Belgium's comparable forts were quickly destroyed by German artillery, and easily overrun. The German invasion of Belgium in 1914 forced military planners to radically rethink the utility of fortification in war. The given WMs coordinates marks the entrance of Fort de Douaumont. Situated at 395 m above sea level, Fort de Douaumont was in 1914 the strongest and most modern of the forts around Verdun.
His original plan to attack Verdun from both sides of the Meuse River was vetoed by Falkenhayn, and instead was sent to attack from the east bank river only.The apocalyptic Battle of Verdun was a turning point in the 1st World War and Fort de Douaumont was the heart of the battle. It was also under his recommendation that all merchant ships be attacked in enemy waters.Ĭrown Prince Wilhelm was born in 1882 and was the leader of German Fifth Army. The additional reinforcements that arrived during the attack for the French very much kept them in the battle.Įrich von Falkenhayn was born in 1861, and laid out the plan to attack Verdun and overtake the French to win the war. Over 434,000 German lives were lost and 550,000 French lives. Germany was affected the most, as their strategy led to an almost equal loss of life with the French, even though they had the numbers. Capturing Verdun would also have destroyed the morale of France, while also giving Germany prime attacking position if they chose to advance forward. Even when most of Verdun was captured, retreating would have destroyed France politically and was not even considered an option.Ĭonstant communication by the French and an overly defensive strategy by the Germans led to Germany withdrawing, after suffering equal losses to the French.įor Germany it was an easy way to wipe out hundreds of thousands of French troops without any losses on their side.
The beginning attacks were heavy against the undermanned fortress, with 200,000 French troops going against 1 million German troops. Staying in Verdun was not purely for political reasons, as German occupancy would open up attack lines to the French on three sides at once. The plan was to take the undermanned fortress forcing the French to defend it and deplete their own forces. As Verdun was considered a sentimental icon to the French, it was these same sentiments that German Chief of Staff Erich von Falkenhayn would play on to lure them into a defeat. The French people and Army viewed Verdun as a huge symbol in their country, with its strong defenses that were boosted since the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871. The biggest decider for France sticking with the attack was political in nature, and not due to giving up a huge tactical advantage. Several demotions and promotions on each side took place, and at one point Germany had the French right where they wanted them. They faced more resistance than expected, and eventually resorted to chemical warfare in the form of phosgene gas.Įven with the use of their secret weapon, the defense first measures of Germany against the fortified Verdun led to an eventual loss and retreat by the Germans. The Germans who had the numbers still had to claw their way to a victory, slowly taking down one fort at a time and pushing the French forces backwards. Over 1 million German troops were in on the attack, but the bombardment only led to them capturing the French front line trenches. Even with the fortifications of Verdun, the French Army was badly outnumbered. This, combined with the siege against Verdun on February 21st 1916, became a big opportunity for the Germans. The Germans hatched a plan to keep Britain busy by using unrestricted submarine warfare against all merchant shipping, with the intention of starving Britain out. That didn’t mean Britain wasn’t a threat, and was considered far from it. If they refused, they too would be defeated, as there forces would be severely crippled after the defeat of the allied forces with France. So the fight need not be brought to them, as they would take care of themselves.Īs for trying to crush France, this would also take care of their allies as Britain would be more open to seeking terms with Germany.
Their reasoning was solid, as it looked like Russia was on the verge of withdrawing from the war. Germany considered the key to winning the war was firmly prioritized by taking control of the Western front with France. The German siege of Verdun was considered the longest battle of World War I, and was important to all sides.