begun to show some of the pace and aspects that would mark later mechanized warfare; British tanks played an increasing role, and German rear-guard defenses focused on stopping their advance. Whilst never implemented, Plan 1919 would have carried these trends forward earlier, and can be said to have formed the basis for later blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
tactics.
Background
By 1918, the German, French and British armies had been through years of trench warfareTrench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
and were getting close to the breaking point. Both sides realized that a new form of warfare was needed for the successful conclusion of the war. Tanks, although used unsuccessfully at the Battles of the Somme and Passchendaele, were used in the Battle of Cambrai and demonstrated their usefulness. Although the main objective was not achieved and the German artillery made short work of them after the initial shock wore off, they inspired military theorists to try to incorporate them properly.
In the spring of 1918, J.F.C. Fuller, a British staff officer, submitted a study titled “Attack by Paralyzation”, a bold new plan involving tanks and air support that aimed to target the German leadership and supply lines, as opposed to the then current tactic of grinding away at the main forces. His plan was to be used as the blueprint for the spring offensive the next year and was titled Plan 1919. The German surrender that November precluded the implementation of the plan, but it was studied extensively by the Germans and used as the model for their Blitzkrieg attacks during the next war (Fuller). Plan 1919, although never carried out, laid the “groundwork” for numerous upgrades in military equipment, technology, and tactics of modern warfare.
The Plan
Fuller, in his Military History of the Western World states, "There are two ways of destroying an organization: 1. by wearing it down, 2. by rendering it inoperative. In war the first comprises the killing, wounding, capturing and disarming of the enemy's soldiers- body warfare. The second, the rendering inoperative of his power of command- brain warfare. To take a single man as an example: the first method may be compared to a succession of slight wounds which will eventually cause him to bleed to death; the second- a shot through the brain."To accomplish this "shot through the brain" Fuller's plan required generals to penetrate the enemy’s defenses using tanks and targeting his chain of supply; so that in the ensuing confusion the enemy leadership could then be eliminated decisively. The goal of this was “the destruction of the enemy’s policy” (Reid). This would be accomplished by armored units penetrating the enemy lines and causing havoc in the rear areas, with the ultimate aim of eliminating the enemy leadership. The Plan emphasized the intended use of aircraft in the support role, along with motorized infantry to conduct operations in terrain unsuited to tanks. This mobile form of operations utilizing tanks and aircraft was a huge departure from the established infantry tactics of the day.
Detractors point out the flaws in Fuller’s plan. It is a strong point that the tank required by the plan had not been fielded yet, and that war torn Britain could not afford the manpower and materials needed to implement it (Palazzo), and as was demonstrated at Cambrai, the German artillery was deadly against the current British tanks without accompanying artillery support.
Plan 1919's Effect
Plan 1919, although never carried out, laid the “groundwork” for upgrades in military equipment, technology, and tactics of modern warfare. The Americans designed a new tank based on the British Medium “D” tank, as described by Fuller in his Plan 1919, to be able to execute the new mobile form of warfare (Hofmann). The Germans modeled their blitzkrieg style of modern warfare, in the subsequent world war, upon Fuller’s Plan 1919. This style of warfare emphasized the use of armored units and close air supportClose air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
, to make quick attacks designed to penetrate the enemy’s front lines and cause confusion (Fuller). This type of warfare is still used today, as demonstrated by the American forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom, when they first occupied Iraq.
Fuller's Theory
Fuller’s theory of having the tanks, aircraft, and numerous other warfare tactics prescribed in Plan 1919 was that a mobile battlefield would provide more protection against losses to friendly forces. Fewer soldiers therefore put at risk on the battlefield, implied fewer troops to command, therefore making it easier for the commander to lead troops. More effective battles could then be fought with fewer casualties. Warfare could then become more organized. Superior firepower, and air power would increase the combat effectiveness of attacking command and communication centers.Fuller drew up the plans for Plan 1919 with many beliefs and hopes for the future of armies in Europe and around the world. He believed that Plan 1919 was the groundwork for numerous innovations in the armed forces. The new armies would consist of highly trained and proficient individuals that would be professional in the way they acted and the way they led on the battlefield. Fuller also believed that with time, military technologies would become more advanced and more proficient in their performed operations. This meant that technologies would thus become more deadly and more effective at destroying the enemy, allowing more pinpoint strikes and minimizing collateral damage.
The Chemical Plan
Fuller's plan wasn't the only option on the table for 1919. As Albert Palazzo points out in his paper "Plan 1919- The Other One", the chemical warfare planners had big plans for the next year's offensive. He points out they were fielding a new gas called DMAdamsite
Adamsite or DM is an organic compound; technically, an arsenical diphenylaminechlorarsine, that can be used as a riot control agent. DM belongs to the group of chemical warfare agents known as vomiting agents or sneeze gases...
, which penetrated the German masks(47). The technology for this new gas was much closer to fruition than the tank required by Fuller's plan. In addition, Winston Churchill, as Minister of Munitions, had already called for the production of gas agents to be increased by five times the current production(46).
The chemical advocates therefore did not have to contend with technology issues. They were utilizing a proven method of warfare. Their plan only called for increasing the extent of chemical warfare. Palazzo also points out they intended to use airplanes as delivery systems for the chemical agents and envisioned the gas being used to target command centers(45).
In many respects then, the gas advocates plan seems to have offered much the same possibility for success, with little of the implementation difficulties of Fuller's plan. The armistice however made their plans unnecessary also. In history's light however, this plan remains obscure due to the nature of chemical warfare. As Palazzo put it, "few weapons have inspired such universal revulsion"(39).
Sources & Further Reading
Fuller, J.F.C. A Military History of the Western World Vol 3. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1956.Reid, Brian Holden. "J.F.C. Fuller's Theory of Mechanized Warfare". The Journal of Strategic Studies 1.3 (1978):295-312
Palazzo, Albert. "Plan 1919- The Other One". The Journal of the Society For Army Historical Research 77 (1999):39-50.
Hofmann, George. "The Demise of the US Tank Corps and Medium Tank Development Program". Military Affairs 37-1 (Feb. 1973):20-25
Johnson, Robert. “Plan 1919”. Chandelle: A Journal of Aviation History 2.1 March 1997. October 2007