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)

The Battle of Loos

September 25, 1915

As the ghastly stalemate on the western front continued to drag on, General Joseph Joffre feared his men would begin to lose their morale in the face of a seemingly endless war. In order to remedy this, he decided it was time to launch a new assault in an attempt to break the German lines. To help him achieve this, he recruited the help of Sir John French, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force. It would be a joint assault, with Joffre's men striking around the towns of Artois and Champagne, while French's men would launch the attack farther north, directed at the town of Loos.

French's attack began on the 25th of September with the release of chlorine gas. This horrific method of war, only recently criticized by the British, was now a means they were all too ready to exploit. Nonetheless, there was one underlying problem with their plan to release the gas: it didn't work. At least to a large extent. The Royal Engineers, who were tasked with releasing the chlorine gas, noticed that the wind wasn't fully blowing toward the enemy trenches. They reported as much to allied command, to which their superiors replied with a go-ahead to release the gas, regardless of the changeable wind. As a result, the gas that was released not only blew into the enemy trenches, but their own trenches as well, resulting in higher British casualties than German.

Despite this unfortunate occurrence, the attack was still launched on
schedule at 6:30 AM. However, because of chlorine gas lingering in no-man's-land, many of the British soldiers charging the German trenches were unable to see the enemy lines. Not only that, but in many places, the barbed wire just ahead of the enemy trenches had not been cut, leading to increased British losses from German machine guns and artillery. Notwithstanding all of this, the British were still able to break through some of the weaker parts of the German line. This was due to numerical superiority above anything else.

Just as it seemed their troubles were over, there arose another major dilemma. The allied troops that were able to break through the enemy lines had no support to continue the attack. The only reinforcements they could receive did not arrive until the next day, and by then, the German forces were able to launch a counterattack and push them back to their own lines. The situation is best surmised by Major-General Richard Hilton:

"There seemed to be nothing ahead of us, but an unoccupied and incomplete trench system. The only two things that prevented our advancing into the suburbs of Lens were, firstly, the exhaustion of the 'Jocks' themselves (for they had undergone a belly-full of marching and fighting that day) and, secondly, the flanking fire of numerous German machine-guns, which swept that bare hill from some factory buildings in Cite St. Auguste to the south of us. All that we needed was more artillery ammunition to blast those clearly-located machine-guns, plus some fresh infantry to take over from the weary and depleted 'Jocks.' But, alas, neither ammunition nor reinforcements were immediately available, and the great opportunity passed."

When the British reinforcements finally arrived the next day (their late arrival due to poor-constructed roads, as well as poor management), the allies were right back where they started. With fresh troops, they decided to launch another attack, but now the Germans were ready for it, and responded with a hailstorm of shells and bullets. It was a massacre. Without artillery support, the British suffered an 80% casualty rate in just four hours. There was such a concentration of mangled corpses, that the German gunners reported feeling nauseated at seeing the countless bodies, and ceased firing to allow the British to retreat with their wounded.

The disaster at Loos was only accentuated with the French failures at Artois and Champagne. In both cases, the French forces made early gains, breaking through the enemy front lines. However, their small victory was short lived when they came up against a second line of trenches with concealed machine-gun posts. Unable to advance any farther under the barrage of artillery and machine-gun fire, the French offensives both ground to a halt. 

In the end, the allies lost over 320,000 men in their combined offensives, advancing only as much as three miles in some places. In others, almost no ground was taken whatsoever. The German losses numbered around 150,000. The failure at the Loos was blamed almost entirely on Sir John French, as he was the one in charge of bringing the British reinforcements to the front at that critical moment. He was consequently dismissed as Commander-in-Chief, and was replaced by General Douglas Haig. Whether or not French was solely responsible for the allied failure at Loos is debatable. However, one can imagine the impact those British reinforcements would have made on the offensive, and possibly the war itself.

The Battle of Loos (September 25 - October 13)

The Second Battle of Ypres

April 22, 1915

It was 5:00 PM. The French Algerian and Moroccan territorial forces were stationed, defending the trenches, at the Ypres salient. All was silent. A yellowish-green cloud slowly appeared across no man's land, gradually gaining size. The French colonial troops watched as the cloud of unknown origin crept closer and closer to their position, leaving them wondering what it could be. As the mist descended into their trenches, their curiosity quickly turned to panic, and was soon replaced by sheer terror. They scattered in all directions, their ranks falling into utter chaos, the men driven mad by the effects of the toxic fumes filling their lungs. "...haggard, their overcoats thrown off, running like madmen, directionless, shouting for water, spitting blood, some even rolling on the ground making desperate efforts to breath." A massive 4 mile-wide gap was opened in the allied lines, and the eager German forces poured into it.

The toxic fumes that created so much chaos in the allied lines was known as chlorine gas. It was manufactured by German scientists to be a tool to turn the tide in Germany's favor. Their preparations for the gas attack at Ypres was slow and somewhat clumsy, however the allies were taken completely by surprise when the attack came. This was due to allied military intelligence not taking the testimonies from German prisoners and deserters seriously. When the gas was released on April 22, no one suspected a thing.

If not for allied reserves brought up to block the Germans from fully exploiting their new-found advantage, they most likely would have won then and there. Instead, they dug in after advancing as far as the villages of Langemarck and Pilkem. The British organized multiple counterattacks, but sustained heavy losses. The most notable of these was in Kitchener's Wood, when the 10th Battalion of the 2nd Canadian Brigade was ordered to counterattack the German forces who were advancing into the gap in the allied lines caused by the first gas attack. This being their first real experience with combat on the western front, they were unprepared, and suffered heavy casualties. In the end, they were able to complete their objective through sheer determination.

The Germans launched multiple gas attacks, and made some
breakthroughs, however just days after the battle had begun, the allies found an improvised way to ward off the effects of the poison gas: a wet pad, soaked with urine, placed over the mouth. Although disgusting, it offered some protection from the deadly gas.

The Germans continued to make gradual gains, and the salient began to shrink. Although the primitive protection the urine-soaked cloth provided was better than nothing, it was insufficient in stopping all the effects of the poison. It was all the allies could do not to simply retreat and leave Ypres to the attackers, but Sir John French would not let that happen. However, some necessary tactical withdrawals were made.

Fierce fighting continued for a following three more weeks, with the Germans inching their way closer to their target, until Ypres lay a mere two miles from them. Then, on May 25, the fighting once again bogged down, and the front stabilized. In the end, the allies were only pushed back three miles. The Germans had lost over 35,000 men, while the British had nearly 60,000 casualties. The French casualties are widely disputed, with it ranging from around 2,000, to tens of thousands. It was clear the poison gas the Germans used as a tool to hopefully break the deadlock only increased the horror of the war, a war that had no end in sight.

The Second Battle of Ypres (April 22 - May 25)

The Battle of Neuve Chappelle

March 10, 1915

Now that the stagnant fighting of trench warfare had gripped the western front, the only goal the allies had was to break the deadlock. In the opening months of 1915, the allied leadership launched multiple offensives, trying to break through the German lines to win a quick victory, still somehow believing that a possibility. However, soon after any breakthrough the allies achieved, the Germans would immediately launch a fierce counterattack to take back their position. This was a constant for almost every allied offensive attempted. 

One assault in particular that followed this pattern was the British attack at Neuve Chappelle, where the objective was to take a tactically significant ridge occupied by the Germans. The attack was led by General Douglas Haig, a highly successful leader who was promoted after exceptional performance as a corps commander during the First Battle of Ypres.

The assault at Neuve Chappelle was well planned and initially well executed. The British, for the first time in history, used aerial photography to effectively map out the German defenses, which were found to be poorly manned and constructed. Haig's men, with their equipment, were moved under cover of darkness, so as not to alert the German sentries. Everything was in place.

The attack began at 7:30 AM, on March 10th, with a massive artillery bombardment. The Germans were taken completely by surprise. They were overrun with extreme ease. In fact, in some places, the attackers barely took any losses taking the German front lines. It seemed everything was going perfectly. Haig envisioned his forces breaking through the rest of the German defenses and flooding into open country. The battle was his! However, there was one small problem.

Communication between Haig and his men had been cut off. Any order he gave took hours to reach them, likewise, any report of the events on the battlefield took just as long to reach him. Not only that, but some of the surviving Germans set up a small number of machine guns at one of the British flanks, inflicting heavy casualties, and causing mass confusion and panic. Additionally, many units lost their way in the difficult terrain of the war-torn battlefield. 

The time they lost milling around in confused masses was time the Germans spent moving their reserves in to strengthen their lines, blocking the British from their goal of reaching open countryside. The Germans then mounted a fierce counter attack. The fighting continued until March 13, when the fighting once again bogged down and both sides went back to hiding in their trenches. It was a disaster. The British had lost around 11,700 men, and they had only advanced a total of one square-mile.

This tragic loss of life was a constant during the allied spring offensives of 1915. Despite all of this, the British and French forces were unable to break through the German defenses in any significant way. The entire western front was still gripped with a savage and inescapable stalemate.

The Battle of Neuve Chappelle (March 10 - March 13)

The Christmas Truce

December 24, 1914

Rifleman H.C. Brazier was manning his position in a British trench, when the Germans opposite him began calling out to him and his companions. They were shouting in English, saying things like "A Happy Christmas" and "English means good". A few of the British soldiers climbed over the parapet  and began making their way towards the German trenches. A group of four Germans met with them halfway, and said they wouldn't shoot at the British on Christmas Day if they did not. This remarkable event, witnessed by Brazier and his British counterparts, happened in many other parts of the western front on December 24 - 25. In fact, some 100,000 British and German soldiers took part in the unofficial truce.

Brazier recounts this miraculous event: "I went out with some more of our fellows and we were met by about 30 Germans, who seemed to be very nice fellows. I got one of them to write his name and address on a postcard as a souvenir. All through the night we sang carols to them and they sang to us and one played 'God Save the King' on a mouth organ.

"On Christmas Day we all got out of the trenches and walked about with the Germans, who, when asked if they were fed up with the war, said 'Yes, rather'.... Between the trenches there were a lot of dead Germans whom we helped bury....

"A hundred yards or so in the rear... there were old houses that had been shelled. These were explored... and we found old bicycles, top hats, straw hats, umbrellas, etc. We dressed ourselves up in these and went over to the Germans. It seemed so comical to see our fellows walking about in top hats with umbrellas up.... We made the Germans laugh.

"No firing took place on Christmas night and at four the next morning we were relieved by regulars."

The series of ceasefires that took place during Christmas of 1914 were nothing short of a miracle. It portrayed, like nothing else, the humanity of the soldiers fighting and suffering in this terrible war. Sadly, when the short cease-fire ended early morning on the 26th, the fighting resumed just as before. 

The Christmas Truce (December 24 - December 25)

The First Battle of Ypres

October 19, 1914

Chief of the General Staff Erich Von Falkenhayn, leader of the German army at Ypres, was assembling a massive force to assault and capture the French town. There, he believed, would be the gateway to the coastal cities of Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne. He chuckled to himself. If he could take those towns, the British would have no hope of sending any further troops to the front. France would be completely isolated! "Yes," he thought, "this will be a day long remembered in German history." Little did he know, Commander-in-Chief Joseph Joffre was thinking about that very same thing. He too knew of the gravity of the situation. If his troops were to fail, Germany would cut off the only help his country could receive. "I will not fail." He thought, "I cannot fail."

The first German assault was directed at Langemarck. It was one of

many small towns that surrounded Ypres. The German 4th army, on October 21, committed to a series of attacks. These were poorly planned and with little support, however. The British 7th Division, defending the town, was able to temporarily push the Germans back. The allied defenses consisted of soldiers using shallow trenches, stone walls, and village houses as makeshift cover. The British defended the front lines, while the French forces covered the rear. Fierce fighting continued for another week around Langemarck, but soon, the fighting bogged down, and Falkenhayn knew he needed to target another location if he had any hope of breaking through to Ypres.

With the 6th army holding its position in the south, and the 4th army halted in the north, Falkenhayn ordered an attack through the center, through Gheluvelt, hoping to break through the village defenses, and push on into Ypres. However, the British and French put up stiff resistance. After repeated attacks near Gheluvelt, the Germans managed to break through for a short time. However, they were pushed back soon after by a British counterattack.

For the allies all along the line, it was a brutal struggle. Having a far weaker force in numbers than the Germans, their defense seemed hopeless. Nonetheless, they continued on, desperately fending off the waves of German assaults.

From November 10 to November 11, the fighting was at its peak in ferocity. The Germans focused the majority of its attacks towards the area between Langemarck and Diksmuide. They were able to break through parts of the allied lines, but couldn't be supported, so they were soon pushed back. With neither side able to achieve any significant advantage over the other, both began digging in. Both the allies, and the Germans were utterly exhausted. Losses for all sides were considerable. German casualties numbered over 80,000, with the French at a similar figure, while the BEF casualties at over 50,000 (89,964 since the Battle of Mons).

With the end of this battle, came the end of the mobile phase of the war. From now on, trench warfare would rage along the western front for the next four long years.

The First Battle of Ypres (October 19 - November 22)

The Battle of the Yser

October 16, 1914

Since the German invasion of Belgium, the vastly inferior country was forced into a desperate defense. Pushed to the breaking point, the Belgian Army was in almost constant retreat, as the vast number of German soldiers overwhelmed them. By October 9th, the last major Belgian city, Antwerp, had fallen. The battered Belgian forces had no choice but to all but abandon their homeland, and retreat west, toward the Yser. Now holding just a small strip of land in Flanders, they couldn't afford to lose any more ground. This was their final stand.

On October 14th, the Belgian Army reached the Yser River. This river had numerous canals which branched off from it. At the nearby town of Nieuwpoort, there were sluices which controlled the amount of water flowing into the river from the North Sea. They immediately began entrenching themselves. Their defenses along the Yser stretched over a mile between Nieuwpoort and the town of Diksmuide. From Diksmuide southward, their lines connected with the French and British defenses, which now ran all the way to the Aisne roughly 120 miles away!

On October 16th, the German army assaulted the Belgian and French defenses at Diksmuide(the French provided 6,000 Marines and an infantry division to aide the Belgians). The allies were able to hold them off, although heavy casualties were dealt. However, just two days later, the main German offensive was launched. This massive attack stretched from Nieuwpoort, to Arras in France, over 50 miles to the south. Their objectives: seize Calais, Dunkirk, and Boulogne, and therefore deprive Britain of these key coastal harbors; defeat the Belgian army, thus taking the country out of the war; and lastly, execute a massive flanking maneuver, bypassing the allies' massive front line, becoming the victor in the earlier race to the sea.

The German army, in the initial assault, was able to break through the Belgian, French, and British front lines, however, it took three days of intense fighting for them to push the Belgians back to the banks of the Yser. The final bridge was blown up on the 23rd of October, but the Germans were able to establish a bridgehead on the 21st. The German pressure on the Belgians was so great, that on the 25th of October, a decision was made to open the sluices in Nieuwpoort, gradually flooding the entire area between the coastal town and Diksmuide.

The German army, after repeated attacks, was preparing to launch one final major assault to break through the Belgian lines. However, they soon realized the Yser was flooding, and made the decision to fall back. The front stabilized, and the Belgian army was able to hold their ground at the Yser for the remainder of the war.

The Belgian's heroic defense at the battle of the Yser, although not so well known, was nonetheless a crucial battle. Had the Germans broken through, the entire allied front line would be compromised. They would have gained the undeniable upper-hand, and could well have won the war. 

Although this battle was over for the Belgians, further south, the intense fighting still continued... at Ypres.

The Battle of the Yser (October 16 - October 30)