The Battle of Verdun
Verdun, a city in France, was protected by a ring of underground forts. The German General Erich von Falkenhayn designed a battle plan for attacking Verdun in mid-February, 1916. The battle ended much later and is a symbol of the strength and fortitude of the French armed forces and entire nation. The battle became a fight between small groups of men on both sides fighting hometown battles for their lives and territorial protection. Over 300,000 French and Germans were killed and over 750,000 were wounded in
the Battle of Verdun.
Also known as the Somme Offensive, this battle was between 1 July and 18 November, 1916, between the British - French allies and German troops. The battle was planned in Chantilly, Oise in December, 1915. The Somme offensive was created to break through German lines, but had to adapt when Germans started the Battle of Verdun. On the first day, the British Army suffered the worst one-day war losses in its history. There were nearly 60,000 casualties. Most soldiers were volunteer and fighting in specific local areas, creating a huge negative social impact in Britain. This battle also saw the first usage of the tank machine. At the end of the battle, British and French forces had penetrated a small total of 6 miles into German occupied territory. The Allies failed to gain the territorial objectives and suffered many more casualties than anticipated, but they learned valuable lessons in opperational and tactical warfare.
