Trenches that the French had dug to defend themselves had not yet been completed. For instance, all the forts that Germany targeted for ammunition had been moved to the Western Front by the French High Command. The positives of this plan outweighed the negatives.Germany viewed France as an easy opponent and that they were the ones who would suffer the most in terms of the number of casualties. Falkenhayn’s plan had one major weakness, however.If they do so, the forces of France will bleed to death.” Within our reach, there are objectives for the retention of which the French General Staff would be compelled to throw in every man they have. A mass break-through – which in any case is beyond our means – is unnecessary. Erich von Falkenhayn's letter to the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, on Christmas Day year 1915: “The string in France has reached a breaking point.
It was a shrewd plan by Falkenhayn because he knew that the French would fight to the last man to defend their pride and in so doing they would lose so many soldiers that it would change the course of the war. France’s pride lay in those forts and it would be a national humiliation if they fell.Verdun had 20 major forts and 40 smaller ones that had been used previously to protect France’s eastern border and had been modernised in the early years of the 20th century.In his words, he wanted to “bleed France white” through a massive German attack on a narrow stretch of land that had a historic sentiment for the French. German Chief of General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, ordered the attack on Verdun.Moreover, France’s General Philippe Pétain wanted to gain hero status back in France. They were trying to ease the pressure the Germans were exerting on the French. The Battle of the Somme in July 1916 was started by the British because of the casualties that had been experienced in the Battle of Verdun.Considered as the longest single battle of World War One, it took place in Verdun, a small city in northeast France, on the banks of the Meuse River. The Battle of Verdun began on the 21st February 1916 and ended on the 16th December 1916.Let’s know more about the Battle of Verdun!
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