![]() ![]() By the end of April, most of the German strategic reserve was at Verdun, suffering similar casualties to the French army. Falkenhayn was forced to conduct the offensive for much longer and commit far more infantry than intended. Yet fighting continued around Verdun until 1918. The symbolic importance of Verdun proved a rallying point and the French did not collapse. There were more than 700,000 victims – 305,000 killed and missing and 400,000 wounded (approximately), with almost identical losses on both sides. The 1916 battle ended after ten months of bitter fighting. It was empty – the Germans had already left.įrom 15 to 18 December, the French attacked again, retaking almost all the land they had lost since 21 February. On 24 October 1916, they recaptured Fort Douaumont and, a few days later, they entered Fort Vaux. In the autumn of 1916, the French counter-attacked. The Germans tried to capture the town one last time, on 11 and 12 July, but they failed again. On 1 July, the British and French launched a major offensive on the Somme, relieving some of the pressure being put on the French troops by the Germans in Verdun. ![]() In all, some 4,000 trucks, 2,000 cars, 800 ambulances, 200 buses and numerous vans passed along it.įrom 6 March 1916, the Germans also attacked on the left bank of the River Meuse yet despite furious fighting on Le Mort-Homme in March and April they were unable to breach the French front line.Īt the end of June, having taken Fort Vaux, they launched a massive attack which failed – but only just. In both France and Germany, it has come to represent the horrors of war, similar to the. He increased the volume of traffic along the Bar-le-Duc to Verdun road, later known as the “Sacred Way”, the only route taking men and munitions up to the battlefield. Verdun was the longest battle and one of the bloodiest in World War I. Germany considered the key to winning the war. General Pétain then took command of the troops. The German siege of Verdun was considered the longest battle of World War I, and was important to all sides. ![]() Despite heavy shelling, the French infantrymen (known as “ Poilus”) clung on to their positions and the Germans were unable to advance any further. The French High Command was anxious to retake the fort because of its dominant position high above the battlefield. A French counter-attack to take the Bois des Caures failsĢ4 February – The German advance takes several other key points, pushing the 51st Division off the Bois des Fosses and capturing Ornes village on the Meuse. The French second line of defences collapsesĢ5 February – Fort Douaumont is taken by the German 24 th Infantry Regiment.During the first few days, the Germans breached the French front lines and captured Fort Douaumont without a fight on 25 February 1916. The hill is taken and Driant is killedĢ3 February – Brabant is captured, and Samogneux’s defence looks precarious. The Bois d’Haumont and the Bois d’Herebois fall to the Germans, but Driant’s Chasseurs just manage to hold on to the Bois des CauresĢ2 February – The Germans renew their artillery bombardment at first light, then use a greater weight of forces to overwhelm the defence of the Bois des Caures. – Bombardment ceases and the German infantry assault begins. – German artillery units begin their preparatory bombardment at VerdunĤ.45 a.m. Drianty’s Defence and Douaumont’s Fall 1916Ģ1 February – The Battle of Verdun begins with a lengthy German preparatory bombardment and an infantry assaultĤ.00 a.m. A timeline of the Battle of Verdun, which lasted for 303 days between February and December 1916 and became the longest and one of the most costly battles in human history.
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