Le Verdun Battle Ground
(The Verdun Battle Ground)
During an awful snowstorm, the German army launched an attack against the French forces on the high ground of Mort-Homme, on the left bank of the Meuse River, near the city of Verdun, France, in 1916. The Battle of Verdun started on February 21, 1916, when the German's bombarded the city of Verdun: the last French stronghold to fall during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Although the Germans advanced since the start of the battle, capturing Verdun's major protective fort, Fort Douaumont, on February 25. The French were not ready to give it up, and the battle soon settled into a stalemate, with many casualties on both sides. On the night of Douaumont's capture, General Philippe Petain took over the French command of the Verdun sector. Petain vowed to hold the fort at all costs and kill the as many German soldiers as possible. The German objective was similar: General Erich von Falkenhayn, chief of the general staff, aimed to bleed the French white. (1)
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the Great War on the Western Front. (2)
Footnotes:
1. "New German Attacks at Verdun: Battle of the Flanks." History.com. Accessed December 15, 2014. (secondary)
2. "Battle of Verdun." Princeton University. Accessed December 10, 2014. (secondary)
1. "New German Attacks at Verdun: Battle of the Flanks." History.com. Accessed December 15, 2014. (secondary)
2. "Battle of Verdun." Princeton University. Accessed December 10, 2014. (secondary)