1870-1871: The Franco-Prussian War | A Prussian General Staff Officer (Part 3)

Part 3: It is also thanks to him that the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 devastated Alsace, Lorraine, the Ile-de-France, Burgundy and the Loire region and not the German countryside: 38-year-old Paul Bronsart von Schellendorff was in charge the Operations Department in the Prussian General Staff. He brilliantly planned the deployment of the German armies, contributing to the overwhelming success of the army of King Wilhelm I of Prussia, and it is also he who will lead the preliminary negotiations for the surrender of the French at Sedan. But when it comes to supplying the army in enemy territory, the limit is reached. His "Secret War Diary" has the almost empathetic tone that the whole world believes the capabilities of Prussian Junker- and Officer Corps.

With his quasi-scientific precision, the account he gives of his daily life in his "secret war diary" reflects the cold image, devoid of empathy, that one could have of the high ranking Prussian officer - and constitutes a testimony important for historians.