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During World War I, Germans attacked the French stronghold of Verdun in February 1916. Verdun was not very important strategically, but it soon became a symbol of France's strength and was defended as much as possible. Germany's goal was not really to take the city, but rather to break French morale.

One million shells were fired on the first day of battle, starting a ten-month struggle of back-and-forth fighting offensives and counteroffensives of a very ferocious nature. The armies pounded each other with artillery. The Germans relied on a large team of horses (7000 of which were killed in a single day) to drag their guns through the muddy, rough terrain. The French also moved supplies and troops into Verdun non-stop (12000 delivery trucks were employed for service, as well as 259 out of the 330 regiments of French army). By the end of June, over 400,000 French and German soldiers were dead.

In the end, the advantage fell to the French for surviving. But, this certainly was not a glorious victory for France because they suffered as badly as they bled the Germans. In a sense, Verdun was a major loss for both sides, but it was still looked upon as a French victory.

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15y ago

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