The Defense of Verdun

February 21, 1916

As the war on the western front continued to drag on, General Erich von Falkenhayn believed he saw a way to victory: by destroying the French army's will to fight. In order to achieve this, he selected a target: the historic fortress town of Verdun. This town was of special significance to the French. Losing it would be a devastating blow on their morale. Not only that, but Verdun and its surrounding forts represented a salient in the French line; one that threatened nearby German communication lines. Verdun had to fall.

In preparation for the attack, roughly 1,200 artillery pieces were transported to the eastern banks of the Meuse river. It was to be a massive offensive. Unsurprisingly, French intelligence got wind of the coming attack, despite their air reconnaissance being halted by German fighter planes. This early warning, along with General Falkenhayn's decision to postpone the offensive due to adverse weather conditions, gave the French a chance to send reinforcements to Verdun. Despite this, they were still outnumbered by the massive German force.

The attack began on the morning of February 21st with a merciless bombardment that lasted seven hours. 1,200 guns, all firing on the all but helpless French defenses. The result was devastating. Following this relentless barrage, the German infantry began their assault. They went in hard and fast with specially trained troops, using grenades and flamethrowers to clear French dugouts and bunkers of defenders.

By February 23rd, only two days after the German offensive began, the French forward defenses had lost over half their number, and the Germans still continued their onslaught. After a further two days, they reached and captured Fort Douaumont, the largest of the French fortresses surrounding Verdun. General Joseph Joffre knew the French defenses couldn't withstand the German assault for much longer. Verdun had to be saved, and he couldn't do it alone.

On the very same day Fort Douaumont fell, General Philippe Pétain was appointed to command the defense at Verdun. Straying from the conventional belief that the greatest advantage lay in attacking, Pétain opted for an entirely defensive approach. He immediately put a stop to costly French counterattacks, and instead focused on utilizing their artillery to halt the German advance. This was no longer a conventional battle. It was a siege, and one that Pétain was determined to be the victor of.

With the German advance slowed, only two significant dangers remained. The first danger, his army running out of supplies, was quickly remedied by making a road for French troops and supplies to be safely transported into the besieged town. The second danger, his men losing their morale under the fierce strain of almost constant bombardment from enemy artillery, was avoided by instigating strict troop rotation. This made it so no soldier would spend more that eight days at the front.

With these new effective strategies combined, Verdun, which had been deemed indefensible, was now a tough nut to crack. Despite German reserves being sent in to assist in a major attack to break through the French defenses in March, the line held. Verdun was saved. However, the battle was not over yet.

The Battle of Verdun (February 21 - December 18)