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BATTLE OF VERDUN: A HISTORY
FROM BEGINNING TO END
(WORLD WAR 1),
by HOURLY HISTORY.
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Well written or compiled, on subject worth, even vitally so, knowing about.
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"Fought in 1916 from February 21 until December 18, the Battle of Verdun lasted even longer than the Battle of the Somme to become the longest battle of the First World War. It was fought between the French and German forces and was conceived by the Chief of the German General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, as a way to weaken the French troops and bring France’s military to the point of collapse. Falkenhayn saw the battle as a way of winning Germany a quicker victory in the war, sacrificing fewer Germans in the process.
"By the time the Battle of Verdun was fought, Falkenhayn had realized that the French Army could not be destroyed by inflicting upon them one crushing defeat in a single battle. Still, he did not believe that that would even be necessary, concluding that a battle that “bled the French white” would be enough to ensure its eventual defeat, collapse, and submission."
Not really different from what nazis did with more focus and organisation, single-mindedly.
"What Falkenhayn and the Germans needed was to bait the French forces and lure them into a battle that they would not be able to resist. They needed to attack an area that would compel the French to commit vast numbers of men and resources in a battle they knew they could not afford to lose. This area had to be not just strategically important but also of cultural significance; even better for the Germans if the French fought the battle for pride. The area fought over had to be so significant that the French generals would fear not only its strategic loss but also the loss of morale should they lose it. In the end, Falkenhayn and the Germans decided upon a fortified region named Verdun."
Again, no different from what German forces aimed at two of the most important cities in Russia in WWII.
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"“The German is the discipline of fear; ours is the discipline of faith and faith will triumph.”
"—Joseph Joffre"
True even into new millennium, with all the supposed attempts to change; Germans snickering at Wales and Scotland voting about whether to stay with England, while French were blithe about transport strikes. Quite evident who understood freedom.
In Germany shopping for emergency necessities was nearly impossible on weekends after 16.00 on Saturdays, whether medical needs or baby food, never mind new arrivals in Germany in need of shopping to set up a home. In UK, one could breathe again - some, even if not all, supermarkets closed only at midnight of Sunday or at 00.00 of Monday, and opened in six hours again at 06.00 Monday, for the week.
And this difference was visible in Austria too - a tourist finding oneself in dire need of relief from a cold can find neither medicine nor brandy, after shops close on Saturday, and what's more, hotel reception can be extremely unfriendly when requested for help, endlessly repeating their religious strictures.
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"In 1914, Verdun was a formidable fortress town and a highly desirable target for any side in a war to capture and hold. It was surrounded by 20 forts—each one of them fortified with concrete and metal and kitted out with cannons and machine guns. The landscape of the Fortified Region of Verdun was dotted with armored observation posts. With a total of 47 posts strategically placed across the region, whoever commanded Verdun had a commanding and enviable view of the area. It was not only a strong position but a highly defensible position too.
"Verdun was not chosen at random to be a fortress town; it actually had a rich and storied past before the First World War and was steeped in political history. The Germans were acutely aware of the history of Verdun, and it was part of their plan to use that history to their advantage in selecting Verdun as their target."
As done in WWII, too, in Russia.
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"Before Roman times, Verdun was a Gallic fortress, and Attila the Hun had tried and failed to conquer it in the fifth century. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 saw the grandsons of Charlemagne carve up the Carolingian Empire, resulting in Verdun becoming part of the Holy Roman Empire. This treaty also foreshadowed the creation of the modern countries of Germany, France, and Italy.
"Later, Verdun would become one of the three in the Three Bishoprics territory, along with Metz and Toul, before they returned to French rule in 1552. At this time, Henry II, then-king of France, took possession of the Three Bishoprics for France, which was later formalized with the 1648 Peace of Westphalia that confirmed French ownership and brought to an end the Thirty Years’ War between the French, Spanish, Dutch, and Germans.
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"In the mid-1600s, Louis XIV ordered the fortification of Verdun by the Marquis de Vauban, a celebrated French military engineer. He designed a citadel for the heart of the city, and as the years went on, this would be joined by new forts and posts overlooking the Meuse River valley.
"The Prussians would later besiege Verdun in 1792 and hold the town for a few weeks before giving it up after a French victory at Valmy. Less than a century later, the area was again contested in the Franco-German War when the Germans captured it in 1870. On that occasion, the Germans managed to keep hold of the town and successfully defend it until 1873. German troops took only a few weeks to march into Paris as they dealt the French Army a crushing defeat in the Franco-German War. The humiliatingly punitive terms compounded the defeat; these included the German annexation of Alsace, as well as Lorraine.
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"The French, determined to make it so the Germans could never do this again, ordered further fortification of Verdun, this time by General Raymond Adolphe Sere de Rivieres. A project of reinforcements commenced in the 1880s to boost the forts’ resistance to artillery. The outer forts were improved with the aim of offering a resolute defense of Paris at a point on the route through the Plain of Woevre, the most direct route from Germany to Paris. With hundreds of guns, machine guns, and artillery pieces, the forts were now a force to be reckoned with.
"To further support them and plug any gaps in the defense, smaller forts called ouvrages were constructed, as well as troop shelters, artillery emplacements, and a railway to transport ammunition and personnel. New fortresses had been constructed in two lines, one from Belfort to Épinal and another from Toul to Verdun. They were meant as defensive measures to protect nearby villages and towns that could be used as the bases for counter-attacks. Thus, by the time the First World War began in 1914, the forts of Verdun had been brought up to date, prompting Winston Churchill to describe Verdun as a “great advanced citadel of France.”
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"For the French fighting in the First World War, the most significant part of Verdun’s colorful history would have been the Franco-German War. The ancient city had been one of the last to be captured by the Germans, and its fall had dealt the French a huge blow to their morale and sense of national pride. The German capture of the ancient city of Verdun was deeply humiliating to the French, and it was a defeat that they had not forgotten.
"All the improvements to Verdun were supposed to keep the Germans at bay, should they choose to attack again. The combination of concrete and steel was intended to make things difficult for the Germans, and the range of modifications was also necessary for France to keep up with German artillery, including siege artillery, such as the 420mm “Big Bertha” howitzer, that were becoming increasingly effective and sophisticated. Instead, Verdun was, as Churchill said, “the anvil upon which French manhood was to be hammered to death.”"
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"“One cannot fight a war for one or two years, from position to position, in 12-day-long battles until both combatants are completely exhausted and weakened and forced to sue for peace. We must attempt to defeat our enemies quickly and decisively.”
"—Alfred von Schlieffen"
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"Finding itself fighting a war on two major fronts—to the east against Russia and to the west against Great Britain, France, and Belgium—Germany was eager to knock one front out so they could concentrate on dismantling the other. These commitments were all part of the so-called Schlieffen Plan. The Schlieffen Plan dated back to 1905 and was first suggested by then-Chief of the German General Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen. His plan set out how Germany could successfully wage war on two fronts.
"By the time the First World War came about, the plan had been adapted by Helmuth von Moltke, the successor to Schlieffen. These changes implemented by Moltke would later be blamed as one of the key factors behind Germany’s inability to win the First World War. Had the Schlieffen Plan been successful, it would have seen the French and British armies quickly collapse; then, Germany would have concentrated all its efforts on defeating the Russians. Instead, Moltke’s changes, including reducing the size of attacking armies, meant the war dragged on far longer and contributed to Germany losing the war, at least according to his critics.
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"At any rate, following the Schlieffen Plan, Germany began their war on two fronts by invading Belgium and France to the west and Russia to the east in August of 1914. The Germans advanced quickly, soon occupying most of Belgium and penetrating deep into French territory within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of Paris. They were stopped in their tracks in September, however, when British and French forces mounted a fierce counter-attack and came out victorious at the First Battle of the Marne.
"With the German defeat at the Marne came the realization that there would be no quick victory on the Western Front. Both sides dug their trenches, and a terrible war of attrition began as the combatants fought to move the front inch by inch while sustaining massive casualties. By the time 1916 rolled around, it was clear to the Germans that they needed to go on the offensive if they were to break the stalemate. General Erich von Falkenhayn devised a plan meant to cause the French Army enough casualties to bring it to the point of collapse.
"More than a heavily armored fortress, Verdun was a national treasure that symbolized enormous pride for the French. The Germans knew that an attack on Verdun would be a battle the French could not ignore—not only for the strategic benefits the fortress town offered but also for prestige and national pride."
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"“Verdun is not a possible target.”
"—The French Headquarters at Chantilly"
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"At the outbreak of the First World War, the Fortified Region of Verdun was set out in a double circle, with the largest having a diameter of 50 kilometers (30 miles). It consisted of 20 prominent forts and another 40 moderately sized fortifications. The area was hilly and covered with woods with the Meuse River running through it.
"With two-meter (six-feet) thick walls built with reinforced concrete, the largest forts could accommodate roughly 500 soldiers and were fitted with 155mm heavy guns as well as heavy-caliber machine guns. Connected by trenches, the concrete fortifications surrounding each fort, such as Fort Belleville, Fort Belrupt, Fort Moulainville, Fort Souville, Fort St. Michel, and Fort Tavennes, were also equipped with machine guns. In total, the forts were stocked with 1,000 guns, 250 more in reserve, and enough rations for six months.
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"Fort Douaumont, the largest in Verdun, was well-equipped with an underground infantry shelter, a couple of ammunition depots, six ouvrages, six concrete batteries, and a range of infantry trenches constructed from concrete. Across the area were a web of shelters, observation posts, command posts, batteries, and trenches linked by telephone, telegraph, a railway system, and roads.
"By 1915, however, the forts had been stripped of many of their guns and ammunition. All that was left to defend Verdun were heavy guns. It might seem counterintuitive to strip a fortress town of most of its defenses in the middle of a war, but all parties concerned genuinely believed that the war would be over very soon. In that context, it makes sense that the French would decide to take guns and ammunition from Verdun to be used elsewhere.
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"The forts of Liege and Antwerp had been comprehensively demolished by German “Big Berthas” (siege artillery) in 1914, another reason why the French neglected the forts at Verdun. French officials no longer believed that forts could withstand the more powerful modern weapons being used. Some officials even suggested they might demolish some of the larger forts at Verdun to prevent them from being taken by the enemy.
"By the end of January 1916, French intelligence had gathered a clearer picture of the capabilities of the German military and had an opinion of the German military’s intentions. Many believed a German attack on Verdun was likely to come. However, that opinion was not shared by General Joseph Joffre, the commander-in-chief of the French forces. He believed the only motive the Germans would have in attacking Verdun would be to distract the French from defending the Germans’ real target. Joffre did not believe that attacking and taking Verdun would give the Germans a significant strategic advantage.
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"When the Germans did attack, they came prepared with 72 battalions. In contrast, the French had no more than 34 available, despite the commander of Verdun, General Herr, pleading for extra men and resources to reinforce the forts. As reports got through to him from German deserters and French civilians who had fled surrounding towns, Herr knew an attack upon Verdun was imminent. Despite his pleas for help, General Joffre at the French Headquarters refused to believe that Verdun could be a German target.
"Emile Driant, who would later become a hero whilst defending Bois de Caures, was also frustrated at the lack of attention paid to Verdun by French officials, as well as the lack of men and resources. Joffre was infamous for flying into rages, which was precisely what happened when he read Driant’s report, and it did not result in him sending more men or supplies.
"The French Army’s Chief of Staff, Noel de Castelnau, only visited Verdun when it was undeniable that the Germans were targeting Verdun. When he agreed to bolster the defense, the improvements were too little too late. The barbed wire would not arrive in time to be installed adequately, and there were not enough soldiers available to properly defend Verdun. Eventually, two divisions turned up, but only on February 12, 1916, the scheduled first day of the attack."
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"“The strain on France has almost reached breaking point, though it is certainly borne with the most remarkable devotion. If we succeed in opening the eyes of her people to the fact that in a military sense they have nothing more to hope for, that breaking point would be reached, and England’s best sword knocked out of her hand.”
"—Erich von Falkenhayn"
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"In preparation for the Battle of Verdun, the Germans had taken control of the railways 24 kilometers (15 miles) north of the front line, severing French railway communications. The Germans also moved a corps to the Fifth Army to do the heavy lifting and prepare for the offensive. This preparation involved laying thousands of miles of telephone wire, storing tons of ammunition, stocking rations safely, and evacuating French civilians. The Germans constructed workshops, railway lines and stations, and enormous subterranean shelters 14 meters (45 feet) deep in the ground and extensive enough to protect up to 1,200 German soldiers.
"In anticipation of the attack on Verdun, the ranks of the Fifth Army were swelled with extra numbers. Each one benefited from an influx of thousands of experienced soldiers and trained recruits. Meanwhile, the Fifth Army reserve was primed and ready to engage the French soldiers once their defense collapsed.
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"With the attack on Verdun imminent, the Germans knew they would need to maintain the pressure on the French once the attack had begun. To this end, they knew that a high artillery-fire rate would be essential to keep pushing the French defense. Weapons requiring extensive repairs would be returned to German factories, while light repairs would be done in shops constructed close to the front to reduce costly delays. Daily munitions trains would supply the Germans with enough ammunition to keep the French under pressure. They expected to fire two million rounds of ammunition over the course of the first six days alone. The Germans also planned to hit the French with another two million rounds of ammunition over the course of the subsequent twelve days. All these plans meant special arrangements were necessary.
"The plan was for mortar fire and super-heavy artillery to provide cover while artillery pieces, including field guns, mobile heavy guns, and howitzers, were being moved forward. The Germans had stripped the rest of the Western Front of artillery to provide the Verdun front with the requisite firepower, substituting them with older weapons captured from Russian positions. With this concentration of firepower, the Germans could fire upon Verdun from three different directions but stay spread out over a large area.
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"In the opening days of the battle, the Germans aimed to take Meuse Heights along Froide Terre, Fort Souville, and Fort Tavannes. The Germans calculated that taking Meuse Heights along this line would offer them a superior position from which they could successfully defend against any French counter-attacks. The attack was divided into different areas, and responsibility for those areas was apportioned to different corps of the German Fifth Army. The Seventh Reserve Corps was responsible for area A, while the Eighteenth Corps took charge of area B. Area C was handled by the Third Corps, while the Fifteenth Corps took responsibility for area D on the Woevre Plain.
"With the preliminary artillery bombardment scheduled to commence in different areas on February 12, 1916, the plan was for the corps to be primed and waiting to advance. The infantry units located in areas A-C were to advance in open order. The infantrymen would have support from grenadier and flamethrower personnel and were to take any advanced trenches occupied by French soldiers. Artillery support would be arranged at second positions in readiness for the second day of the battle.
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"Thus, the core of the attack was planned to be carried out by the German artillery. German officials were very concerned about risking as few foot soldiers as possible. The bombardment by the artillery was designed to weaken the French defenses and take out as many French soldiers as possible before the Germans would send in their infantry. German officials stressed the importance of cooperation between the artillery and the infantry. They knew that the artillery’s accuracy would be vital in taking Verdun. It would at least distract the French enough to push them into committing increasing numbers of troops and greater resources, which would increase the chance of a quick collapse of the French Army. Such was their confidence in this approach that the Germans prioritized the accuracy of artillery hits over the rate at which they fired.
"The so-called Order for the Activities of the Artillery and Mortars was in charge of the artillery and apportioned responsibilities to different corps and officials. The corps Generals of Foot Artillery were allocated the responsibility for determining appropriate local targets. Meanwhile, it was up to the Fifth Army headquarters to coordinate nearby corps and batteries to contribute flanking firepower. The Germans planned to use a combination of heavy howitzers and enfilade fire to maintain pressure on French fortifications. at the same time, heavy guns would target and decimate supply routes and cause chaos in assembly areas with long-range bombardment. They expected to deal with counter-battery fire with gas shells that specialist batteries would fire.
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"The German generals opted for the bombardment to gradually build up, with the rapid barrage—or, as they called it, the Trommelfeuer—not commencing until the final hour of the bombardment. The infantry and artillery-observers would advance, providing cover for the artillery that would relocate to the French second position. The artillery-observers would communicate with the artillery using a combination of field telephones, flares, and a range of colored balloons to identify targets for them.
"Once the Battle of Verdun began, the Germans intended to maintain a constant bombardment of the French with harassing fire being deployed through the night."
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"As night fell on February 11, 1916, German infantry took their positions and waited for the bombardment to commence the following day. Thousands of them hid and waited for the signal to begin Operation Judgement (Unternehmen Gericht), the German codename for their attack on Verdun. But just when it seemed that the bombardment would begin, the soldiers received word to cancel the attack. A storm was gathering, bringing snow, rainfall, and freezing wind. All of this combined to make for poor visibility, hardly the ideal conditions for such a large-scale attack. This meant the German soldiers had to return to their “stollen,” primitive bunkers that were not intended for long-term habitation. Their rudimentary shelters offered almost no protection against the biting cold, and it was not long before they flooded due to inclement weather.
"The German soldiers had to endure this for nine days before weather conditions improved, finally allowing the attack on Verdun to commence. While the delay meant the Germans had nine miserable days waiting for the weather to improve and the signal for the attack to come, it was good news for the French. In those nine days, the French were able to move their two newly arrived divisions into position to defend against the Germans. It also allowed them to make further, much-needed improvements to their defenses before the battle got underway. Without the delay, the French Army would likely have collapsed at Verdun.
"At 7:15 am on February 21, when the signal finally came, the entire 40-kilometer (25-mile) Verdun front, as well as the town of Verdun, was subjected to the most intense bombardment ever seen in any war. The devastating bombardment destroyed French trenches; phone lines were ripped apart, and weapons were blown to pieces. Likewise, soldiers were blown apart and almost instantly buried in craters created by the unrelenting bombing that buried the corpses beneath erupting soil. If the remains of bombed soldiers were not left on the ground, they were flung into the air and got caught on branches of trees that had not yet been uprooted. The Germans fully believed that no one could survive such a long and intense attack.
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"The bombardment eventually came to an end after nine hours when German infantry emerged from their shelters. At around five pm, they began their assault on Bois d’Haumont, Bois des Caures, and Bois de l’Herbebois but were surprised to see so many French defenders, whom they assumed had perished in the bombardment. The French soldiers were able to put up a valiant defense, prompting the Germans to use a new weapon. It was here, on the first day of the Battle of Verdun, that the Germans brought the flamethrower into use as a weapon against the French.
"By the time night fell, Bois des Caures and Bois de l’Herbebois had been held by the French. The only victory the Germans had to show for their efforts was the capture of Bois d’Haumont. By the time the higher command got back to them with approval to continue and take the villages of Brabant and Samogneux, it was too dark for the men to march. Meanwhile, the French higher command in Chantilly still saw the Battle at Verdun as a mere diversion and not part of a larger German scheme.
"The bombardment continued the next day, this time also encompassing the River Meuse’s left bank. German soldiers focused on the village of Haumont and Bois des Caures, taking them by the end of that day and pushing the French soldiers back to Beaumont. The French also evacuated Brabant. Meanwhile, General Joffre at the French Headquarters in Chantilly still failed to recognize how pivotal the Battle of Verdun would be for France.
"On February 23, the day began with Bois de l’Herbebois in French hands after intense fighting. However, French soldiers were forced to withdraw after an attack from Bois de Wavrille. Elsewhere, the French tried to counter-attack to retake Bois des Caures, but it was to no avail. They did manage to retain control of the Samogneux and inflict severe damage on the Germans at Bois des Fosses. Despite this, the Germans appeared unstoppable as they pushed the French back from their first line of defense. Over in Chantilly, it finally dawned on General Joffre that the situation in Verdun merited greater attention than it had been receiving, so he sent an official to observe the battle in Verdun and report back to him.
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"On February 24, the doubters who had criticized Falkenhayn’s plan that ignored the left bank of the River Meuse were proven correct. When new German troops entered the battle, they came under intense firepower by the French artillery that was able to use the Meuse’s left bank to attack. Despite this oversight by Falkenhayn, the Germans captured Côte 344, Bois des Fosses, Bois de Chaume, and the village of Ornes.
"With the loss of their second line of defense, the situation appeared to have gotten out of control for the French. Fortunately, it was on this day that relief troops arrived. Despite being tired and hungry from the march, the troops were immediately pushed into the fight against the Germans. Meanwhile, in Chantilly, having received a very troubling report from Verdun, the French Chief of Staff de Castelnau immediately sent Commander Philipe Pétain with an army to fight for Verdun.
"While Pétain and his army made their way to Verdun, the battle continued, with the French beginning to panic as the Germans made progress towards Fort Douaumont, the largest fort in the region. Taking full advantage of machine-gun support, the Germans descended upon French positions in the woods at the edge of Bois Hermitage and on Côte 347, where they took a significant number of French soldiers prisoner. Having outflanked the French, the Germans forced them to retreat to the village of Douaumont.
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"The Germans continued to close in on the French soldiers as they fell back to Douaumont. However, after encountering machine gun fire from the Douaumont church, their advance came to a halt. The German infantry tried to inform their artillery via telephone that they were a few hundred meters away from the fort. Still, disbelieving artillerymen decided to bomb the area, forcing some German infantrymen to retreat to the woods and a ravine near the fort. Meanwhile, roughly 100 soldiers continued to the fort.
"They tried using flares to signal their presence to the artillery, but the combination of snowfall and twilight meant the artillerymen did not see the signal. Instead of alerting their presence to the German artillery, the German flares let the French know that troops were near the fort. Since the light conditions meant the French could not see the Germans clearly, they mistook them for their own troops returning from Côte 378, so they stopped the machine-gun fire. Meanwhile, the Germans cut through the barbed wire around the fort. It was not until they reached the northern point of the fort that the French realized their mistake and opened fire again, but it was too late, and the Germans took Fort Douaumont.
"With the fall of Fort Douaumont, the 37th African Division defending the line between Champneuville, Vacherauville, and the village of Douaumont withdrew to the hillside of Côte de Belleville. Had they realized that those positions were now vulnerable, the Germans could have taken the town of Verdun and ended the battle. Oblivious to the positions being abandoned, the Germans squandered the opportunity.
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"Elsewhere in Verdun, General de Castelnau had arrived and set a plan in motion to save the French. For de Castelnau, a retreat was out of the question. He immediately ordered the defense of the right and left riverbanks, while Pétain ordered a line of defense to be formed between the remaining French-occupied forts. This allowed artillery to be quickly brought to the Meuse’s riverbanks and halt the German Army. Pétain also ordered the improvement of a narrow road between Verdun and Bar-le-Duc. Later called the Voie Sacrée (“Holy Road”), it would become essential for the movement of people and resources in and out of Verdun.
"Desperate to slow the Germans down for a few days while they organized themselves, the French decided to hold them up at the village of Douaumont for as long as possible. To this end, they began moving men and resources to the village, which the Germans had not yet occupied, despite having taken the Fort Douaumont.
"On February 26, the Germans planned to finally seize the town of Verdun, taking the village of Douaumont on the way and occupying Bois de la Caillette and Bois de Hardoumont to Douaumont’s east. The Germans found the Bezonvaux fortification abandoned and occupied it. They had also expected to find the Hardoumont fortification empty as it had been registered as captured. This was an error, however, and the Germans were surprised to find themselves under intense fire from the French firing from higher hills. Having expected the area to be empty, the Germans had no artillery backup and were brought to a halt. Despite eventually taking the Hardoumont fortification, the obstinate French defense there meant the Germans could not progress to Fort Vaux.
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"Meanwhile, the village of Douaumont was transformed by a formidable accumulation of French machine guns and howitzers. For the Germans, the only way to get through the village was to march while the French targeted them. The Germans eventually decided to retreat and return the next day with support.
"The next day, despite returning with a heavy gun and spending four hours bombarding the village, the Germans were outdone by a snowstorm which made visibility very poor. The French promptly destroyed the infantry regiment they sent in. Meanwhile, it was mistakenly reported to the German artillery that the village of Douaumont had been taken, so they turned their attention from supporting the regiment to the Thiaumont fortification. The French in their trenches, untroubled by the German artillery, could fire upon attacking German troops from height and inflict huge losses.
"By the time the German troops entered the village, the snowstorm had only gotten worse, and the fighting descended into one-on-one fights to the death. The soldiers used knives, bayonets, spades, and anything they could use to survive. This, and the vast casualties, continued on February 28 and February 29, with still no progress made by the Germans as the village remained in French hands. On the night of February 29, the Germans decided to use their flamethrowers again. With their spirits finally broken by this, some groups of French soldiers surrendered and were forced to carry the bodies of wounded Germans back to German-occupied territory. It was not until March 2 that the Germans finally took the village of Douaumont from the French.
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"The bombing and weather had turned the ground into a quagmire, slowing down the Germans. With the muddy conditions, German equipment was failing, and the infantrymen were tiring. The lack of field kitchens and scarce drinking water did not help the worn-out German soldiers. The terrible ground conditions meant the artillery could no longer move forward as quickly as they had anticipated, so the swift progress the German infantry had made meant that they were beyond the cover afforded by the artillery, exposing them to French artillery fire. These factors resulted in increased losses for the Germans. The fighting in the village of Douaumont alone cost them 500 casualties, something they had not expected.
"Falkenhayn had had the opportunity to break through earlier but did not use spare troops as he did not want the battle to end too quickly. He had wanted to “bleed France white” with as many casualties as possible. However, he had only envisioned it being so tortuous for the French. Instead, the French defense had become more effective after the arrival of supplies and fresh troops. Moreover, Pétain had achieved his objective by gaining France more than the three days they needed to organize their defense."
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"On March 6, 1916, the Germans attacked the left riverbank of the Meuse, believing that they needed to eliminate French artillery firing from there to make progress. The Germans wanted to be free to progress to Verdun along the right riverbank, and they also wanted to use the right riverbank to launch an attack on Fort Vaux. With a height of 295 meters (960 feet), Le Mort Homme (“The Dead Man”) was a hill on the left riverbank that offered the French a valuable lookout point, an advantage the Germans also wanted. The Germans planned to begin their attack on French artillery at Bois Bourrus once they had Le Mort Homme.
"When time came for the attack, the French had already amassed four divisions to defend. The first line of defense took the brunt of the initial German bombardment. French artillery meanwhile fired from Bois Bourrus, but it was ineffective. The battleground had become a quagmire smothering the grenades, which failed to explode and hinder the German advance. Instead, the Germans were easily able to use the villages of Brabant and Champneuville to cross the Meuse. With this, the French became disheartened, and their resolve weakened, contributing to the Germans succeeding in taking the villages of Forges and Regneville. By the end of the day, the Germans had also taken Côte de l’Oie, the western part of the hill.
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"With the support of their artillery, the Germans took Bois des Corbeaux on March 7. By the end of the day, over 3,000 French soldiers had surrendered to the Germans, who were increasingly optimistic that they would take Le Mort Homme. However, the French seemed to have regrouped by the early hours of March 8 when they launched a ferocious counter-attack. While the Germans had taken Bois des Corbeaux, they had not consolidated their occupation, and the French were able to retake the woods. Rather than go ahead with the attack on Le Mort Homme, the Germans were forced to cancel their plans and take a defensive position.
"The Germans postponed their attack until the following day, March 9, when they used Bethincourt in an attempt to take Le Mort Homme. The French, having regained their defensive position, managed to repel the German attack. This did not dissuade the Germans as they returned the next day for another attack that began on March 10 but would last four days. Every attack would be met with a counter-attack, leading to devastating losses on both sides. Despite losing many soldiers with this attempt, the Germans managed to take Bois des Corbeaux, but Le Mort Homme remained beyond their reach.
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"On March 14, the Germans once again launched an attack to take Le Mort Homme. This time, they were overwhelmed by the French, who rained intense artillery firepower upon the Germans from Côte 304. The French had a store of artillery at Côte 304, so this was where the Germans decided they would attack if their efforts at Le Mort Homme continued to go nowhere. The Germans began to think that taking Le Mort Homme may depend upon taking Côte 304.
"On March 20, the Germans had a breakthrough as they launched an attack on Avocourt from the west. There, 3,000 French soldiers were taken as prisoners by the Germans; some even believe that French defectors gave away the location of the soldiers to the Germans.
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"From March 21, the fighting covered the entire Bois d’Avocourt, resulting in enormous losses for the French and the Germans. Hidden French machine guns tore through German soldiers while artillery from both sides ripped the ground and the men apart. Adding to the chaos and confusion was the inclement weather. The heavy rain turned the already decimated battleground into a quagmire that sucked at the men as they fought, fell, and drowned in the dirt.
"The battle was paused at the end of March 23, but fighting continued elsewhere. By the end of March, the Germans had launched an attack on Côte 304, but they could not pry it from the French, and it remained under their control. However, the Germans did take the village of Malancourt on March 31 and went on to take control of Haucourt village on April 5, and on April 8, they occupied the village of Bethincourt. Despite their victories, the Germans were weary. Both the Germans and the French were reaching their limits, with increasing numbers of soldiers refusing to leave the relative safety of their trenches; some would rather surrender to the enemy than prolong their misery.
................................................................................................
"The Germans changed their approach on April 9 when they decided to put into action an idea to attack both banks of the Meuse at the same time. General Max von Gallwitz took command of all troops attacking the left bank, which included attacks on Côte 304 and Le Mort Homme. Extra men and resources were available to the Germans, while the French had almost no reserve troops to call upon. The attack began with intense shooting that shrouded the area in smoke and dust as the Germans made for the various levels of Le Mort Homme."
Was this the chief reason someone said that French had 20 million problems, referring to the difference in population?
................................................................................................
"Despite racking up vast casualties the whole way, the Germans reached the lower crest of Le Mort Homme. Throughout, the French fired upon German lines from Côte 304 as the fighting switched from one crest to another with no time for food or drink, tending to the wounded, or burying corpses. Even the awful conditions at the Battle of the Somme would not surpass the devastation at Verdun.
"Despite the high kill count racked up by the Germans, they still failed to take Le Mort Homme and Côte 304 from the French. Using the advantage of Côte 304, the French unleashed a barrage of firepower that stopped the Germans from consolidating their positions and creating artillery lines and observation points. This is what convinced the Germans that they needed to fully occupy Côte 304 before trying to take Le Mort Homme. However, after April 9, it rained for 12 consecutive days, stopping the Germans from making any kind of preparations. There was not a single soldier with dry clothing; they were all up to their knees in rainwater.
................................................................................................
"Instead of preparing for further attacks, the Germans were eventually driven from Le Mort Homme by French counter-attacks. While they may have been pushed back, the Germans were beginning preparations for a new attack on Côte 304, using 500 heavy guns to fire upon a front of only around 2 kilometers (1.2 miles)
"The Germans unleashed their latest attack on May 3 to claim Côte 304. It was an incredibly warm day when the devastating 36-hour bombardment of the French began. The area reeked of decaying corpses; the wounded could not be taken away. ... By the time the bombardment of Côte 304 was over, the explosions had made the hill 4 meters (17 feet) lower. The Germans did not launch their assault to take Côte 304 until the night of the second day of the attack, followed by three days of intense combat before the Germans finally consolidated their occupation of the hill.
"After Côte 304, the Germans continued their strategy of bombardment to take Le Mort Homme. The barrage of explosions caused chaos for both the French and the Germans as Le Mort Homme shook and covered the entire area with dust from a plume that reached a height of 800 meters (half a mile). While the French put up a valiant defense, they gave in by the end of May, and the Germans had finally taken Le Mort Homme, as well as the villages of Cumières and Chattancourt. After three months of near-continuous fighting and slaughter, Falkenhayn was finally exhausting the French, but the Germans were also bleeding to death."
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"“They must be crazy to do what they are doing now: what a bloodbath, what horrid images, what a slaughter. I just cannot find the words to express my feelings. Hell cannot be this dreadful.”
"—Alfred Joubaire"
And this was WWI.
Who, then, knew that there would be a far greater he'll ahead, deliberately inflicted by Germany again, dissatisfied with leaving the butchering of neighbours incomplete in WWI!
................................................................................................
"Back at the beginning of March, it was decided by the German Army Command that it would only be possible to march to the town of Verdun on the right Meuse riverbank by defeating the French on the left riverbank from where the artillery was firing. This led to the battle beginning at the left riverbank on March 6. At the same time, a battle for Fort Vaux started on the right riverbank on March 8 after it was postponed for two days due to the difficulty the Germans had in relocating their artillery because of the decimated terrain. This delay gave the French time to reoccupy forts and bolster their lines of defense.
"At Vaux, artillery fire with gas grenades was followed by an attack by German infantrymen who quickly made their way toward Fort Vaux only to be halted by a deep gorge before the fort, exposing them to intense firepower unleashed by the French from higher defenses. The Germans decided to surprise the French with a nighttime attack and were unexpectedly successful, taking the village of Vaux. Emboldened by the success, German troops went on to attack Fort Vaux but lost their way in the darkness and their contact with officers. The intense French fire forced the Germans to take cover.
................................................................................................
"A combination of rumors and miscommunication on March 9 resulted in the German Army Command believing Fort Vaux had already been taken. In celebration, General von Guretzky was awarded the highest German decoration, only for it to be rescinded the next day when it transpired that the fort was still very much in French hands. Embarrassed by the slip-up, General von Lochow was immediately ordered to conquer Fort Vaux and salve the wounded German pride, despite a lack of artillery support. The French easily defended against the attack resulting in the death of many more German soldiers.
"On March 11, the continuing battle for Fort Vaux inflicted huge losses for only modest successes. Exhaustion contributed to insubordination by increasing numbers of German soldiers who refused to attack, leading to the attack on Fort Vaux being paused until new troops could be brought in. By the end of April, new plans were ready to continue the battle with another significant attack planned for May, codenamed “Maibowle.”
................................................................................................
"At the time, the Germans used inexperienced troops, often no older than 18, to fill front-line gaps for months on end. Meanwhile, French Commander Pétain decided to implement a new strategy for his front-line troops. He introduced the so-called noria system, which regularly replaced front-line divisions so French front-line troops would be less tired than their German counterparts, and requested more rest for his men.
"Fearing the upcoming Somme Offensive would be jeopardized and tiring of an attitude that Joffre saw as too careful and defensive, he promoted Pétain to get him away from the battlefield and replaced him with General Robert Nivelle and his subordinate, General Charles Mangin. They were known as ruthless warriors who preferred frontal attacks. Mangin, who was even nicknamed “the Butcher,” made it his mission to retake Fort Douaumont.
................................................................................................
"Ahead of a new attack on Fort Vaux, the German Army Command on the battlefield preferred to attack the French in Bois de la Caillette first, as the defensive positions there would be a significant hindrance in conquering the fort. However, German Headquarters decided they should first attack Fort Vaux. The attacks on Fort Vaux and the Thiaumont fortification both began on May 1 without the cover of German air-raid as the planes were not yet available to distract the French. By May 7, it was beyond doubt that the German attack had once more come to nothing due to the formidable French artillery fire. The German attack on the Thiaumont fortification also failed.
"Meanwhile, Fort Douaumont was subjected to constant French counter-attacks, night and day, as they tried to hinder the German efforts to plan attacks, attend to their wounded, and provide troops with provisions. Fort Douaumont was also the location of German munitions depots. The French continually attacked German supply routes out of the fort, leading to a devastating explosion and many deaths on May 8. This explosion, combined with the defeats at Fort Vaux and the Thiaumont fortifications, meant that the operation “Maibowle” was doomed to failure.
................................................................................................
"On May 16, the French, commanded by General Mangin, began a major but ill-prepared attack on Fort Douaumont using large-bore weapons and poisonous gas grenades. By May 22, the French even managed to enter the top of the fort. However, the fierce German resistance led to hand-to-hand fighting that ended in defeat for the French. This attack also weakened the French front line, leading to 1,000 French soldiers being taken as prisoners.
"The Germans also retook Bois de la Caillette and Bois de Fumin on June 1. With the flanking French fire from those woods neutralized, the German troops were free to attack Fort Vaux. On the morning of June 2, Fort Vaux was attacked by roughly 1,500 German grenades every hour; still, the French, led by Major Sylvain Raynal, put up an obstinate defense. The Germans tried to use flamethrowers to force the French out, but the Germans were engulfed by their own smoke. Meanwhile, the French continued to mount counter-attacks leading to brutal, close-combat fighting.
................................................................................................
"The combination of high temperatures, water scarcity, and the lydite used in explosives made the men incredibly thirsty. Barricaded within Fort Vaux, the French had only a limited amount of drinking water. ... With few supplies getting through and little hope of help arriving, Raynal finally decided to surrender and raised a white flag on June 7.
"On June 8, French counter-attacks, including artillery barrages and infantry assaults, to retake Fort Vaux were so fierce that the Germans had no choice but to remain in the fort. It took ten failed, costly attacks for the French to withdraw, leading Pétain to forbid Nivelle from any more attempts to retake Fort Vaux.
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
"“Enemy superiority is so great that we are not in a position either to fix their forces in position or to prevent them from launching an offensive elsewhere. We just do not have the troops. . . We cannot prevail in a second battle of the Somme with our men; they cannot achieve that any more.”
"—Hermann von Kuhl"
Since Germans were 20 million more in number than French, this superiority could only be of techniques and more.
................................................................................................
"Before marching on the town of Verdun itself, the next targets for the Germans were the village of Fleury, Fort Souville, and the Thiaumont fortification. While the French easily defended against German attacks on June 8, the attacks on June 12 and 13 were partly successful, with some fortifications and machine-gun posts taken over by the Germans.
"The German bombardment on June 21 was less effective than expected, but it did alert the French to the upcoming offensive aimed at taking Fleury and Fort Souville. While some French soldiers surrendered, the Germans were generally greeted with machine-gun fire and were only able to take some French fortifications between Fort Vaux and Fort Tavannes.
"On the evening of June 22, the Germans started their latest major offensive by shooting poisonous gas grenades at the French. The grenades contained phosgene gas, a type of toxic gas that was thought to be able to penetrate French gas masks. The phosgene gas was lethal, taking up to two days to kill the victim. At 10 pm, 110,000 phosgene gas grenades were fired at the French. It was not until 6 am the following day that the German infantry attacked, expecting to find few survivors from the gas attack. Yet although the hinterland defense was neutralized, the French front lines were largely intact and were able to halt the German advance."
And then Germany had the chutzpah to complain about reparations - which they didn't pay, anyway!
................................................................................................
"Despite the failure of the attack on Fort Souville, the Germans managed to take the Thiaumont fortification and partly occupy the village of Fleury, where the fighting descended into close combat. Meanwhile, the Germans also captured the Froide Terre fortification and the Quatre Cheminees command post. By the end of the day, troops on both sides were warm, tired, thirsty, and did not have enough ammunition to continue, making for another disappointment for the Germans, who had yet again failed to take Verdun.
"With their defense in critical condition, some French soldiers were panicking and deserting their posts while others were building defense trenches in the city. Meanwhile, phosgene-poisoned soldiers writhed and screamed in agony. Pétain and Nivelle considered evacuating the Meuse’s right riverbank to stop the Germans from capturing so much French artillery. However, aware of the effect this would have on French morale and how pointless the entire Battle of Verdun would have been had they decided to withdraw at that point, they chose to continue fighting.
"With a Russian offensive underway on the Eastern Front and a large-scale Allied attack expected in the Somme area, June 24 saw the German Supreme Command request that men and resources be used more economically at Verdun. Yet since it was so difficult to defend the German-occupied area without more troops, General von Knobelsdorf knew their only options were to capture Verdun completely or voluntarily give up the territory for which so many Germans and French had died.
................................................................................................
"The French then mounted a surprise counter-attack on June 25, almost retaking the Thiaumont fortification. Their continuing attacks meant the Germans had to postpone their planned attacks and what Knobelsdorf assumed would be their final push to take Verdun. Throughout this, fierce fighting continued over the village of Fleury, with bombardments taking place day and night, as well as attacks and counter-attacks. To make matters worse for the Germans, the transfer of soldiers, artillery, and planes to the Somme front began on July 1 with the outbreak of the Battle of the Somme, making the battle for Verdun less important to the German Army Command but no less intense to those on the Verdun battlefield.
"Bad weather meant the Germans had to postpone their next attack between Bois de Chapitre and Fleury and another aimed at Fort Tavannes until June 11, when they again initiated the attack with poisonous gas. The French were better prepared this time, and the gas had little effect, allowing them to unleash fire so fierce it plunged the Germans into confusion on the narrow front they had chosen to concentrate their artillery fire more easily. Despite that, the Germans eventually managed to entirely occupy the village of Fleury. French reinforcements and artillery fire focused on Fleury stopped the Germans, who were waiting for more troops from Douaumont, from progressing to Verdun. The French firepower was so fierce that the Germans could not leave Fort Vaux until there was a pause in the bombardment after eight hours.
................................................................................................
"On July 12, the French, buoyed by General Nivelle’s famous speech, which finished with the line, “Ils ne passeront pas!” (“They shall not pass”), repelled a German attack on Fort Souville. The Germans were ordered to attack the fort ahead of taking Verdun, but their artillery fire did not fire close enough, and out of two companies, only a few Germans reached the fort. Once again, the Germans had failed to take Verdun. Meanwhile, soldiers and resources were still being moved to the Somme and the Eastern Front, forcing General Falkenhayn to scale down the Battle of Verdun. Nevertheless, the fighting remained intense and went on day after day.
"Eager to retake Fleury, General Mangin launched a hasty attack without artillery support on July 15. It failed, resulting in substantial French casualties, prompting the Germans to plan another attack for August 1 to firmly establish the front between Fleury and the Thiaumont fortification. From August 1, the Thiaumont fortification changed hands several times as the French and Germans fought to conquer and reconquer it. By August 12, it was yet again under German control.
"The German soldiers on the front line, which no longer resembled anything like a front line, were exhausted from living and fighting in horrific conditions, surrounded by rotting corpses. With no more reserve troops available, there was also a dire shortage of artillery, ammunition, food, and drinking water. The fighting descended into a seemingly endless cycle of attacks and counter-attacks, with any territory gained quickly lost. All of this suggested to the German headquarters that there was no longer any hope for a victory at Verdun, leading commanders to consider calling off the battle."
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"“Like Auschwitz, Verdun marks a transgression of the limits of the human condition.”
"—Antoine Prost"
................................................................................................
"As German troops increasingly lost faith, General Lochow ordered strict disciplinary measures, including instant executions, to stamp out cowardice and insubordination. Meanwhile, on August 23, the German headquarters at Stenay learned that General von Knobelsdorf, blamed for the failures of the Battle of Verdun, would be relieved of duty. Falkenhayn was also blamed for the battle—it had achieved nothing but death and destruction. Falkenhayn was transferred to Romania when they joined the war on the side of the Allied forces on August 27, with Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff taking over as supreme commanders.
"General Ludendorff’s first decision as commander was to end the Battle of Verdun. However, the French Army Command was determined to destroy the Germans and carried out incessant attacks on German fortifications. The Germans could not extricate themselves from the situation and continued to lose more men than the French. Meanwhile, the French were preparing a meticulously-planned major attack necessitating the construction of roads to supply large amounts of ammunition and artillery fortifications to store it all. Eight divisions were trained on a mock battlefield with forts in the hinterland.
"A new artillery tactic, the creeping barrage, was put forth by General Nivelle, but it required the artillery and infantry to work in perfect coordination. The French built an underground telephone network for this reason. With the new tactic, the artillery would move forward 100 meters (330 feet) at a time, with the infantry following closely. It meant the artillery and infantry would reach the Germans simultaneously, giving them no time to leave their bunkers.
................................................................................................
"A new artillery tactic, the creeping barrage, was put forth by General Nivelle, but it required the artillery and infantry to work in perfect coordination. The French built an underground telephone network for this reason. With the new tactic, the artillery would move forward 100 meters (330 feet) at a time, with the infantry following closely. It meant the artillery and infantry would reach the Germans simultaneously, giving them no time to leave their bunkers.
"Using a reconnaissance plane to direct the artillery, the French bombarded the Germans on a seven-kilometer (four-mile) wide front on October 21. On October 22, after a pause in artillery fire, during which the panicking Germans fired blindly and gave away their position, the French bombardment resumed, destroying multiple German batteries. Using grenades and two new 400 mm Creusot-Schneider guns with superior penetration power, the French could force most of the Germans to evacuate Fort Douaumont on October 23. On October 24, despite the thick mist covering the battlefield, the French could push back the German front using the creeping barrage tactic and retake Fleury and Bois de Chapitre.
"Only around twenty Germans were left at Fort Douaumont when their leader, Captain Prollius, decided to surrender it to the French on October 24, giving up the most significant German base in Verdun. The French then lost many men between Fort Vaux and Bois de Fumin, but by late evening, many Germans had surrendered, leaving the French free to pursue their next target—Fort Vaux—on October 25. With ruthless machine gun fire, the Germans brought down wave after wave of French attacks, leaving around 1,000 corpses on the battlefield.
................................................................................................
"With both sides pausing the fighting to bury the dead and attend to the wounded, the French decided to call off any further attacks on Fort Vaux. Meanwhile, for the first time, the Germans considered the strategic withdrawal favored by General Ludendorff to curtail further unnecessary losses. On November 2, the Germans marched away from Fort Vaux and detonated explosives to destroy it.
"In order to drive the Germans back to the position they had occupied in February, Mangin prepared one more attack that was launched on December 11. Despite huge losses, they managed to overwhelm the Germans, retaking Bezonvaux, Louvemont, and various woods. About a week later, on December 19, the German Army Command accepted that they had been defeated at Verdun when more than 11,000 Germans surrendered, finally bringing the Battle of Verdun to an end."
................................................................................................
................................................................................................
"The Battle of the Somme is often described as the bloodiest in the history of the British military; the Battle of Verdun carries this unfortunate distinction for the French military. By the end of the battle, the French had suffered between 379,000 and 400,000 casualties, with 163,000 fatalities. The German forces, meanwhile, are estimated to have sustained between 336,000 and 355,000 casualties, with roughly 143,000 dead.
"Many of Falkenhayn’s assumptions about the French and British had been wrong over the course of his tenure as Germany’s Chief of the General Staff. However, he had been right about the Battle of Verdun crushing the French spirit, even if it was not quite in the way he had imagined. The continuous attacks, artillery bombardments, and awful weather in the area made it a woeful place for French and Germans alike. The battlefield became a thick soup of mud and human remains. The clay-like soil would cling to uniforms, weighing the men down, while the shell craters would collect water from the incessant rain. In many cases, the shell craters were so deep that it was possible for soldiers to drown in them with their heavy clothes and equipment.
................................................................................................
"And, despite the plunging morale and instances of desertion, mental breakdowns, shell shock, and devastating losses, the French fought on. They were fighting not only for themselves or for Verdun. They were fighting for their families, their neighbors, and their friends. They were fighting for their country and for their freedom.
"Today, the Battle of Verdun is remembered by both French and German descendants. The sacrifices made at Verdun are recognized, but the Battle of Verdun is also considered a potent symbol of the deep futility of war. The First World War would go on to claim the lives of many more soldiers, but no other battle would last as long as the Battle of Verdun or have such a considerable impact on the French psyche."
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Table of Contents
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Introduction
The Significance of Verdun
Prelude to Verdun
French Preparations
German Plan of Attack
First Phase: The Fog that Saved France
Second Phase: Fight for the Hills
Third Phase: Hell at Fort Vaux
Fourth Phase: Saved by the Somme
Fifth Phase: A Hard-fought Victory
Conclusion
Bibliography
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REVIEW
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Introduction
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"Fought in 1916 from February 21 until December 18, the Battle of Verdun lasted even longer than the Battle of the Somme to become the longest battle of the First World War. It was fought between the French and German forces and was conceived by the Chief of the German General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, as a way to weaken the French troops and bring France’s military to the point of collapse. Falkenhayn saw the battle as a way of winning Germany a quicker victory in the war, sacrificing fewer Germans in the process.
"By the time the Battle of Verdun was fought, Falkenhayn had realized that the French Army could not be destroyed by inflicting upon them one crushing defeat in a single battle. Still, he did not believe that that would even be necessary, concluding that a battle that “bled the French white” would be enough to ensure its eventual defeat, collapse, and submission."
Not really different from what nazis did with more focus and organisation, single-mindedly.
"What Falkenhayn and the Germans needed was to bait the French forces and lure them into a battle that they would not be able to resist. They needed to attack an area that would compel the French to commit vast numbers of men and resources in a battle they knew they could not afford to lose. This area had to be not just strategically important but also of cultural significance; even better for the Germans if the French fought the battle for pride. The area fought over had to be so significant that the French generals would fear not only its strategic loss but also the loss of morale should they lose it. In the end, Falkenhayn and the Germans decided upon a fortified region named Verdun."
Again, no different from what German forces aimed at two of the most important cities in Russia in WWII.
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December 05, 2022 - December 05, 2022.
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Chapter 1. The Significance of Verdun
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"“The German is the discipline of fear; ours is the discipline of faith and faith will triumph.”
"—Joseph Joffre"
True even into new millennium, with all the supposed attempts to change; Germans snickering at Wales and Scotland voting about whether to stay with England, while French were blithe about transport strikes. Quite evident who understood freedom.
In Germany shopping for emergency necessities was nearly impossible on weekends after 16.00 on Saturdays, whether medical needs or baby food, never mind new arrivals in Germany in need of shopping to set up a home. In UK, one could breathe again - some, even if not all, supermarkets closed only at midnight of Sunday or at 00.00 of Monday, and opened in six hours again at 06.00 Monday, for the week.
And this difference was visible in Austria too - a tourist finding oneself in dire need of relief from a cold can find neither medicine nor brandy, after shops close on Saturday, and what's more, hotel reception can be extremely unfriendly when requested for help, endlessly repeating their religious strictures.
................................................................................................
"In 1914, Verdun was a formidable fortress town and a highly desirable target for any side in a war to capture and hold. It was surrounded by 20 forts—each one of them fortified with concrete and metal and kitted out with cannons and machine guns. The landscape of the Fortified Region of Verdun was dotted with armored observation posts. With a total of 47 posts strategically placed across the region, whoever commanded Verdun had a commanding and enviable view of the area. It was not only a strong position but a highly defensible position too.
"Verdun was not chosen at random to be a fortress town; it actually had a rich and storied past before the First World War and was steeped in political history. The Germans were acutely aware of the history of Verdun, and it was part of their plan to use that history to their advantage in selecting Verdun as their target."
As done in WWII, too, in Russia.
................................................................................................
"Before Roman times, Verdun was a Gallic fortress, and Attila the Hun had tried and failed to conquer it in the fifth century. The Treaty of Verdun in 843 saw the grandsons of Charlemagne carve up the Carolingian Empire, resulting in Verdun becoming part of the Holy Roman Empire. This treaty also foreshadowed the creation of the modern countries of Germany, France, and Italy.
"Later, Verdun would become one of the three in the Three Bishoprics territory, along with Metz and Toul, before they returned to French rule in 1552. At this time, Henry II, then-king of France, took possession of the Three Bishoprics for France, which was later formalized with the 1648 Peace of Westphalia that confirmed French ownership and brought to an end the Thirty Years’ War between the French, Spanish, Dutch, and Germans.
................................................................................................
"In the mid-1600s, Louis XIV ordered the fortification of Verdun by the Marquis de Vauban, a celebrated French military engineer. He designed a citadel for the heart of the city, and as the years went on, this would be joined by new forts and posts overlooking the Meuse River valley.
"The Prussians would later besiege Verdun in 1792 and hold the town for a few weeks before giving it up after a French victory at Valmy. Less than a century later, the area was again contested in the Franco-German War when the Germans captured it in 1870. On that occasion, the Germans managed to keep hold of the town and successfully defend it until 1873. German troops took only a few weeks to march into Paris as they dealt the French Army a crushing defeat in the Franco-German War. The humiliatingly punitive terms compounded the defeat; these included the German annexation of Alsace, as well as Lorraine.
................................................................................................
"The French, determined to make it so the Germans could never do this again, ordered further fortification of Verdun, this time by General Raymond Adolphe Sere de Rivieres. A project of reinforcements commenced in the 1880s to boost the forts’ resistance to artillery. The outer forts were improved with the aim of offering a resolute defense of Paris at a point on the route through the Plain of Woevre, the most direct route from Germany to Paris. With hundreds of guns, machine guns, and artillery pieces, the forts were now a force to be reckoned with.
"To further support them and plug any gaps in the defense, smaller forts called ouvrages were constructed, as well as troop shelters, artillery emplacements, and a railway to transport ammunition and personnel. New fortresses had been constructed in two lines, one from Belfort to Épinal and another from Toul to Verdun. They were meant as defensive measures to protect nearby villages and towns that could be used as the bases for counter-attacks. Thus, by the time the First World War began in 1914, the forts of Verdun had been brought up to date, prompting Winston Churchill to describe Verdun as a “great advanced citadel of France.”
................................................................................................
"For the French fighting in the First World War, the most significant part of Verdun’s colorful history would have been the Franco-German War. The ancient city had been one of the last to be captured by the Germans, and its fall had dealt the French a huge blow to their morale and sense of national pride. The German capture of the ancient city of Verdun was deeply humiliating to the French, and it was a defeat that they had not forgotten.
"All the improvements to Verdun were supposed to keep the Germans at bay, should they choose to attack again. The combination of concrete and steel was intended to make things difficult for the Germans, and the range of modifications was also necessary for France to keep up with German artillery, including siege artillery, such as the 420mm “Big Bertha” howitzer, that were becoming increasingly effective and sophisticated. Instead, Verdun was, as Churchill said, “the anvil upon which French manhood was to be hammered to death.”"
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December 05, 2022 - December 05, 2022.
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Chapter 2. Prelude to Verdun
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"“One cannot fight a war for one or two years, from position to position, in 12-day-long battles until both combatants are completely exhausted and weakened and forced to sue for peace. We must attempt to defeat our enemies quickly and decisively.”
"—Alfred von Schlieffen"
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"Finding itself fighting a war on two major fronts—to the east against Russia and to the west against Great Britain, France, and Belgium—Germany was eager to knock one front out so they could concentrate on dismantling the other. These commitments were all part of the so-called Schlieffen Plan. The Schlieffen Plan dated back to 1905 and was first suggested by then-Chief of the German General Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen. His plan set out how Germany could successfully wage war on two fronts.
"By the time the First World War came about, the plan had been adapted by Helmuth von Moltke, the successor to Schlieffen. These changes implemented by Moltke would later be blamed as one of the key factors behind Germany’s inability to win the First World War. Had the Schlieffen Plan been successful, it would have seen the French and British armies quickly collapse; then, Germany would have concentrated all its efforts on defeating the Russians. Instead, Moltke’s changes, including reducing the size of attacking armies, meant the war dragged on far longer and contributed to Germany losing the war, at least according to his critics.
................................................................................................
"At any rate, following the Schlieffen Plan, Germany began their war on two fronts by invading Belgium and France to the west and Russia to the east in August of 1914. The Germans advanced quickly, soon occupying most of Belgium and penetrating deep into French territory within 50 kilometers (30 miles) of Paris. They were stopped in their tracks in September, however, when British and French forces mounted a fierce counter-attack and came out victorious at the First Battle of the Marne.
"With the German defeat at the Marne came the realization that there would be no quick victory on the Western Front. Both sides dug their trenches, and a terrible war of attrition began as the combatants fought to move the front inch by inch while sustaining massive casualties. By the time 1916 rolled around, it was clear to the Germans that they needed to go on the offensive if they were to break the stalemate. General Erich von Falkenhayn devised a plan meant to cause the French Army enough casualties to bring it to the point of collapse.
"More than a heavily armored fortress, Verdun was a national treasure that symbolized enormous pride for the French. The Germans knew that an attack on Verdun would be a battle the French could not ignore—not only for the strategic benefits the fortress town offered but also for prestige and national pride."
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December 05, 2022 - December 05, 2022.
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Chapter 3. French Preparations
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"“Verdun is not a possible target.”
"—The French Headquarters at Chantilly"
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"At the outbreak of the First World War, the Fortified Region of Verdun was set out in a double circle, with the largest having a diameter of 50 kilometers (30 miles). It consisted of 20 prominent forts and another 40 moderately sized fortifications. The area was hilly and covered with woods with the Meuse River running through it.
"With two-meter (six-feet) thick walls built with reinforced concrete, the largest forts could accommodate roughly 500 soldiers and were fitted with 155mm heavy guns as well as heavy-caliber machine guns. Connected by trenches, the concrete fortifications surrounding each fort, such as Fort Belleville, Fort Belrupt, Fort Moulainville, Fort Souville, Fort St. Michel, and Fort Tavennes, were also equipped with machine guns. In total, the forts were stocked with 1,000 guns, 250 more in reserve, and enough rations for six months.
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"Fort Douaumont, the largest in Verdun, was well-equipped with an underground infantry shelter, a couple of ammunition depots, six ouvrages, six concrete batteries, and a range of infantry trenches constructed from concrete. Across the area were a web of shelters, observation posts, command posts, batteries, and trenches linked by telephone, telegraph, a railway system, and roads.
"By 1915, however, the forts had been stripped of many of their guns and ammunition. All that was left to defend Verdun were heavy guns. It might seem counterintuitive to strip a fortress town of most of its defenses in the middle of a war, but all parties concerned genuinely believed that the war would be over very soon. In that context, it makes sense that the French would decide to take guns and ammunition from Verdun to be used elsewhere.
................................................................................................
"The forts of Liege and Antwerp had been comprehensively demolished by German “Big Berthas” (siege artillery) in 1914, another reason why the French neglected the forts at Verdun. French officials no longer believed that forts could withstand the more powerful modern weapons being used. Some officials even suggested they might demolish some of the larger forts at Verdun to prevent them from being taken by the enemy.
"By the end of January 1916, French intelligence had gathered a clearer picture of the capabilities of the German military and had an opinion of the German military’s intentions. Many believed a German attack on Verdun was likely to come. However, that opinion was not shared by General Joseph Joffre, the commander-in-chief of the French forces. He believed the only motive the Germans would have in attacking Verdun would be to distract the French from defending the Germans’ real target. Joffre did not believe that attacking and taking Verdun would give the Germans a significant strategic advantage.
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"When the Germans did attack, they came prepared with 72 battalions. In contrast, the French had no more than 34 available, despite the commander of Verdun, General Herr, pleading for extra men and resources to reinforce the forts. As reports got through to him from German deserters and French civilians who had fled surrounding towns, Herr knew an attack upon Verdun was imminent. Despite his pleas for help, General Joffre at the French Headquarters refused to believe that Verdun could be a German target.
"Emile Driant, who would later become a hero whilst defending Bois de Caures, was also frustrated at the lack of attention paid to Verdun by French officials, as well as the lack of men and resources. Joffre was infamous for flying into rages, which was precisely what happened when he read Driant’s report, and it did not result in him sending more men or supplies.
"The French Army’s Chief of Staff, Noel de Castelnau, only visited Verdun when it was undeniable that the Germans were targeting Verdun. When he agreed to bolster the defense, the improvements were too little too late. The barbed wire would not arrive in time to be installed adequately, and there were not enough soldiers available to properly defend Verdun. Eventually, two divisions turned up, but only on February 12, 1916, the scheduled first day of the attack."
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December 05, 2022 - December 05, 2022.
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Chapter 4. German Plan of Attack
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"“The strain on France has almost reached breaking point, though it is certainly borne with the most remarkable devotion. If we succeed in opening the eyes of her people to the fact that in a military sense they have nothing more to hope for, that breaking point would be reached, and England’s best sword knocked out of her hand.”
"—Erich von Falkenhayn"
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"In preparation for the Battle of Verdun, the Germans had taken control of the railways 24 kilometers (15 miles) north of the front line, severing French railway communications. The Germans also moved a corps to the Fifth Army to do the heavy lifting and prepare for the offensive. This preparation involved laying thousands of miles of telephone wire, storing tons of ammunition, stocking rations safely, and evacuating French civilians. The Germans constructed workshops, railway lines and stations, and enormous subterranean shelters 14 meters (45 feet) deep in the ground and extensive enough to protect up to 1,200 German soldiers.
"In anticipation of the attack on Verdun, the ranks of the Fifth Army were swelled with extra numbers. Each one benefited from an influx of thousands of experienced soldiers and trained recruits. Meanwhile, the Fifth Army reserve was primed and ready to engage the French soldiers once their defense collapsed.
................................................................................................
"With the attack on Verdun imminent, the Germans knew they would need to maintain the pressure on the French once the attack had begun. To this end, they knew that a high artillery-fire rate would be essential to keep pushing the French defense. Weapons requiring extensive repairs would be returned to German factories, while light repairs would be done in shops constructed close to the front to reduce costly delays. Daily munitions trains would supply the Germans with enough ammunition to keep the French under pressure. They expected to fire two million rounds of ammunition over the course of the first six days alone. The Germans also planned to hit the French with another two million rounds of ammunition over the course of the subsequent twelve days. All these plans meant special arrangements were necessary.
"The plan was for mortar fire and super-heavy artillery to provide cover while artillery pieces, including field guns, mobile heavy guns, and howitzers, were being moved forward. The Germans had stripped the rest of the Western Front of artillery to provide the Verdun front with the requisite firepower, substituting them with older weapons captured from Russian positions. With this concentration of firepower, the Germans could fire upon Verdun from three different directions but stay spread out over a large area.
................................................................................................
"In the opening days of the battle, the Germans aimed to take Meuse Heights along Froide Terre, Fort Souville, and Fort Tavannes. The Germans calculated that taking Meuse Heights along this line would offer them a superior position from which they could successfully defend against any French counter-attacks. The attack was divided into different areas, and responsibility for those areas was apportioned to different corps of the German Fifth Army. The Seventh Reserve Corps was responsible for area A, while the Eighteenth Corps took charge of area B. Area C was handled by the Third Corps, while the Fifteenth Corps took responsibility for area D on the Woevre Plain.
"With the preliminary artillery bombardment scheduled to commence in different areas on February 12, 1916, the plan was for the corps to be primed and waiting to advance. The infantry units located in areas A-C were to advance in open order. The infantrymen would have support from grenadier and flamethrower personnel and were to take any advanced trenches occupied by French soldiers. Artillery support would be arranged at second positions in readiness for the second day of the battle.
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"Thus, the core of the attack was planned to be carried out by the German artillery. German officials were very concerned about risking as few foot soldiers as possible. The bombardment by the artillery was designed to weaken the French defenses and take out as many French soldiers as possible before the Germans would send in their infantry. German officials stressed the importance of cooperation between the artillery and the infantry. They knew that the artillery’s accuracy would be vital in taking Verdun. It would at least distract the French enough to push them into committing increasing numbers of troops and greater resources, which would increase the chance of a quick collapse of the French Army. Such was their confidence in this approach that the Germans prioritized the accuracy of artillery hits over the rate at which they fired.
"The so-called Order for the Activities of the Artillery and Mortars was in charge of the artillery and apportioned responsibilities to different corps and officials. The corps Generals of Foot Artillery were allocated the responsibility for determining appropriate local targets. Meanwhile, it was up to the Fifth Army headquarters to coordinate nearby corps and batteries to contribute flanking firepower. The Germans planned to use a combination of heavy howitzers and enfilade fire to maintain pressure on French fortifications. at the same time, heavy guns would target and decimate supply routes and cause chaos in assembly areas with long-range bombardment. They expected to deal with counter-battery fire with gas shells that specialist batteries would fire.
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"The German generals opted for the bombardment to gradually build up, with the rapid barrage—or, as they called it, the Trommelfeuer—not commencing until the final hour of the bombardment. The infantry and artillery-observers would advance, providing cover for the artillery that would relocate to the French second position. The artillery-observers would communicate with the artillery using a combination of field telephones, flares, and a range of colored balloons to identify targets for them.
"Once the Battle of Verdun began, the Germans intended to maintain a constant bombardment of the French with harassing fire being deployed through the night."
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December 05, 2022 - December 05, 2022.
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Chapter 5. First Phase: The Fog that Saved France
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"As night fell on February 11, 1916, German infantry took their positions and waited for the bombardment to commence the following day. Thousands of them hid and waited for the signal to begin Operation Judgement (Unternehmen Gericht), the German codename for their attack on Verdun. But just when it seemed that the bombardment would begin, the soldiers received word to cancel the attack. A storm was gathering, bringing snow, rainfall, and freezing wind. All of this combined to make for poor visibility, hardly the ideal conditions for such a large-scale attack. This meant the German soldiers had to return to their “stollen,” primitive bunkers that were not intended for long-term habitation. Their rudimentary shelters offered almost no protection against the biting cold, and it was not long before they flooded due to inclement weather.
"The German soldiers had to endure this for nine days before weather conditions improved, finally allowing the attack on Verdun to commence. While the delay meant the Germans had nine miserable days waiting for the weather to improve and the signal for the attack to come, it was good news for the French. In those nine days, the French were able to move their two newly arrived divisions into position to defend against the Germans. It also allowed them to make further, much-needed improvements to their defenses before the battle got underway. Without the delay, the French Army would likely have collapsed at Verdun.
"At 7:15 am on February 21, when the signal finally came, the entire 40-kilometer (25-mile) Verdun front, as well as the town of Verdun, was subjected to the most intense bombardment ever seen in any war. The devastating bombardment destroyed French trenches; phone lines were ripped apart, and weapons were blown to pieces. Likewise, soldiers were blown apart and almost instantly buried in craters created by the unrelenting bombing that buried the corpses beneath erupting soil. If the remains of bombed soldiers were not left on the ground, they were flung into the air and got caught on branches of trees that had not yet been uprooted. The Germans fully believed that no one could survive such a long and intense attack.
................................................................................................
"The bombardment eventually came to an end after nine hours when German infantry emerged from their shelters. At around five pm, they began their assault on Bois d’Haumont, Bois des Caures, and Bois de l’Herbebois but were surprised to see so many French defenders, whom they assumed had perished in the bombardment. The French soldiers were able to put up a valiant defense, prompting the Germans to use a new weapon. It was here, on the first day of the Battle of Verdun, that the Germans brought the flamethrower into use as a weapon against the French.
"By the time night fell, Bois des Caures and Bois de l’Herbebois had been held by the French. The only victory the Germans had to show for their efforts was the capture of Bois d’Haumont. By the time the higher command got back to them with approval to continue and take the villages of Brabant and Samogneux, it was too dark for the men to march. Meanwhile, the French higher command in Chantilly still saw the Battle at Verdun as a mere diversion and not part of a larger German scheme.
"The bombardment continued the next day, this time also encompassing the River Meuse’s left bank. German soldiers focused on the village of Haumont and Bois des Caures, taking them by the end of that day and pushing the French soldiers back to Beaumont. The French also evacuated Brabant. Meanwhile, General Joffre at the French Headquarters in Chantilly still failed to recognize how pivotal the Battle of Verdun would be for France.
"On February 23, the day began with Bois de l’Herbebois in French hands after intense fighting. However, French soldiers were forced to withdraw after an attack from Bois de Wavrille. Elsewhere, the French tried to counter-attack to retake Bois des Caures, but it was to no avail. They did manage to retain control of the Samogneux and inflict severe damage on the Germans at Bois des Fosses. Despite this, the Germans appeared unstoppable as they pushed the French back from their first line of defense. Over in Chantilly, it finally dawned on General Joffre that the situation in Verdun merited greater attention than it had been receiving, so he sent an official to observe the battle in Verdun and report back to him.
................................................................................................
"On February 24, the doubters who had criticized Falkenhayn’s plan that ignored the left bank of the River Meuse were proven correct. When new German troops entered the battle, they came under intense firepower by the French artillery that was able to use the Meuse’s left bank to attack. Despite this oversight by Falkenhayn, the Germans captured Côte 344, Bois des Fosses, Bois de Chaume, and the village of Ornes.
"With the loss of their second line of defense, the situation appeared to have gotten out of control for the French. Fortunately, it was on this day that relief troops arrived. Despite being tired and hungry from the march, the troops were immediately pushed into the fight against the Germans. Meanwhile, in Chantilly, having received a very troubling report from Verdun, the French Chief of Staff de Castelnau immediately sent Commander Philipe Pétain with an army to fight for Verdun.
"While Pétain and his army made their way to Verdun, the battle continued, with the French beginning to panic as the Germans made progress towards Fort Douaumont, the largest fort in the region. Taking full advantage of machine-gun support, the Germans descended upon French positions in the woods at the edge of Bois Hermitage and on Côte 347, where they took a significant number of French soldiers prisoner. Having outflanked the French, the Germans forced them to retreat to the village of Douaumont.
................................................................................................
"The Germans continued to close in on the French soldiers as they fell back to Douaumont. However, after encountering machine gun fire from the Douaumont church, their advance came to a halt. The German infantry tried to inform their artillery via telephone that they were a few hundred meters away from the fort. Still, disbelieving artillerymen decided to bomb the area, forcing some German infantrymen to retreat to the woods and a ravine near the fort. Meanwhile, roughly 100 soldiers continued to the fort.
"They tried using flares to signal their presence to the artillery, but the combination of snowfall and twilight meant the artillerymen did not see the signal. Instead of alerting their presence to the German artillery, the German flares let the French know that troops were near the fort. Since the light conditions meant the French could not see the Germans clearly, they mistook them for their own troops returning from Côte 378, so they stopped the machine-gun fire. Meanwhile, the Germans cut through the barbed wire around the fort. It was not until they reached the northern point of the fort that the French realized their mistake and opened fire again, but it was too late, and the Germans took Fort Douaumont.
"With the fall of Fort Douaumont, the 37th African Division defending the line between Champneuville, Vacherauville, and the village of Douaumont withdrew to the hillside of Côte de Belleville. Had they realized that those positions were now vulnerable, the Germans could have taken the town of Verdun and ended the battle. Oblivious to the positions being abandoned, the Germans squandered the opportunity.
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"Elsewhere in Verdun, General de Castelnau had arrived and set a plan in motion to save the French. For de Castelnau, a retreat was out of the question. He immediately ordered the defense of the right and left riverbanks, while Pétain ordered a line of defense to be formed between the remaining French-occupied forts. This allowed artillery to be quickly brought to the Meuse’s riverbanks and halt the German Army. Pétain also ordered the improvement of a narrow road between Verdun and Bar-le-Duc. Later called the Voie Sacrée (“Holy Road”), it would become essential for the movement of people and resources in and out of Verdun.
"Desperate to slow the Germans down for a few days while they organized themselves, the French decided to hold them up at the village of Douaumont for as long as possible. To this end, they began moving men and resources to the village, which the Germans had not yet occupied, despite having taken the Fort Douaumont.
"On February 26, the Germans planned to finally seize the town of Verdun, taking the village of Douaumont on the way and occupying Bois de la Caillette and Bois de Hardoumont to Douaumont’s east. The Germans found the Bezonvaux fortification abandoned and occupied it. They had also expected to find the Hardoumont fortification empty as it had been registered as captured. This was an error, however, and the Germans were surprised to find themselves under intense fire from the French firing from higher hills. Having expected the area to be empty, the Germans had no artillery backup and were brought to a halt. Despite eventually taking the Hardoumont fortification, the obstinate French defense there meant the Germans could not progress to Fort Vaux.
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"Meanwhile, the village of Douaumont was transformed by a formidable accumulation of French machine guns and howitzers. For the Germans, the only way to get through the village was to march while the French targeted them. The Germans eventually decided to retreat and return the next day with support.
"The next day, despite returning with a heavy gun and spending four hours bombarding the village, the Germans were outdone by a snowstorm which made visibility very poor. The French promptly destroyed the infantry regiment they sent in. Meanwhile, it was mistakenly reported to the German artillery that the village of Douaumont had been taken, so they turned their attention from supporting the regiment to the Thiaumont fortification. The French in their trenches, untroubled by the German artillery, could fire upon attacking German troops from height and inflict huge losses.
"By the time the German troops entered the village, the snowstorm had only gotten worse, and the fighting descended into one-on-one fights to the death. The soldiers used knives, bayonets, spades, and anything they could use to survive. This, and the vast casualties, continued on February 28 and February 29, with still no progress made by the Germans as the village remained in French hands. On the night of February 29, the Germans decided to use their flamethrowers again. With their spirits finally broken by this, some groups of French soldiers surrendered and were forced to carry the bodies of wounded Germans back to German-occupied territory. It was not until March 2 that the Germans finally took the village of Douaumont from the French.
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"The bombing and weather had turned the ground into a quagmire, slowing down the Germans. With the muddy conditions, German equipment was failing, and the infantrymen were tiring. The lack of field kitchens and scarce drinking water did not help the worn-out German soldiers. The terrible ground conditions meant the artillery could no longer move forward as quickly as they had anticipated, so the swift progress the German infantry had made meant that they were beyond the cover afforded by the artillery, exposing them to French artillery fire. These factors resulted in increased losses for the Germans. The fighting in the village of Douaumont alone cost them 500 casualties, something they had not expected.
"Falkenhayn had had the opportunity to break through earlier but did not use spare troops as he did not want the battle to end too quickly. He had wanted to “bleed France white” with as many casualties as possible. However, he had only envisioned it being so tortuous for the French. Instead, the French defense had become more effective after the arrival of supplies and fresh troops. Moreover, Pétain had achieved his objective by gaining France more than the three days they needed to organize their defense."
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December 05, 2022 - December 05, 2022.
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Chapter 6. Second Phase: Fight for the Hills
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"On March 6, 1916, the Germans attacked the left riverbank of the Meuse, believing that they needed to eliminate French artillery firing from there to make progress. The Germans wanted to be free to progress to Verdun along the right riverbank, and they also wanted to use the right riverbank to launch an attack on Fort Vaux. With a height of 295 meters (960 feet), Le Mort Homme (“The Dead Man”) was a hill on the left riverbank that offered the French a valuable lookout point, an advantage the Germans also wanted. The Germans planned to begin their attack on French artillery at Bois Bourrus once they had Le Mort Homme.
"When time came for the attack, the French had already amassed four divisions to defend. The first line of defense took the brunt of the initial German bombardment. French artillery meanwhile fired from Bois Bourrus, but it was ineffective. The battleground had become a quagmire smothering the grenades, which failed to explode and hinder the German advance. Instead, the Germans were easily able to use the villages of Brabant and Champneuville to cross the Meuse. With this, the French became disheartened, and their resolve weakened, contributing to the Germans succeeding in taking the villages of Forges and Regneville. By the end of the day, the Germans had also taken Côte de l’Oie, the western part of the hill.
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"With the support of their artillery, the Germans took Bois des Corbeaux on March 7. By the end of the day, over 3,000 French soldiers had surrendered to the Germans, who were increasingly optimistic that they would take Le Mort Homme. However, the French seemed to have regrouped by the early hours of March 8 when they launched a ferocious counter-attack. While the Germans had taken Bois des Corbeaux, they had not consolidated their occupation, and the French were able to retake the woods. Rather than go ahead with the attack on Le Mort Homme, the Germans were forced to cancel their plans and take a defensive position.
"The Germans postponed their attack until the following day, March 9, when they used Bethincourt in an attempt to take Le Mort Homme. The French, having regained their defensive position, managed to repel the German attack. This did not dissuade the Germans as they returned the next day for another attack that began on March 10 but would last four days. Every attack would be met with a counter-attack, leading to devastating losses on both sides. Despite losing many soldiers with this attempt, the Germans managed to take Bois des Corbeaux, but Le Mort Homme remained beyond their reach.
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"On March 14, the Germans once again launched an attack to take Le Mort Homme. This time, they were overwhelmed by the French, who rained intense artillery firepower upon the Germans from Côte 304. The French had a store of artillery at Côte 304, so this was where the Germans decided they would attack if their efforts at Le Mort Homme continued to go nowhere. The Germans began to think that taking Le Mort Homme may depend upon taking Côte 304.
"On March 20, the Germans had a breakthrough as they launched an attack on Avocourt from the west. There, 3,000 French soldiers were taken as prisoners by the Germans; some even believe that French defectors gave away the location of the soldiers to the Germans.
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"From March 21, the fighting covered the entire Bois d’Avocourt, resulting in enormous losses for the French and the Germans. Hidden French machine guns tore through German soldiers while artillery from both sides ripped the ground and the men apart. Adding to the chaos and confusion was the inclement weather. The heavy rain turned the already decimated battleground into a quagmire that sucked at the men as they fought, fell, and drowned in the dirt.
"The battle was paused at the end of March 23, but fighting continued elsewhere. By the end of March, the Germans had launched an attack on Côte 304, but they could not pry it from the French, and it remained under their control. However, the Germans did take the village of Malancourt on March 31 and went on to take control of Haucourt village on April 5, and on April 8, they occupied the village of Bethincourt. Despite their victories, the Germans were weary. Both the Germans and the French were reaching their limits, with increasing numbers of soldiers refusing to leave the relative safety of their trenches; some would rather surrender to the enemy than prolong their misery.
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"The Germans changed their approach on April 9 when they decided to put into action an idea to attack both banks of the Meuse at the same time. General Max von Gallwitz took command of all troops attacking the left bank, which included attacks on Côte 304 and Le Mort Homme. Extra men and resources were available to the Germans, while the French had almost no reserve troops to call upon. The attack began with intense shooting that shrouded the area in smoke and dust as the Germans made for the various levels of Le Mort Homme."
Was this the chief reason someone said that French had 20 million problems, referring to the difference in population?
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"Despite racking up vast casualties the whole way, the Germans reached the lower crest of Le Mort Homme. Throughout, the French fired upon German lines from Côte 304 as the fighting switched from one crest to another with no time for food or drink, tending to the wounded, or burying corpses. Even the awful conditions at the Battle of the Somme would not surpass the devastation at Verdun.
"Despite the high kill count racked up by the Germans, they still failed to take Le Mort Homme and Côte 304 from the French. Using the advantage of Côte 304, the French unleashed a barrage of firepower that stopped the Germans from consolidating their positions and creating artillery lines and observation points. This is what convinced the Germans that they needed to fully occupy Côte 304 before trying to take Le Mort Homme. However, after April 9, it rained for 12 consecutive days, stopping the Germans from making any kind of preparations. There was not a single soldier with dry clothing; they were all up to their knees in rainwater.
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"Instead of preparing for further attacks, the Germans were eventually driven from Le Mort Homme by French counter-attacks. While they may have been pushed back, the Germans were beginning preparations for a new attack on Côte 304, using 500 heavy guns to fire upon a front of only around 2 kilometers (1.2 miles)
"The Germans unleashed their latest attack on May 3 to claim Côte 304. It was an incredibly warm day when the devastating 36-hour bombardment of the French began. The area reeked of decaying corpses; the wounded could not be taken away. ... By the time the bombardment of Côte 304 was over, the explosions had made the hill 4 meters (17 feet) lower. The Germans did not launch their assault to take Côte 304 until the night of the second day of the attack, followed by three days of intense combat before the Germans finally consolidated their occupation of the hill.
"After Côte 304, the Germans continued their strategy of bombardment to take Le Mort Homme. The barrage of explosions caused chaos for both the French and the Germans as Le Mort Homme shook and covered the entire area with dust from a plume that reached a height of 800 meters (half a mile). While the French put up a valiant defense, they gave in by the end of May, and the Germans had finally taken Le Mort Homme, as well as the villages of Cumières and Chattancourt. After three months of near-continuous fighting and slaughter, Falkenhayn was finally exhausting the French, but the Germans were also bleeding to death."
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December 05, 2022 - December 06, 2022.
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Chapter 7. Third Phase: Hell at Fort Vaux
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"“They must be crazy to do what they are doing now: what a bloodbath, what horrid images, what a slaughter. I just cannot find the words to express my feelings. Hell cannot be this dreadful.”
"—Alfred Joubaire"
And this was WWI.
Who, then, knew that there would be a far greater he'll ahead, deliberately inflicted by Germany again, dissatisfied with leaving the butchering of neighbours incomplete in WWI!
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"Back at the beginning of March, it was decided by the German Army Command that it would only be possible to march to the town of Verdun on the right Meuse riverbank by defeating the French on the left riverbank from where the artillery was firing. This led to the battle beginning at the left riverbank on March 6. At the same time, a battle for Fort Vaux started on the right riverbank on March 8 after it was postponed for two days due to the difficulty the Germans had in relocating their artillery because of the decimated terrain. This delay gave the French time to reoccupy forts and bolster their lines of defense.
"At Vaux, artillery fire with gas grenades was followed by an attack by German infantrymen who quickly made their way toward Fort Vaux only to be halted by a deep gorge before the fort, exposing them to intense firepower unleashed by the French from higher defenses. The Germans decided to surprise the French with a nighttime attack and were unexpectedly successful, taking the village of Vaux. Emboldened by the success, German troops went on to attack Fort Vaux but lost their way in the darkness and their contact with officers. The intense French fire forced the Germans to take cover.
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"A combination of rumors and miscommunication on March 9 resulted in the German Army Command believing Fort Vaux had already been taken. In celebration, General von Guretzky was awarded the highest German decoration, only for it to be rescinded the next day when it transpired that the fort was still very much in French hands. Embarrassed by the slip-up, General von Lochow was immediately ordered to conquer Fort Vaux and salve the wounded German pride, despite a lack of artillery support. The French easily defended against the attack resulting in the death of many more German soldiers.
"On March 11, the continuing battle for Fort Vaux inflicted huge losses for only modest successes. Exhaustion contributed to insubordination by increasing numbers of German soldiers who refused to attack, leading to the attack on Fort Vaux being paused until new troops could be brought in. By the end of April, new plans were ready to continue the battle with another significant attack planned for May, codenamed “Maibowle.”
"At the time, the Germans used inexperienced troops, often no older than 18, to fill front-line gaps for months on end. Meanwhile, French Commander Pétain decided to implement a new strategy for his front-line troops. He introduced the so-called noria system, which regularly replaced front-line divisions so French front-line troops would be less tired than their German counterparts, and requested more rest for his men.
"Fearing the upcoming Somme Offensive would be jeopardized and tiring of an attitude that Joffre saw as too careful and defensive, he promoted Pétain to get him away from the battlefield and replaced him with General Robert Nivelle and his subordinate, General Charles Mangin. They were known as ruthless warriors who preferred frontal attacks. Mangin, who was even nicknamed “the Butcher,” made it his mission to retake Fort Douaumont.
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"Ahead of a new attack on Fort Vaux, the German Army Command on the battlefield preferred to attack the French in Bois de la Caillette first, as the defensive positions there would be a significant hindrance in conquering the fort. However, German Headquarters decided they should first attack Fort Vaux. The attacks on Fort Vaux and the Thiaumont fortification both began on May 1 without the cover of German air-raid as the planes were not yet available to distract the French. By May 7, it was beyond doubt that the German attack had once more come to nothing due to the formidable French artillery fire. The German attack on the Thiaumont fortification also failed.
"Meanwhile, Fort Douaumont was subjected to constant French counter-attacks, night and day, as they tried to hinder the German efforts to plan attacks, attend to their wounded, and provide troops with provisions. Fort Douaumont was also the location of German munitions depots. The French continually attacked German supply routes out of the fort, leading to a devastating explosion and many deaths on May 8. This explosion, combined with the defeats at Fort Vaux and the Thiaumont fortifications, meant that the operation “Maibowle” was doomed to failure.
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"On May 16, the French, commanded by General Mangin, began a major but ill-prepared attack on Fort Douaumont using large-bore weapons and poisonous gas grenades. By May 22, the French even managed to enter the top of the fort. However, the fierce German resistance led to hand-to-hand fighting that ended in defeat for the French. This attack also weakened the French front line, leading to 1,000 French soldiers being taken as prisoners.
"The Germans also retook Bois de la Caillette and Bois de Fumin on June 1. With the flanking French fire from those woods neutralized, the German troops were free to attack Fort Vaux. On the morning of June 2, Fort Vaux was attacked by roughly 1,500 German grenades every hour; still, the French, led by Major Sylvain Raynal, put up an obstinate defense. The Germans tried to use flamethrowers to force the French out, but the Germans were engulfed by their own smoke. Meanwhile, the French continued to mount counter-attacks leading to brutal, close-combat fighting.
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"The combination of high temperatures, water scarcity, and the lydite used in explosives made the men incredibly thirsty. Barricaded within Fort Vaux, the French had only a limited amount of drinking water. ... With few supplies getting through and little hope of help arriving, Raynal finally decided to surrender and raised a white flag on June 7.
"On June 8, French counter-attacks, including artillery barrages and infantry assaults, to retake Fort Vaux were so fierce that the Germans had no choice but to remain in the fort. It took ten failed, costly attacks for the French to withdraw, leading Pétain to forbid Nivelle from any more attempts to retake Fort Vaux.
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December 06, 2022 - December 06, 2022.
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Chapter 8. Fourth Phase: Saved by the Somme
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"“Enemy superiority is so great that we are not in a position either to fix their forces in position or to prevent them from launching an offensive elsewhere. We just do not have the troops. . . We cannot prevail in a second battle of the Somme with our men; they cannot achieve that any more.”
"—Hermann von Kuhl"
Since Germans were 20 million more in number than French, this superiority could only be of techniques and more.
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"Before marching on the town of Verdun itself, the next targets for the Germans were the village of Fleury, Fort Souville, and the Thiaumont fortification. While the French easily defended against German attacks on June 8, the attacks on June 12 and 13 were partly successful, with some fortifications and machine-gun posts taken over by the Germans.
"The German bombardment on June 21 was less effective than expected, but it did alert the French to the upcoming offensive aimed at taking Fleury and Fort Souville. While some French soldiers surrendered, the Germans were generally greeted with machine-gun fire and were only able to take some French fortifications between Fort Vaux and Fort Tavannes.
"On the evening of June 22, the Germans started their latest major offensive by shooting poisonous gas grenades at the French. The grenades contained phosgene gas, a type of toxic gas that was thought to be able to penetrate French gas masks. The phosgene gas was lethal, taking up to two days to kill the victim. At 10 pm, 110,000 phosgene gas grenades were fired at the French. It was not until 6 am the following day that the German infantry attacked, expecting to find few survivors from the gas attack. Yet although the hinterland defense was neutralized, the French front lines were largely intact and were able to halt the German advance."
And then Germany had the chutzpah to complain about reparations - which they didn't pay, anyway!
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"Despite the failure of the attack on Fort Souville, the Germans managed to take the Thiaumont fortification and partly occupy the village of Fleury, where the fighting descended into close combat. Meanwhile, the Germans also captured the Froide Terre fortification and the Quatre Cheminees command post. By the end of the day, troops on both sides were warm, tired, thirsty, and did not have enough ammunition to continue, making for another disappointment for the Germans, who had yet again failed to take Verdun.
"With their defense in critical condition, some French soldiers were panicking and deserting their posts while others were building defense trenches in the city. Meanwhile, phosgene-poisoned soldiers writhed and screamed in agony. Pétain and Nivelle considered evacuating the Meuse’s right riverbank to stop the Germans from capturing so much French artillery. However, aware of the effect this would have on French morale and how pointless the entire Battle of Verdun would have been had they decided to withdraw at that point, they chose to continue fighting.
"With a Russian offensive underway on the Eastern Front and a large-scale Allied attack expected in the Somme area, June 24 saw the German Supreme Command request that men and resources be used more economically at Verdun. Yet since it was so difficult to defend the German-occupied area without more troops, General von Knobelsdorf knew their only options were to capture Verdun completely or voluntarily give up the territory for which so many Germans and French had died.
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"The French then mounted a surprise counter-attack on June 25, almost retaking the Thiaumont fortification. Their continuing attacks meant the Germans had to postpone their planned attacks and what Knobelsdorf assumed would be their final push to take Verdun. Throughout this, fierce fighting continued over the village of Fleury, with bombardments taking place day and night, as well as attacks and counter-attacks. To make matters worse for the Germans, the transfer of soldiers, artillery, and planes to the Somme front began on July 1 with the outbreak of the Battle of the Somme, making the battle for Verdun less important to the German Army Command but no less intense to those on the Verdun battlefield.
"Bad weather meant the Germans had to postpone their next attack between Bois de Chapitre and Fleury and another aimed at Fort Tavannes until June 11, when they again initiated the attack with poisonous gas. The French were better prepared this time, and the gas had little effect, allowing them to unleash fire so fierce it plunged the Germans into confusion on the narrow front they had chosen to concentrate their artillery fire more easily. Despite that, the Germans eventually managed to entirely occupy the village of Fleury. French reinforcements and artillery fire focused on Fleury stopped the Germans, who were waiting for more troops from Douaumont, from progressing to Verdun. The French firepower was so fierce that the Germans could not leave Fort Vaux until there was a pause in the bombardment after eight hours.
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"On July 12, the French, buoyed by General Nivelle’s famous speech, which finished with the line, “Ils ne passeront pas!” (“They shall not pass”), repelled a German attack on Fort Souville. The Germans were ordered to attack the fort ahead of taking Verdun, but their artillery fire did not fire close enough, and out of two companies, only a few Germans reached the fort. Once again, the Germans had failed to take Verdun. Meanwhile, soldiers and resources were still being moved to the Somme and the Eastern Front, forcing General Falkenhayn to scale down the Battle of Verdun. Nevertheless, the fighting remained intense and went on day after day.
"Eager to retake Fleury, General Mangin launched a hasty attack without artillery support on July 15. It failed, resulting in substantial French casualties, prompting the Germans to plan another attack for August 1 to firmly establish the front between Fleury and the Thiaumont fortification. From August 1, the Thiaumont fortification changed hands several times as the French and Germans fought to conquer and reconquer it. By August 12, it was yet again under German control.
"The German soldiers on the front line, which no longer resembled anything like a front line, were exhausted from living and fighting in horrific conditions, surrounded by rotting corpses. With no more reserve troops available, there was also a dire shortage of artillery, ammunition, food, and drinking water. The fighting descended into a seemingly endless cycle of attacks and counter-attacks, with any territory gained quickly lost. All of this suggested to the German headquarters that there was no longer any hope for a victory at Verdun, leading commanders to consider calling off the battle."
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December 06, 2022 - December 06, 2022.
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Chapter 9. Fifth Phase: A Hard-fought Victory
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"“Like Auschwitz, Verdun marks a transgression of the limits of the human condition.”
"—Antoine Prost"
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"As German troops increasingly lost faith, General Lochow ordered strict disciplinary measures, including instant executions, to stamp out cowardice and insubordination. Meanwhile, on August 23, the German headquarters at Stenay learned that General von Knobelsdorf, blamed for the failures of the Battle of Verdun, would be relieved of duty. Falkenhayn was also blamed for the battle—it had achieved nothing but death and destruction. Falkenhayn was transferred to Romania when they joined the war on the side of the Allied forces on August 27, with Generals Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff taking over as supreme commanders.
"General Ludendorff’s first decision as commander was to end the Battle of Verdun. However, the French Army Command was determined to destroy the Germans and carried out incessant attacks on German fortifications. The Germans could not extricate themselves from the situation and continued to lose more men than the French. Meanwhile, the French were preparing a meticulously-planned major attack necessitating the construction of roads to supply large amounts of ammunition and artillery fortifications to store it all. Eight divisions were trained on a mock battlefield with forts in the hinterland.
"A new artillery tactic, the creeping barrage, was put forth by General Nivelle, but it required the artillery and infantry to work in perfect coordination. The French built an underground telephone network for this reason. With the new tactic, the artillery would move forward 100 meters (330 feet) at a time, with the infantry following closely. It meant the artillery and infantry would reach the Germans simultaneously, giving them no time to leave their bunkers.
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"A new artillery tactic, the creeping barrage, was put forth by General Nivelle, but it required the artillery and infantry to work in perfect coordination. The French built an underground telephone network for this reason. With the new tactic, the artillery would move forward 100 meters (330 feet) at a time, with the infantry following closely. It meant the artillery and infantry would reach the Germans simultaneously, giving them no time to leave their bunkers.
"Using a reconnaissance plane to direct the artillery, the French bombarded the Germans on a seven-kilometer (four-mile) wide front on October 21. On October 22, after a pause in artillery fire, during which the panicking Germans fired blindly and gave away their position, the French bombardment resumed, destroying multiple German batteries. Using grenades and two new 400 mm Creusot-Schneider guns with superior penetration power, the French could force most of the Germans to evacuate Fort Douaumont on October 23. On October 24, despite the thick mist covering the battlefield, the French could push back the German front using the creeping barrage tactic and retake Fleury and Bois de Chapitre.
"Only around twenty Germans were left at Fort Douaumont when their leader, Captain Prollius, decided to surrender it to the French on October 24, giving up the most significant German base in Verdun. The French then lost many men between Fort Vaux and Bois de Fumin, but by late evening, many Germans had surrendered, leaving the French free to pursue their next target—Fort Vaux—on October 25. With ruthless machine gun fire, the Germans brought down wave after wave of French attacks, leaving around 1,000 corpses on the battlefield.
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"With both sides pausing the fighting to bury the dead and attend to the wounded, the French decided to call off any further attacks on Fort Vaux. Meanwhile, for the first time, the Germans considered the strategic withdrawal favored by General Ludendorff to curtail further unnecessary losses. On November 2, the Germans marched away from Fort Vaux and detonated explosives to destroy it.
"In order to drive the Germans back to the position they had occupied in February, Mangin prepared one more attack that was launched on December 11. Despite huge losses, they managed to overwhelm the Germans, retaking Bezonvaux, Louvemont, and various woods. About a week later, on December 19, the German Army Command accepted that they had been defeated at Verdun when more than 11,000 Germans surrendered, finally bringing the Battle of Verdun to an end."
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December 06, 2022 - December 06, 2022.
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Conclusion
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"The Battle of the Somme is often described as the bloodiest in the history of the British military; the Battle of Verdun carries this unfortunate distinction for the French military. By the end of the battle, the French had suffered between 379,000 and 400,000 casualties, with 163,000 fatalities. The German forces, meanwhile, are estimated to have sustained between 336,000 and 355,000 casualties, with roughly 143,000 dead.
"Many of Falkenhayn’s assumptions about the French and British had been wrong over the course of his tenure as Germany’s Chief of the General Staff. However, he had been right about the Battle of Verdun crushing the French spirit, even if it was not quite in the way he had imagined. The continuous attacks, artillery bombardments, and awful weather in the area made it a woeful place for French and Germans alike. The battlefield became a thick soup of mud and human remains. The clay-like soil would cling to uniforms, weighing the men down, while the shell craters would collect water from the incessant rain. In many cases, the shell craters were so deep that it was possible for soldiers to drown in them with their heavy clothes and equipment.
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"And, despite the plunging morale and instances of desertion, mental breakdowns, shell shock, and devastating losses, the French fought on. They were fighting not only for themselves or for Verdun. They were fighting for their families, their neighbors, and their friends. They were fighting for their country and for their freedom.
"Today, the Battle of Verdun is remembered by both French and German descendants. The sacrifices made at Verdun are recognized, but the Battle of Verdun is also considered a potent symbol of the deep futility of war. The First World War would go on to claim the lives of many more soldiers, but no other battle would last as long as the Battle of Verdun or have such a considerable impact on the French psyche."
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December 06, 2022 - December 06, 2022.
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Bibliography
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"Chickering, Roger & Förster, Stig (2000). Great War, Total War: Combat and Mobilization on the Western Front, 1914-1918.
"Doughty, Robert A. (2005). Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operations in the Great War.
"Foley, Robert T. (2007). German Strategy and the Path to Verdun: Erich von Falkenhayn and the Development of Attrition, 1870–1916.
"Krause, Jonathan (2013). The Origins of Chemical Warfare in the French Army. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/26098246
"Mallinson, Allan (2018). Fight to the Finish: The First World War - Month by Month.
"Mason, David (2000). Verdun.
"Morrow, John H. (2003). The Great War: An Imperial History."
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December 06, 2022 - December 06, 2022.
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BATTLE OF VERDUN: A HISTORY
FROM BEGINNING TO END
(WORLD WAR 1),
by HOURLY HISTORY.
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December 01, 2022 - December 06, 2022.
Purchased December 01, 2022.
ASIN:- B0B9NGDDSK
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5137032052
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