What was the Battle of Verdun?

Answer 1

The longest battle of the First World War was the battle of Verdun. During the winter of 1915-16, German Chief of staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, argued that the key to winning the war lay not on the Eastern Front but on the Western Front. Falkenhayn believed that if he declared war with France they would be compelled to throw in every man they have and he also reasoned that if the French army had bled to death, Britain would either surrender or fight alone on the Western Front and could be brought down with Germany's submarine blockade.

The battle of Verdun was originally scheduled to start on the 12th of February however it was postponed to the 21st of February due to poor weather circumstances, followed by a 21 hour preliminary bombardment.

Between the planned and actual start date French Commander-in-Chief Joffre received intelligence of the forthcoming attack, quickly arranging reinforcements to the French Second Army. Meanwhile the fortress commander, Lieutenant Colonel Emile Driant, also a politician and published author, unsuccessfully attempted to improve Verdun's trench systems in time.

Driant prepared for the attack by posting two troops, led by himself, at the tip of the Verdun salient on the east bank of the Meuse River. He faced dreadful opposition: one million German troops against 200,000 defenders.

The attack finally began at 07:15 on 21 February, Crown Prince Wilhelm opening the battle with 1,400 guns packed along the eight-mile front, the guns well served by good nearby railway facilities.

By the close of the day the German forces had succeeded only in capturing the French front line trenches, much less than planned, although Driant himself had been killed during the battle, and his two troops destroyed.

Verdun remained in French hands, although the defensive situation was terrible. A message was sent to French headquarters on 23 February reporting that Driant had been lost, as had all company commanders, and that the troops had been reduced from 600 to around 180 men. The following day, 24 February, German troops succeeded in over-running the French second line of trenches, forcing the defenders to within 8 kilometres of Verdun itself. Nevertheless, two outer forts, Vaux and Douaumont, continued to hold out.

Pètain understood that the defence of Verdun would result in many French casualties. He effectively re-organized French use of artillery, personally taking commanding of this part of the defence. He also took action to ensure that an effective supply route to Verdun was maintained, designating a single artery road leading to a depot 50 miles to the west, Bar-le-Duc, and making sure constant access by assigning columns of troops whose only duty it was to keep clearance of the road and to perform repairs as necessary. The road was christened 'Voie Sacree' -- the 'Sacred Road'.

On 6 March the Germans began a fresh offensive after receiving fresh artillery supplies, at first making great progress until French counter-attacks pushed back the advancing German infantry. For the remainder of the month Wilhelm launched repeated attacks against the French reinforcements constantly pouring into the fortress. Of the 330 troops of the French army, 259 eventually fought at Verdun.

Falkenhayn constantly committed another group of men to an attack up the left bank of the Meuse River towards a small ridge named Le Morte-homme (the 'Dead Man'), a battle that raged continuously without conclusion.

Meanwhile the casualties were increasing rapidly on both sides. The French were certainly losing huge numbers of men, as were their German opposition. By the time the battle ended almost one million casualties were caused in roughly equal numbers on either side.

April 9 saw the third major German offensive launched, this time on both sides of the salient. Again Pètain's defenses held the attacks and counter-attacks continuing until the close of May, the German forces coming ever closer to the remaining forts. During this time Petain received a promotion and was replaced at Verdun by the aggressive Robert Nivelle.

Mort Homme Hill was secured by the Germans on 29 May and finally, on 7 June, Fort Vaux fell.

Situated on the east bank of the Meuse River, the fort had held out against constant bombardment since the start of the battle in February.

Encouraged by the success in capturing Fort Vaux, German troops almost succeeded in breaking through the French line at the close of June and into early July. It was at this stage that the latest form of chemical warfare was revealed by Germany: phosgene gas, which acted by forming as hydrochloric acid once inhaled into the lungs.

French casualties during the battle were estimated at 550,000 with German losses set at 434,000, half of the total being fatalities.

Answer 2

During World War 1, the Battle of Verdun was a long and bloody battle that occurred between the months February 21 and December 18, 1916. This battle took place in France and was fought between the French and German armies. The French were victorious.

Answer 3

After attacking the French lines for nearly 10 months, the Germans could not break through.

Answer 4

it was fought in trench warfare.

That is where soldiers lived in trenches and the attacke other trenches. It was a very tiring and horrible way to fight

Answer 5

The Battle of Verdun was part of World War 1, and was fought between France and the German Empire. The result of the battle was a victory for France.

Answer 6

This might be just a very inconvenience for u but if you mean the Battle of Verdun..then it was one of the largest battles in World War 1. it was the Germans against the French.

Answer 7

Germany and France fought in the Battle of Verdun.

Answer 8

The Battle of Verdun took place during World War I. The fighting took place in Region Fortifiee de Verdun (RFV) Verdun-sur-Meuse, France and lasted for over 9 months.

Answer 9

France