Two-front war

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In military terminology, a two front war is a war that is waged on two separate fronts, usually opposite each other. It is usually executed by two or more separate forces simultaneously or near-simultaneously, in the hope that their opponent will be forced to split their fighting force to deal with both threats, therefore reducing their odds of success.

Perhaps the most famous example of a two front war was the European theatre during World War II, when Hitler's Nazi Germany had to deal with troops from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom coming from the west, and troops from the Soviet Union coming from the east. The Nazis were unable to repel either of the two front's advances, and eventually lost the war. While there were other contributing factors - the insufficiency of the German Army for a long war, and the abandonment of blitzkrieg tactics (due to a rising need to defend territory) - the two front war was an important factor in deciding when the Germany Army would be forced to surrender.

The Allies, especially the United States, also fought a two front war, splitting their forces between the European theatre against Nazi Germany and the Pacific War against Japan. During World War I, Germany also fought a two front war against French, British, and later American forces on the Western Front while also fighting against the Russians on the Eastern Front until the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 took Russia out of the war.

Germany had foreseen such a scenario, and developed the Schlieffen Plan in order to counteract being surrounded by its enemies. Under the Schlieffen Plan, German forces would invade France via Belgium, quickly capturing Paris and forcing France to sue for peace. The Germans would then turn their attention to Russia in the east before the tsar could mobilize his massive forces.