Both sides had carefully planned for this war, and the plans would determine the battle lines for the next four years. The French Plan XVII involved a direct attack into Germany, counting on the offensive spirit of the French soldiers to overcome all resistance. The German Schlieffen Plan would bypass the strong French forts on the border by marching through neutral Belgium and encircling the French army. Neither plan succeeded. (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_Europe_alliances_1914-en.svg, modified by this author.)