BATTLE OF VERDUN

PRE-BATTLE

• French didn't believe Verdun to be an important town to defend, therefore removed munitions from it beforehand
• Germans believed Verdun to be the key to completely annexing France and ultimately gaining the upper hand on Britain

INTERESTING FACTS

• Longest and most costly battle of the First World War
• Still considered by many military historians as the 'greatest' and most demanding battle in history

FACTS

• Fought between the French and Germans
• Lasted 10 months
• By the end of the battle the French and Germans together had lost close to one million men

DATES

• This battle began on February 21, 1916 and lasted until December 18, 1916
• This battle was intended to start on February 12, but heavy snow delayed Germanys invasion to February 21

GERMANY

• From the beginning, Germany had the upper hand
• They surprised the French on February 21st, 1916 with around 140,000 troops

GERMANY

• The Germans used the approach of power and strength
• German forces advanced quickly in February 1916, claiming Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux
• General: Elrich von Falkenhayn

FRANCE

• The battle of Verdun symbolized for the French the strength and fortitude of their armed forces and the solidarity of their entire nation.
• They only had 1/4 of the troops that Germany had

FRANCE

• General: Philippe Pétain
• France started off loosing this battle due to Germany's strong offense
• However, the French rallied back after numerous losses and attacks from the Germans

CASUALTIES

• Nearly 550,000 French men died while defending Verdun
• Nearly 434,000 German men died in this battle
• Over 750,000 French and Germans were wounded

STRATEGIES

• Germany and Falkenhayn intended to "Bleed France White" and take more casualties rather than land
• Due to the fact that France was not prepared, they were forced to have a defensive strategy

SIGNIFICANCE

• Never before has there been such a lengthy battle, involving so many men on such a tiny piece of land
• This battle showed France's determination and unwillingness to back down

OUTCOME

• By the end of the battle, the French regained all of the forts that had been taken by the Germans
• There was no official winner of this battle, but due to France's major comeback, it is safe to call them the winners of The Battle of Verdun

Https://youtu.be/4oabxoP_jVM