Verdun

Verdun, a city with a rich history. Existed in the time of the Roman Empire, resisted Attila de Hun, fortified by Vauban and Napoleon.

Cruel

This ancient city has been used to demonstrate the cruelty only humans can do. The German Chief of Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, believed that although a breakthrough might no longer be possible, nonetheless the French could be defeated if they suffered enough casualties. He therefore planned to attack a position from which the French could not retreat, for both strategic reasons and reasons of national pride, and so impose a ruinous battle of attrition on the French armies. The town of Verdun-sur-Meuse was chosen for this "bleeding white" of the French: the town, surrounded by a ring of forts, was an important stronghold that projected into the German lines and guarded the direct route to Paris.

When

The battle started on 21 February 1916 and lasted until 19 December 1916. It resulted in more than a quarter of a million deaths and about half a million wounded. It was the longest battle of World War I, and the second bloodiest after the Battle of the Somme (1916).

Bleed to death

Rather than a traditional military victory, Verdun was planned as a vehicle for destroying the French army. Falkenhayn wrote to the Kaiser: The string in France has reached breaking point. A mass breakthrough—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.

They shall not pass

<googlemap lat=49.228144 lon=5.251095 zoom=14 selector=no />

The answer of the France was as to be expected "They shall not pass".
The monument above (the memorial on Mort-Home, a hill near Verdun) has the encryption of the end-result "They did not pass" (France:"Ils n'ont pas passé ") is one of the most famous killing field.
The Battle of Verdun — also known as the "Mincing Machine of Verdun" or "Meuse Mill" — has become a symbol of French determination to hold the ground and then roll back the enemy at any human cost.

Links

For pictures of Verdun see the author's Flickr webpages.

Internal

• Somme 1916, Another massacre related to Verdun. The idea was to release the pressure of Verdun by creating an attack near the river the Somme.

See for more links WW1_Links on this site.

External

• Verdun, Dutch/English site with excelent information.