Verdun
21 February – 18 December 1916
WW1 - Battle of Verdun
Verdun was the first of the great industrial battles of the First World War where industrial might and capacity enabled the fighting to reach unparalleled levels.
The Facts
- Date: 21 February – 18 December 1916
- Location: Verdun, France
| Countries Involved | |
|---|---|
| French Republic | German Empire |
| Countries Commanders | |
| Joseph Joffre Noël de Castelnau Fernand de Langle de Cary Frédéric-Georges Herr Philippe Pétain Robert Nivelle Adolphe Guillaumat Auguste Hirschauer Charles Mangin |
Erich von Falkenhayn Crown Prince Wilhelm Schmidt von Knobelsdorf Ewald von Lochow Max von Gallwitz Georg von der Marwitz |
| Number of Casualties | |
| Between 300,000-550,000 | Between 280,000-440,000 |
Battle result: French Republic Victory
In the opening bombardment alone more than 2 ½ million shells fell in 9 hours. Guns of up to 42cm were used to smash the French forts like Douaumont and Vaux. By the end of the battle something like a thousand shells had fallen for every square metre of battlefield: a staggering statistic.
For the French soldiers, the Poilus – literally translated that means ‘the bearded ones’ – it was an horrifc experience as regiment after regiment was thrown into the battle with the French nation’s Victory cry: They Shall Not Pass. The Poilus called Verdun the mincing-machine, the mill on the Meuse, the meat-grinder. It changed France forever, and even a century later Verdun still dominates the French consciousness of that conflict.
French Trench - Verdun
French train horses on the way to Verdun
French Filloux mortar firing
