The plan called for a massive German army to sweep through Belgium and Luxembourg and into northern France, encircling Paris and forcing the French army to surrender.
The German advance was initially successful, with German troops reaching the Marne River just northeast of Paris in early September 1914. However, the French and British armies were able to halt the German advance at the Battle of the Marne, effectively ending the Schlieffen Plan and leading to a stalemate on the Western Front that would last for years.