Time flew by, and August was just around the corner. Napoleon's original plan to mobilize 400,000 French soldiers against Prussia had completely fallen apart due to insufficient prewar preparations, logistics, and other factors.
But from the moment they decided to declare war, there had been no turning back. Had Napoleon III known earlier that the government departments were so unreliable, he would never have declared war so rashly a month ago.
France currently had 230,000 troops deployed in the Alsace and Lorraine regions. At the same time, the German Allied Forces across the river had reached 420,000 men. Because some troops had been transferred from the Prussian-Austrian border, their numbers exceeded those of history by more than 40,000.
The French army was organized into two assault armies and one reserve army. One assault army was stationed near Metz in Lorraine, with a total strength of 128,000 men, commanded by Emperor Napoleon III and Marshal Bazaine. This was the main force of the French army, known as the Rhine Army. The other was deployed on the eastern side of the Vosges Mountains, near Strasbourg in Alsace. Commanded by General MacMahon, it had fewer than 40,000 men. In addition, part of the reserve remained at Châlons, west of Metz in Lorraine.
"This is the Vosges Mountains. The Rhine Army is near Metz on the northern side of the range, while General MacMahon's Châlons Army is near Strasbourg on the southern side. As the main force, the Rhine Army will be under my personal command. Our target is here—Frankfurt. Once we take Frankfurt, we can sever the North German Federation from Southern Germany. The Châlons Army's task is to support the main force. Only after we have pressed down the states of Southern Germany can we focus all our strength on Prussia." Dressed