The Verdun operation began on 21 February. Both sides sought to dominate the airspace. The sky was cleared of French aviation allowing the unimpeded efforts of German fire and bomber spotters, but by May, France had deployed a squadron of fighters of the “Newport” Company.
To maintain a continuous offensive, additional reserves were introduced. On a small section of the front, a length of 15 km, Germany concentrated 6.5 divisions against two French divisions. The encirclement and defeat of eight French divisions in the Verdun ridge meant the breach of the French defenses on a broad sector of the front, followed by the possibility of striking the flank and rear of the Allied forces defending Paris. Germany did not have the strength to attack on a broad front, so the goal of the offensive was a powerful blow to a narrow sector – in the area of the Verdun fortified area, which stood out in the form of a small ledge on the French-German front.
Verdun battle ib history series#
Thus, the war turned into trench warfare, in which neither side achieved any breakthroughs.Īfter a series of bloody battles on both fronts in 1914-1915. The Germans failed to win quickly, right at the beginning of the war, as outlined by the Schlüffen Plan.
During the battle, French troops were able to repel a large-scale German offensive near Verdun. One of the largest and one of the most bloody military operations in the First World War and history in general, it went down in history as the Verdun meat grinder, a textbook example of a war of attrition. The battle of Verdun is the largest and longest battle between German and French troops during the First World War on the Western Front, from February 21 to December 18, 1916.
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