Part 9/12:
On December 22, Ottoman forces launched operations into the mountains, suffering from harsh conditions and exhaustion. Many soldiers faced 12-hour marches through snow and ice, leading to casualties even before reaching the front lines.
The Broader Strategic Picture
As 1914 drew to a close, military analysts noted the strategic mistakes of Germany, especially the failure to secure a quick victory. The Schlieffen Plan, designed for rapid conquest, had failed, leaving Germany and its enemies locked in a bloody, attritional conflict. The war had turned into a brutal war of attrition, with each side inflicting and sustaining enormous losses for minimal territorial gains.