Why the Battle of Verdun became the worst industrial killing field of WWI

The Battle of Verdun came about as a result of the strategic situation in Europe at the beginning of 1916.

The Western Front, which was a series of trenches stretching from the Swiss border to the North Sea, had been locked in a tense stalemate since late 1914.

Both the Allies and the Central Powers had launched offensives during 1915 that had tried to break through each other's lines.

However, these resulted in heavy casualties with very little territorial gain.

Consequently, the war had become a battle of attrition, with each side seeking to wear down the other. 

So, by the start of 1916, everyone was looking for a key location that could serve as a great way to turn the war in their favor.

To this end, Verdun, a fortified city in northeastern France became a potential target.

It held a strategic position on the Western Front, but it was surrounded by a ring of forts and sat near a bend in the Meuse River, making it a difficult target to attack.

The German commanders noticed its symbolic importance was even greater.

Verdun had a long history as a bastion of French resistance, dating back to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

As a result, its loss would be a severe blow to French morale. 

The German Army was led by Chief of the General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn. He was a seasoned military strategist who believed that the key to winning the war was to break the enemy's will to fight.  

At the start of the Battle of Verdun, the German Fifth Army, led by Crown Prince Wilhelm, had about 1,000,000 men at its disposal, assembled from 25 divisions. 

To attempt to maximize the chance of success, the German forces assigned to the Verdun offensive were well-equipped and well-trained.

In addition, they had a numerical advantage and provided with superior heavy artillery.

They were used to devastating effect in the initial bombardment.

However, the Germans faced significant logistical challenges, as their supply lines were stretched to the limit by the demands of the offensive. 

The French Army was under the overall command of General Joseph Joffre, the Chief of the General Staff.

Defending the site was the French Second Army, initially under the command of General Noel de Castelnau.

It numbered around 200,000 men.  

But, as the battle progressed, leadership would shift to General Philippe Pétain, who would later become a national hero for his role in the defense of Verdun. 

The French Army, unfortunately, was stretched thin across the Western Front.

The troops at Verdun were initially outnumbered and outgunned by the Germans.

However, they had the advantage of fighting on familiar terrain and were able to use the network of forts around Verdun to bolster their defense.

In their favor, the French also had a well-developed system of railways and roads, which they used to quickly move reinforcements to the front when needed. 

Erich von Falkenhayn conceived a plan to break the deadlock on the Western Front was not to capture Verdun outright but to inflict such heavy casualties on the French.

It would hope that a massive loss of life would force the defenders to seek an armistice. 

Falkenhayn's plan, known as Operation Gericht (Judgment), involved a massive initial artillery bombardment followed by an infantry assault.

To achieve this, the Germans amassed over 1,200 artillery pieces, including heavy siege guns.

The infantry was instructed to advance under the cover of this artillery barrage, seize the French front-line trenches, and draw the French into a costly counterattack. 

Falkenhayn fully believed that the French would have to commit their reserves to defend Verdun.

This would allow the Germans to inflict disproportionately heavy casualties.

This strategy of attrition, known as a 'battle of material,' was a departure from traditional military doctrine, which emphasized maneuver and the pursuit of a decisive victory. 

The battle began on the morning of February 21, 1916, with the planned massive German artillery bombardment.

The big guns targeted the French front-line trenches, as well as the forts surrounding Verdun.  

The French were initially unaware of the scale of the threat to Verdun and were taken by surprise.

The initial German bombardment was devastating. This was then followed by the infantry assault.

As hoped by the German planners, they quickly overran the French front lines.  

The Germans successfully captured the key the village of Haumont and threatened the Fort Douaumont, one of the most formidable fortifications in the Verdun area. 

Once they realized the extend of the threat, the French were able to mount a determined defense.

This was thanks in part to the leadership of General Philippe Pétain, who took command of the Verdun sector on February 25.

Pétain implemented a defensive strategy, which aimed to hold the line and inflict heavy casualties on the Germans.

He also made effective use of the French interior lines of communication to rotate units in and out of the front, keeping the defenders relatively fresh. 

Pétain's strategy was to 'hold at all costs' until reinforcements could arrive. This approach, combined with the resilience of the French soldiers and the strength of the Verdun fortifications, would allow the French to withstand the German onslaught and eventually launch their own counter-offensives. 

The Battle of Verdun also saw the introduction of new weapons, most notably phosgene gas.

The Germans first used this deadly chemical weapon in December 1915, but it was at Verdun that it was used on a large scale.

The use of phosgene, which was more lethal than the chlorine gas previously used, began a new level of brutality in the war. 

As the battle wore on, the intensity of the fighting increased. Both sides poured more men and resources into the battle, resulting in some of the most brutal combat of the war.

The summer and fall saw a series of fierce battles for control of key positions, including Fort Vaux and the village of Fleury. 

By the end of 1916, the battle had reached another stalemate, just like the rest of the Western Front.

The French had managed to recapture some of the lost ground, but the Germans still held onto key positions.

Both sides were exhausted and had suffered heavy casualties.

The eventual end of the Battle of Verdun came as a result of a major French counter-offensive, which was launched on December 15, 1916.

Under the command of General Robert Nivelle, who had replaced General Pétain as commander of the French Second Army, the French forces launched a surprise attack that caught the Germans off guard. 

Using the same combination of artillery bombardment and infantry assault the Germans had used, the French were able to recapture Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux, along with several other key positions.

This success of this offensive was a significant morale boost for the French.

Following the successful French counter-offensive, the German High Command decided to call off the Verdun offensive completely.

They began to withdraw from their positions around Verdun, and by the end of December, the battle was effectively over. 

The exact number of casualties is still a matter of debate among historians, but it is generally agreed that both sides suffered approximately 400,000 casualties each, including killed, wounded, and missing. 

The French army had lost many of its best soldiers and officers. However, the loss of so many men had a profound impact on the French army and society.

Ultimately, this led to a crisis of morale and contributing to the mutinies that occurred during 1917. 

For the German army, the attritional strategy of Erich von Falkenhayn, which aimed to 'bleed France white,' had ended up inflicting severe losses on the Germans as well.

In the end, the failure of the Verdun offensive led to Falkenhayn's dismissal as Chief of the General Staff in August 1916.