THE BATTLE OF VERDUN 1916 - SUMMARY

The 1916 battle of Verdun opened on 21 February when the Germans attacked the town in an operation called Gericht - a place of execution. The classic invasion route into France from the east crosses two rivers. First the Moselle and then the Meuse. Above the Meuse to its east is a 1,500ft high ridge and in its western shadow is Verdun. In the late seventeenth century the great French military architect Vauban included Verdun in his defensive scheme for the protection of France and in the Franco-Prussian war it was the last great fortress to fall. After that war the area between the two rivers, known as Alsace Lorraine, was ceded to Germany and Verdun thus became a French border town, leaving in every French heart the desire for revenge. Verdun developed a mystical significance for the French and its slogan became Ils ne passeront pas , They shall not pass. And they did not. The battle lasted 10 months but the city never fell. French casualties are estimated at 540,000, German at 430,000.

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