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Verdun, Battle of
Verdun, Battle of (World War I) (21 Feb.–16 Dec. 1916) A battle of attrition in World War I. It was based on a plan of General von Falkenhayn, Chief of the German General Staff, to concentrate the whole weight of his resources against the French fortified city of Verdun. He hoped to bind all French forces to this area, and eventually overcome his opponent through sheer numbers and determination, regardless of the human cost. After the heaviest artillery bombardment to date, and with exceptionally heavy casualties, he captured the forts of Douaumont and Vaux. Nevertheless, under the inspiring leadership of Generals Nivelle and Pétain, Verdun itself did not fall. Relieved to some extent by the Battle of the Somme, the French regained their positions through counter-attacks on 24 October and 15 December 1916. While the successful resistance proved to be crucial for French morale, it was another example of the massive human cost of trench warfare in World War I, as around 400,000 Allied and 350,000 German troops lost their lives over a few square miles of land.
Somme, Battle of the; Haig, Douglas |
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "Verdun, Battle of." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "Verdun, Battle of." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-VerdunBattleof.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "Verdun, Battle of." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-VerdunBattleof.html |
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battle of Verdun
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.
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"battle of Verdun." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "battle of Verdun." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Verdun-b.html "battle of Verdun." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Verdun-b.html |
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Verdun, Battle of
Verdun, Battle of a long-running battle in World War I between French and German forces at Verdun, France. Fighting began on February 21, 1916 with a German attack on the fortified citadel there, which the Germans had chosen with the aim of wearing down the French through attrition. Fighting continued for four months with casualties in the hundreds of thousands on both sides, but the French eventually prevailed in the wake of German focus being drawn to the battle of the Somme. By December the French had regained much of their lost ground.
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"Verdun, Battle of." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Verdun, Battle of." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-VerdunBattleof.html "Verdun, Battle of." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-VerdunBattleof.html |
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Verdun, Battle of
Verdun, Battle of (February–December 1916) Campaign of World War I. A German offensive in the region of Verdun, nw France, made initial advances, but was checked by the French under Marshal Pétain. After a series of renewed German assaults, the Allied offensive on the Somme drew off German troops and the French regained the lost territory. Total casualties are estimated at one million.
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"Verdun, Battle of." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Verdun, Battle of." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-VerdunBattleof.html "Verdun, Battle of." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-VerdunBattleof.html |
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Verdun, Battle of
Verdun, Battle of a long and severe battle in 1916, during the First World War, at the fortified town of Verdun in NE France, in which the French, initially unprepared, eventually repelled a prolonged German offensive but suffered heavy losses.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Verdun, Battle of." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Verdun, Battle of." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-VerdunBattleof.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Verdun, Battle of." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-VerdunBattleof.html |
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