The wearing down of the French army would affect the morale of the French. The French army would bleed irrespective of whether Germany took the Verdun or not. This wearing down was to be effected through the attrition in numbers of the French Army, as they defended Verdun. The reason for the selection of the ring of forts at Verdun by General Falkenhyn lay in the objective of wearing down the French Army, who was sure to defend this fortress, because of the sentiments attached to it. The thrust at Verdun was the brainchild of General Falkenhyn, who believed that the key to winning the First World war lay in defeating the Anglo-French forces in Western rather than the defeat of the Russians in the Eastern front. The German strategy for completing the victory by defeating the Anglo-French forces in the remaining parts of Europe centered around submarine warfare and attacking the French ring of forts at Verdun. Objectives of the Battle of Verdun and battle of the Sommeīy the end of 1915, the Central Powers were in the ascendancy of the First World War. However, both the battles turned out to be battles of attrition, and the expectations of a quick victory by either side were not met leading to enormous casualties on both sides. The ferocity of the action seen in the battles stemmed from the premise of each side that (the Battle of the Somme to the Anglo-French side and the Battle of Verdun to the German side) as the means to achieve a quick victory. By December, France had won back nearly all the territory it had lost in February.The Battles of the Somme and Verdun were two of the greatest battles fought on the Western front between the Anglo-French military forces and the German forces during the course of the First World War. It would be another four months before the conflict ceased. Falkenhayn's successors, Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, upheld the decision to suspend attacks at Verdun, but Germany defended its new positions there. Falkenhayn eventually halted the offensive in July.īut in August, with Germany and Austria-Hungary facing synchronised Allied summer offensives, Falkenhayn tendered his resignation. Some commanders, such as the Kaiser's son, Crown Prince Wilhelm, wanted attacks to cease, while others encouraged Falkenhayn to reapply pressure. Without a clear strategy, there was confusion about how to conduct the offensive.Īs the conflict wore on, division within the top ranks of the German army became apparent. General Falkenhayn was notoriously secretive and shared very little with his staff about his strategy or aims for the battle.Īs a result, German commanders had different objectives, ranging from capturing the town of Verdun to destroying the French army. Germany accumulated huge losses and gained little territory, leading it to throw more and more men into the conflict: Verdun soon became a battle of prestige for the Germans, as well as the French. He used many more divisions than planned. The two campaigns together should have brought France and Britain to terms.īut Falkenhayn's plan for an attack that would economise on German resources failed to work out as he had expected. Falkenhayn hoped to combine the Verdun offensive with a U-Boat offensive against British shipping. He planned to use a relatively small number of men to capture the high ground to the north of Verdun and then to inflict enormous casualties on the French using his superior German artillery to halt their counter-attacks. Britain was Germany’s most formidable military foe, but remained out of reach across the Channel. Britain via Verdunįalkenhayn was convinced by 1916 that the war could only be won on the Western Front. He hoped that France would “throw in every man they have” to defend it, draining its army of resources. General Erich von Falkenhayn, the Chief of the General Staff and Germany’s principal strategist, targeted the French town of Verdun because of its position on the Allied line and its sentimental value to the French people.
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