>>43815
I think diplomatic restrictions also tied their hands in the beginning. Launching an effective offensive against Germany would have needed the cooperation of the lowlands countries, to move quickly over the Rhein and attack from there and not just the way more difficult terrain of the Franco-German border.
I'm not sure what kind of agreements they had with those countries, but just from the position of preservation of the states, countries as is - just for l'art pour l'art or for the so called "continental balance" - they also had to keep up the appearance of respecting sovereignty.