Battle of Verdun
History: KS3, topic 16.3.3
Battle of Verdun
Between 1916 AD and 1918 AD, the opposing sides (France and Germany) focused their efforts on wearing the enemy down. It became a 'war of attrition'.
War of attrition
- Attrition warfare is a military strategy where each side tries to wear the enemy down by continually draining their personnel and resources.
- In these wars, the side with the most resources usually wins.
Battle of Verdun: background
- Germany attacked Verdun because it hoped that it would weaken the Allied Powers.
- They hoped to use a small number of German troops to attack the French.
- This turned out to be a serious underestimation and they had to use many more troops than planned.
Battle of Verdun: facts
- Verdun (February 1916 AD to December 1916 AD) was the longest battle in WW1 - it lasted 300 days.
- This battle was between France and Germany.
- In the first eight hours of the battle, Germany fired over two million shells.
Battle of Verdun: facts
- Germany thought that if it captured Verdun, the Allies' morale would be so low that Germany would win the war.
- 140,000 German troops led the attack, supported by 1,200 artillery guns.
Result
- Verdun became a battle of pride - neither France nor Germany wanted to admit defeat.
- The French suffered around 380,000 casualties and the Germans suffered around 340,000 casualties.
- Eventually, Germany withdrew because they needed to use their troops elsewhere.
Test yourself on Battle of Verdun
What happened at the Battle of Verdun?
What was the result of the Battle of Verdun?
How many casualties did Germany suffer during the Battle of Verdun?