Joseph Joffre:

The French Plan XVII had been inherited by new Chief of Staff General Joseph Joffre, an unlikely man for the job.  Joffre had been appointed  to the post after his predecessor General Michel had been dismissed for criticizing Plan XVII and calling for the reorganization of the French Army, which made him very unpopular in the war council.

 Joffre would never have been picked for the job had Generals Galliene and Pau not turned it down. Joffre was a compromise, a colonial officer and an engineer not a corps from which generals are frequently chosen. On the other hand, he was the perfect candidate. The French Government had been trying to reduce both the property and the influence of The Church. The Army chose its officer candidates from the middle and upper middle class, which were predominately Catholic. Joffre had friends on both sides and enemies on neither, hence his suitability.

Joffre was appointed on July 28, 1912 and unfortunately he allowed himself to be over influenced by advisers in both strategy and tactics. He was brought to accept the ideas of the young school forsaking the defensive and placing all on the attack.

Plan XVII  was offensive in nature and called for the French to form up in five armies four arrayed in line form from Sedan to Belfort with the weight in the center opposite Metz and the fifth army aligned behind the center in reserve. As soon as concentration was complete the armies were to attack eastward along two lines one leading towards the Rhine via the Loraine gateway, the other towards metz. The problem was there was no clear objectives just the attack pushing forward relentlessly, this they believed would achieve victory.

Joffre seemed an unlikely commander to entrust  with such a whirlwind enterprise .He was deliberate and cautious, still he clearly possessed nerve-this might turn the trick.
 
                                                                                       

Moltek the Younger:

The Germans top man was Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. He was the nephew of the famous general von Moltek the Elder and although he possessed a famous name he lacked the reassuring confidence of  French general Joffre.

Besides his family name Moltke was extremely intelligent but he preferred the arts over army life. He would rather read a book or play his cello than converse military strategy with his staff officers. On one occasion in 1906 Moltke said of himself "I do not  know how I shall manage in the event of a campaign". He went on to say "I am very self-critical".  He was also growing old and his physical health was deteriorating. By 1914 he was 66 years old. These shortcomings did not seem so glaring because Moltke had surrounded himself with excellent subordinates. Germany had invented the modern staff system and had maintained the highest standard of staff training. The field headquarters could be expected to work with great efficiency in times of pressure.  

Would von Moltek's fears get the best of Germany or would a corps of the finest staff officers in the world be able to save the day?