Battle of Verdun

On 21 February 1916, the German attack begins on what was, until then, France’s strongest fortress: Verdun. Under the command of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, the 5th Army intends to force a breakthrough in this part of the western front. Contrary to expectations, only small portions of terrain can be won.

© AdsD The ruins of Fort Douaumont, 6 miles north of Verdun, where more than 100.000 soldiers lost their lives

On 25 February 1916, Fort Douaumont falls into German hands. Immediately afterward the government in Paris puts General Henri Philippe Pétain in charge of the defence of Verdun. He urges his soldiers to resist tenaciously and thereby wins time for new reserves to be brought up. The front line resistance intensifies, and the weeks of attacks and counter-attacks which follow result in heavy losses on both sides. An English-French relief offensive on the Somme in mid-July 1916 finally brings the German attack on Verdun to an end. The battle for Verdun, which was meant to bring about a quick end to the war, ranks as the costliest engagement of the First World War with ca. 600,000 dead. For many it has become the epitome of the senselessness of war.