Verdun, Battle of

Verdun, Battle of, major engagement of World War I fought between German and French forces around the French fortress-town of Verdun between February and December 1916. Verdun, which lay in a salient projecting into the German lines, was selected by the chief of the German General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, as the target for Germany’s major offensive of the year. He reasoned that the French would be forced to defend an unfavourable position from which they could not willingly withdraw, both for strategic reasons and for the maintenance of military and civilian morale. As a consequence he hoped the French Army would “bleed to death”.

The initial German attack on February 21 was made to the north-east of the town by Crown Prince Wilhelm’s Fifth Army. Preceded by a massive artillery bombardment, it met with considerable success. By February 25, the French Second Army had been pushed back to within eight km (5 mi) of the town of Verdun and a major fortification, Fort Douaumont, had fallen to the Germans. The loss of Douaumont caused outrage in France, making it impossible to consider a withdrawal from Verdun. General Philippe Pétain was appointed to conduct the defence of the town. By February 28 he had stabilized the situation. On March 6 the Germans struck again, north and north-west of the town, in an attempt to neutralize French artillery batteries, which had proved crucial in stemming the initial offensive. The Germans gained ground in heavy fighting, but no breakthrough was achieved. Further attacks ensued and, by early June, the important French positions of Mort Homme Hill and Fort Vaux had been taken. From June 22 the Germans made their final effort to seize Verdun. Their attacks, which featured the first use of phosgene gas, delivered by shells, brought them within three km (1.8 mi) of the town, but the French held on. In early July the German offensive petered out, as troops were transferred to the Somme front.

In May Pétain had been promoted to the command of Army Group Centre, thereafter exercising only general control over the Battle of Verdun. On-the-spot command fell to General Robert Nivelle, who took much of the credit for halting the June attacks, being famed for his exhortation to his troops: “You will not let them pass!” By the autumn of 1916, Nivelle was planning a counteroffensive. This attack was launched on October 24 by the Third Army, under the command of General Charles Mangin. The offensive was notable for the skilful use of artillery. The infantry advanced behind the protection of creeping barrages and new, super-heavy, mortars were employed to bombard Fort Douaumont, which was retaken on the first day of the offensive. Mangin made further attacks in November and December, pushing the Germans still further away from the north-west of the town. Both sides then abandoned any attempt to achieve a decision at Verdun.

In terms of ground gained, the Battle of Verdun was indecisive. Furthermore, Falkenhayn’s hopes of imposing an insupportable rate of attrition on the French Army proved vain, as the Germans themselves suffered almost as severely. The actual casualty figures are much disputed, although the most conservative estimates suggest a combined figure for both sides of over 700,000 men killed, wounded, or missing. Verdun ranks as one of the most terrible battles of history. The intensity of the struggle, with so much artillery and so many men deployed on so narrow a front, made conditions uniquely horrific for those who fought there. Today, numerous French memorial sites mark the battlefield, and pine forests cover land that, due to the events of 1916, remains impossible to cultivate.