Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter Their long range guns decimate the French.
And, despite its pivotal place in the history of World War I, it ended with the French and German armies in much the same position-at least on a map-that they had held before the whole thing started. The entrenched Germans well equiped with machine guns face the assault and make a hecatomb in the adversary ranks. The region had also been physically devastated.
BATTLE OF VERDUN BATTLE STRATEGIES SERIES
Though some historians have argued that what we call “Verdun” was in fact a series of battles with elements that not only filled 1916 but also stretched before and after that year, the importance of what Verdun means to 20th-century military history is hard to debate.īy Britannica’s estimation, about 300,000 were killed during the course of those brutal months, out of a total of 400,000 French casualties and 350,000 German. The idea wasn’t wrong: France was in fact willing to go to extreme lengths to repel the enemy at Verdun, successfully pushing back German advances at great cost. The idea was that France would spend too much effort on that goal, weakening its position and helping the German effort. With its strategic location, the German military determined that Verdun would not only be worthy of attack, but that French forces would go to great lengths to defend it. 18, 1916-100 years ago this weekend, after what TIME later called “the crudest ten months of World War I.” By that point, it had become the Great War’s longest fight. Fighting began at Verdun, named for the French town that was its focus point, on Feb. Despite heavy losses on both sides, the French were ultimately able to hold their ground and prevent the Germans from achieving their objective. Philippe Pétain ordered no retreat and that German attacks were to be counter-attacked, despite this exposing French infantry to German artillery-fire.The 10 photographs seen here all bear the same basic place and date information: Verdun, 1916.īut that information hardly does justice to the battle they depict. The battle saw the German army launch a massive offensive against the French fortress of Verdun, with the aim of breaking through the French lines and capturing the city. By 6 March, 20+1⁄2 French divisions were in the RFV and a more extensive defence in depth had been constructed. The advance then slowed for several days, despite inflicting many French casualties.
Poor weather delayed the beginning of the attack until 21 February but the Germans captured Fort Douaumont in the first three days. The Germans hoped that the French would commit their strategic reserve to recapture the position and suffer catastrophic losses at little cost to the Germans. Ever since the Battle of the Marne and the German offensive against St. Item Weight:15.6 Oz Number of Pages:416 Pages. First of all, there were the strategic advantages of the operation. Using the experience of the Second Battle of Champagne in 1915, the Germans planned to capture the Meuse Heights, an excellent defensive position with good observation for artillery-fire on Verdun. Topic:Military / WORLD War I, Military / Strategy, Europe / France, Military / General Item Width:6in. The German 5th Army attacked the defences of the Fortified Region of Verdun and those of the French Second Army on the right bank of the Meuse. Trench warfare is the type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which combatants are well-protected from the enemys small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north of Verdun-sur-Meuse. The Battle of Verdun was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France.
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