battle of Verdun
From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
|
Date: 2008
battle of Verdun the longest and one of the bloodiest engagements of World War I . Two million men were engaged. It began on Feb. 21, 1916, when the Germans, commanded by Crown Prince Frederick William, launched a massive offensive against Verdun, an awkward salient in the French line. The outlying forts of Douaumont and Hardaumont soon fell, but the French rallied under General Pétain (with the cry "They shall not pass" ) and resistance stiffened. A British offensive on the Somme relieved the pressure on Verdun in July, 1916, and by December the French had recovered most of the ground lost. The intention of the Germans had been a battle of attrition in which they hoped to bleed the French army white. In the end, they sustained almost as many casualties as the French; an estimated 328,000 to the French 348,000.
Bibliography: See studies by A. Horne (1962), W. Hermanns (1972), and I. Ousby (2002).
Author not available, VERDUN, BATTLE OF.,
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press
For permission to reuse this article, contact Copyright Clearance Center.
Related articles from HighBeam Research:
&type=4 "All Things Considered (NPR)")
|
Sandberg Poem Honors Anniversary of Verdun Battle
All Things Considered (NPR); 2/21/1996; 251 words;
00-00-0000 The 1916 battle of Verdun claimed over half a million ... the anniversary of the battle of Verdun was observed today. It ... the fighting started at Verdun. It continued thorugh ... 80 years ago. It was a battle of the Great War, which ...
|
|
Walking with the ghosts of Verdun Death was a relief to many trapped in this hell As Remembrance Day nears, Tom Bower visits the killing fields of France's bloodiest battle
Mail on Sunday; 11/7/2004; TOM BOWER; 1587 words;
... Ossuaire reminds visitors that Verdun was not simply a battle of extermination but, even ... describes the uniqueness of Verdun, a battle waged in tunnels and forts ... imagine the key points of the battle for Verdun. Helped by a map provided ...
|
&type=1 "The Mail on Sunday (London, England)")
|
Walking with the ghosts of Verdun; Death was a relief to many trapped in this hell As Remembrance Day nears, Tom Bower visits the killing fields of France's bloodiest battle.
The Mail on Sunday (London, England); 11/7/2004; 1594 words;
... Ossuaire reminds visitors that Verdun was not simply a battle of extermination but, even ... describes the uniqueness of Verdun, a battle waged in tunnels and forts ... imagine the key points of the battle for Verdun. Helped by a map provided ...
|
&type=1 "The Independent (London, England)")
|
VERDUN: MYTHS AND MEMORIES; Legacy of the First World War Ninety years ago today, a German shell dropped on a small French village, the start of 10 months of carnage. John Lichfield looks at a battle that has come to symbolise the horrors of warfare.(News)
The Independent (London, England); 2/21/2006; Lichfield, John; 1941 words;
... French popular history calls Verdun the greatest battle of all time . Was it? In terms ... since 1914. As a defensive battle, Verdun achieved a kind of moral status ... first time. Between them, the battles of Verdun and the Somme ensured that ...
|
|
Battle of Verdun re-enactment
Birmingham Mail; 7/12/2006; 174 words;
... homage this summer to the Battle of Verdun. The town in Eastern ... the most destructive battles from the First World ... Anniversary of the Battle of Verdun and local authorities ... not only take place in Verdun but throughout the Meuse ...
|
|
1916 MONDAY 18 DECEMBER ; Battle of Verdun ends
The Independent - London; 12/18/2006; 29 words;
The Battle of Verdun, the longest engagement of the First World War, ended after 10 months in a marginal victory for France. Shelling had obliterated the nine villages of the Verdun ridge
|
|
Foley, Robert T.: German Strategy and the Path to Verdun: Erich von Falkenhayn and the Development of Attrition, 1870-1916.(Book Review)
History: Review of New Books; 6/22/2005; Zeps, Michael J.; 468 words;
... Robert T. German Strategy and the Path to Verdun: Erich von Falkenhayn and the Development ... Strachan, German Strategy and the Path to Verdun by Robert T. Foley benefits from records ... generals sending corps and armies into battle, differentiates this book from Isabel ... extent that his strategy of ...
|
&type=1 "The Independent Sunday (London, England)")
|
BOOKS: CALVARY ON THE MEUSE; A rambling account of the grisly and prolonged struggle for Verdun has too many digressions and not enough dramatic tension, Frank McLynn argues.(Features)
The Independent Sunday (London, England); 1/6/2002; McLynn, Frank; 926 words;
... not prevailed at Verdun, they might not ... as a nation. The battle for Verdun raged from February ... Somme. The two great battles of 1916 were intimately ... Ian Ousby says: Verdun was a holding action ... the offensive at Verdun and retook Vaux ... February and July. A battle ...
|
|
The devil's garden: The slaughter at Verdun in WWI echoes across the century.
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; 11/16/1998; Warner, Gary A.; 2234 words;
... have conspired to reclaim Verdun from its true past _ a wasteland ... the century's most gruesome battles. The grass a thin mask of ... noise and death all around. ``Verdun was the most senseless episode ... Both sides fought at Verdun for the sake of fighting ... killed and glory to be won.'' ...
|
|
|
Books: Hell's citadel; THE ROAD TO VERDUN Ian Ousby Jonathan Cape, pounds 17.99, 320pp: Euan Cameron revisits the horrors of Verdun, where 700,000 soldiers died.(Features)
The Independent (London, England); 1/19/2002; Cameron, Euan; 664 words;
... told it came from Verdun. I shuddered at ... name, he wrote. Verdun was a hell, and ... day, the name of Verdun resonates in France ... This was the battle to end all battles, the longest and ... variously called) of Verdun. When the fighting ... death ravines of Verdun, said the German ...
|
|
Owing allegiance: the British community in Verdun, Quebec during the Second World War.
Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal; 3/22/2004; Durflinger, Serge Marc; 9006 words;
... devoted considerable space to British news events, personalities, sports scores, and ... On 18 May the King and Queen arrived, news that the Guardian announced with a red ... the war and the community's reactions to news from overseas. The more perilous the military ...
|
|
Restoring 'Verdun' at the National Gallery
The Washington Post; 8/4/2006; Christina Talcott - Washington Post Staff Writer; 604 words;
"Verdun, Visions d'Histoire ... reenacted scenes from the Battle of Verdun -- the longest battle of World War I -- in ... film archive there. "Verdun" was considered a trophy ... occupied territory. "Verdun" was in good company ...
|
|
Normandy and Verdun: A look back at pain and awe
Bismarck Tribune; 9/23/2007; CAROL M. RUSSELL; 1280 words;
Normandy and Verdun: A look back at ... endurance. The American Battle Monuments Commission ... the U.S. began the Battle of the Hedgerows ... and tragic film of battles I'd ever seen. A ... fighting the Normandy battles while the other ... Champagne country to Verdun, population 30,000 ... start ...
|
|
|
The little French town with a lesson for us all; A visit to Verdun's battlefields is a deeply moving experience, says RAY KERSHAW.(Features)
The Independent (London, England); 4/26/2003; Kershaw, Ray; 1043 words;
... What happened at Verdun - a little town ... which during the battle 90,000 men a week ... pilgrimage as once, Verdun remains a national ... For decades the battle has been Verdun's major industry ... World's Greatest Battle . And in the massive ... years after the battle, of at least ...
|
|
|
Verdun: World War I and beyond.
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; 11/16/1998; Warner, Gary A.; 479 words;
... mass troops near Verdun. Feb. 16: Bombardment of Verdun by Germans begins ... Petain named French battle commander. First ... on defensive in Verdun. October: French ... at beginning of battle in February. April ... their countries at Verdun on the 70th anniversary of the battle ... .
|
See all results from premium newspaper and magazine articles, images, maps and more at HighBeam Research.
Related articles from newspapers, magazines and other sources:
Trucks made the difference at Verdun: the titanic World War I Battle of Verdun is best known for its unprecedented carnage. But the battle also featured a logistic innovation: the first extensive use of motor vehicles for military supply and transportation.
Army Logistician; 9/1/2003; Mankel, Eric; 1638 words;
|
Theater of Blood.('The Road to Verdun: World War I's Most Momentous Battle and the Folly of Nationalism')
National Review; 6/17/2002; PRYCE-JONES, DAVID; 1130 words;
|
German Strategy and the Path to Verdun: Erich von Falkenhayn and the Development of Attrition, 1870-1916.(Book review)
The Historian; 3/22/2006; Heyman, Neil M.; 541 words;
|
The Battle of the Marne: myths and reality of Germany's "fateful battle" (1).
The Historian; 12/22/2006; Mombauer, Annika; 9392 words;
|
100 Decisive Battles: from Ancient Times to the Present: the World's Major Battles and How They Shaped History.(Book Review)
Infantry Magazine; 6/22/2002; Timmers, Christopher B.; 398 words;
|
Time to rename king, queen of battle?(infantry)
Infantry Magazine; 5/1/2006; Midla, George S.; 834 words;
|
The French Berthier: the world's ugliest battle rifle started life as a 3-shooter. How dumb was that?
Guns Magazine; 2/1/2006; Sheehan, John; 4145 words;
|
Austria-Hungary and The Brusilov offensive Of 1916.
The Historian; 3/22/2008; Tunstall, Graydon A.; 9361 words;
|
(book review)
Infantry Magazine; 9/1/2000; 768 words;
|
What's in a name?: the development of strategies of attrition on the Western Front, 1914-1918.
The Historian; 12/22/2006; Foley, Robert T.; 11131 words;
|
|
|