Verdun
Preparations
Since the German invasion of France through Belgium had been halted in fall of 1914, no major developments in the war had occurred for over a year. The German leadership was looking for a “breakthrough,” a fight that could lead to the momentum necessary to reach Paris and hopefully knock the one front from the fight.
The German High Commander Erich von Falkenhayn was not convinced that breakthrough against France was feasible in the form of a massive assault, however Falkenhayn correctly realized that the strategic area around Verdun, a sleepy river town on the Franco-German border which had been heavily fortified by the French for the past century, had a historic and personal significance to the French military that they would be obliged to defend against heavy losses.
"The string in France has reached breaking point. A mass break-through - which in any case is beyond our means - is unnecessary. Within our reach there are objectives for the retention of which the French General Staff would be compelled to throw in every man they have. If they do so the forces of France will bleed to death."
~Falkenhayn in a letter to Kaiser Wilhelm II
Thinking that the French would suffer massive losses against his well-fortified positions in order to retake Verdun, Falkenhayn hoped to “bleed France white” by taking advantage of superior positions. However, what was about to occur was the single longest conflict of the First World War, and one of the bloodiest in which both sides would lose hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Originally scheduled to begin on February 12, 2916, the opening 21 hour preliminary bombardment was ultimately pushed back to the 21st on account of poor weather conditions. During the intervening nine days, the French realized what was about to occur and began mobilizing reinforcements. The fortress and nearby fortifications had been slowly demilitarized for months, their machine guns and soldiers being shipped to distant fronts by the French High Command. Fortress Commander Emile Driant, who had been pushing for improvements to the defenses for months, set up last minute preparations to the poor trench system in the area.
Preparations
Since the German invasion of France through Belgium had been halted in fall of 1914, no major developments in the war had occurred for over a year. The German leadership was looking for a “breakthrough,” a fight that could lead to the momentum necessary to reach Paris and hopefully knock the one front from the fight.
The German High Commander Erich von Falkenhayn was not convinced that breakthrough against France was feasible in the form of a massive assault, however Falkenhayn correctly realized that the strategic area around Verdun, a sleepy river town on the Franco-German border which had been heavily fortified by the French for the past century, had a historic and personal significance to the French military that they would be obliged to defend against heavy losses.
"The string in France has reached breaking point. A mass break-through - which in any case is beyond our means - is unnecessary. Within our reach there are objectives for the retention of which the French General Staff would be compelled to throw in every man they have. If they do so the forces of France will bleed to death."
~Falkenhayn in a letter to Kaiser Wilhelm II
Thinking that the French would suffer massive losses against his well-fortified positions in order to retake Verdun, Falkenhayn hoped to “bleed France white” by taking advantage of superior positions. However, what was about to occur was the single longest conflict of the First World War, and one of the bloodiest in which both sides would lose hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Originally scheduled to begin on February 12, 2916, the opening 21 hour preliminary bombardment was ultimately pushed back to the 21st on account of poor weather conditions. During the intervening nine days, the French realized what was about to occur and began mobilizing reinforcements. The fortress and nearby fortifications had been slowly demilitarized for months, their machine guns and soldiers being shipped to distant fronts by the French High Command. Fortress Commander Emile Driant, who had been pushing for improvements to the defenses for months, set up last minute preparations to the poor trench system in the area.
The Assault
German artillery superiority was one deciding factor of the early days in Verdun, demoralizing those that it could not destroy under the constant explosive thundering. After a bombardment of over twenty hours, the million man German army mobilized its infantry to take the remnants of French positions. Col. Driant would lead a spirited defense of Verdun in the face of overwhelming forces, when on the first day of fighting the over one million German soldiers had only taken the first line of trenches defended by a mere two hundred thousand French; however the heroic Driant would himself fall in battle on this first day of fighting.
Despite the strong fighting in the battle’s opening, the coming weeks would be disastrous for the French garrison, resulting in the quick fall of Fort Douaumont which was considered to be the strongest fortress in France. Perhaps it would have held better if it were manned by more than two dozen soldiers. Unfortunately for the French, the severely understaffed complex was taken by a small band of German troops early on in the course of the battle.
After these astounding setbacks, the French leadership appointed Henri-Philippe Petain to carry on the defense. Petain was in some ways exactly what Falkenhayn had been hoping for in an opponent: he had an unwavering determination to defend French territory. However, Falkenhayn did not anticipate that Petain’s take on defense would waver somewhat from that of his colleagues’ in that he would focus on holding territory and not necessarily retaking it at all costs, as others in the French military would pressure him to do. And Petain was a brilliant defensive tactician.
German artillery superiority was one deciding factor of the early days in Verdun, demoralizing those that it could not destroy under the constant explosive thundering. After a bombardment of over twenty hours, the million man German army mobilized its infantry to take the remnants of French positions. Col. Driant would lead a spirited defense of Verdun in the face of overwhelming forces, when on the first day of fighting the over one million German soldiers had only taken the first line of trenches defended by a mere two hundred thousand French; however the heroic Driant would himself fall in battle on this first day of fighting.
Despite the strong fighting in the battle’s opening, the coming weeks would be disastrous for the French garrison, resulting in the quick fall of Fort Douaumont which was considered to be the strongest fortress in France. Perhaps it would have held better if it were manned by more than two dozen soldiers. Unfortunately for the French, the severely understaffed complex was taken by a small band of German troops early on in the course of the battle.
After these astounding setbacks, the French leadership appointed Henri-Philippe Petain to carry on the defense. Petain was in some ways exactly what Falkenhayn had been hoping for in an opponent: he had an unwavering determination to defend French territory. However, Falkenhayn did not anticipate that Petain’s take on defense would waver somewhat from that of his colleagues’ in that he would focus on holding territory and not necessarily retaking it at all costs, as others in the French military would pressure him to do. And Petain was a brilliant defensive tactician.
Defense Awoken French Victory
Thus, the stage was set for the longest battle of the war. Petain quickly improved the defensive capabilities of his position, slowly growing the French artillery to the point where it would ultimately overpower the Germans’ bombardments and widening the city’s single access road to allow for more efficient supply lines. Ironically, the improved French defense would lead to a reversal of fortunes for the Germans, especially in the sustained German effort to take Fort de Vaux that lasted from the launch of an offensive on April 9 until the fall of the Fort on June 7, nearly two months later.
Slow German progress and incredible costs in terms of manpower and materiel led to increasing pressure among the German High command to abandon the effort at Verdun. Furthermore, the Brusilov Offensive in Russia and the Somme Offensive to the Northwest of Verdun would tax German resources even further. Falkenhayn’s failure to produce the results that were expected ultimately led to his dismissal in late August of 1916 as the French military slowly pressed forward. Fort Douaumont was retaken on 24 October, Vaux on 2 November.
Falkenhayn’s replacement Hindenburg had been set against the offensive at Verdun since its proposal, and furthermore could not justify the continuation of his predecessor’s attacks against the improving French positions. In mid-December, the battle ended with both sides holding the same territory that they had at the battles onset. Estimates of the casualties range from 350,000 to 550,000 for the French and about 350-450,000 for the Germans. No strategic advantage had been brought to either side by this fight.
Thus, the stage was set for the longest battle of the war. Petain quickly improved the defensive capabilities of his position, slowly growing the French artillery to the point where it would ultimately overpower the Germans’ bombardments and widening the city’s single access road to allow for more efficient supply lines. Ironically, the improved French defense would lead to a reversal of fortunes for the Germans, especially in the sustained German effort to take Fort de Vaux that lasted from the launch of an offensive on April 9 until the fall of the Fort on June 7, nearly two months later.
Slow German progress and incredible costs in terms of manpower and materiel led to increasing pressure among the German High command to abandon the effort at Verdun. Furthermore, the Brusilov Offensive in Russia and the Somme Offensive to the Northwest of Verdun would tax German resources even further. Falkenhayn’s failure to produce the results that were expected ultimately led to his dismissal in late August of 1916 as the French military slowly pressed forward. Fort Douaumont was retaken on 24 October, Vaux on 2 November.
Falkenhayn’s replacement Hindenburg had been set against the offensive at Verdun since its proposal, and furthermore could not justify the continuation of his predecessor’s attacks against the improving French positions. In mid-December, the battle ended with both sides holding the same territory that they had at the battles onset. Estimates of the casualties range from 350,000 to 550,000 for the French and about 350-450,000 for the Germans. No strategic advantage had been brought to either side by this fight.
Moonscape -- Geography of the Battle of Verdun
The fighting at Verdun in the First World War was destructive. Massively destructive. The term "battle" itself fails to capture the sheer amount of manpower, firepower and willpower that were spent in those hills over the course of ten months, some have argued that the term "Campaign" may even be a more appropriate designation. As a result of the intense concentration of warfare that occurred in this Battle, a tremendous toll was exacted on the landscape. Forests were shattered. Farms destroyed. Hills were physically lowered.
Nowhere in the entirety of the first world war was there another battle so spatially condensed as Verdun. The French unwillingness to leave and the German relentless assault brought a concentration of firepower over the land that was not exceeded anywhere in WWI. The destruction of the environment was so complete, that the only word used to describe the shell of a landscape left behind was "moonscape."
Even today, nearly one hundred years later, hikers still are finding shells and bodies lost in time to the regrowth of the region's traditional forests. Farmers still plow up hunks of corrugated iron from their fields. Cratered landscapes have changed and evolved, their micro-environmental properties have a sustained impact on the flora and fauna of the region. For example, speckled across the forests of modern Alsace-Lorraine are watering holes used by deer and boars to bathe and drink. These holes were not always present, however, as they began in the cratering of the landscape during WWI. The clay-rich soils drain slowly, and some craters which caught and held water have since expanded as animals trod down the edges of the puddle over time, slowly increasing it's size.
The fighting at Verdun in the First World War was destructive. Massively destructive. The term "battle" itself fails to capture the sheer amount of manpower, firepower and willpower that were spent in those hills over the course of ten months, some have argued that the term "Campaign" may even be a more appropriate designation. As a result of the intense concentration of warfare that occurred in this Battle, a tremendous toll was exacted on the landscape. Forests were shattered. Farms destroyed. Hills were physically lowered.
Nowhere in the entirety of the first world war was there another battle so spatially condensed as Verdun. The French unwillingness to leave and the German relentless assault brought a concentration of firepower over the land that was not exceeded anywhere in WWI. The destruction of the environment was so complete, that the only word used to describe the shell of a landscape left behind was "moonscape."
Even today, nearly one hundred years later, hikers still are finding shells and bodies lost in time to the regrowth of the region's traditional forests. Farmers still plow up hunks of corrugated iron from their fields. Cratered landscapes have changed and evolved, their micro-environmental properties have a sustained impact on the flora and fauna of the region. For example, speckled across the forests of modern Alsace-Lorraine are watering holes used by deer and boars to bathe and drink. These holes were not always present, however, as they began in the cratering of the landscape during WWI. The clay-rich soils drain slowly, and some craters which caught and held water have since expanded as animals trod down the edges of the puddle over time, slowly increasing it's size.
Image Credits -
Falkenhayn: Meyer, Albert. Scan from Collier's New Photographic history of the World's War, 1919. Ret. wikimedia.
Douaumont Pre-Battle: "Fort Douaumont Anfang 1916," German Department of Photos and Film. Public Domain. Ret. Wikimedia.
Douaumont Post-Battle: "Fort Douaumont Ende 1916," German Department of Photos and Film. Public Domain. Ret. Wikimedia.
Verdun after the battle: retrieved from Verdun American High School.org on Dec 10, 2013.
Joe Professing to Students: Photo by Zack Robison, Sept. 2013.
Header: "Knekelhuis-Verdun" Van Den Bor, G. Photograph uploaded to Wikimedia 2005, ret. Aug 1 2009.
Falkenhayn: Meyer, Albert. Scan from Collier's New Photographic history of the World's War, 1919. Ret. wikimedia.
Douaumont Pre-Battle: "Fort Douaumont Anfang 1916," German Department of Photos and Film. Public Domain. Ret. Wikimedia.
Douaumont Post-Battle: "Fort Douaumont Ende 1916," German Department of Photos and Film. Public Domain. Ret. Wikimedia.
Verdun after the battle: retrieved from Verdun American High School.org on Dec 10, 2013.
Joe Professing to Students: Photo by Zack Robison, Sept. 2013.
Header: "Knekelhuis-Verdun" Van Den Bor, G. Photograph uploaded to Wikimedia 2005, ret. Aug 1 2009.