Background: Falkenhayn target for his plan to make the French Bleed, would be the historic city of Verdun, in which, "A.D. 843 as the site of the signing of the treaty that divided Charlemagne's empire into three parts, two of which ultimately became the basis for France and Germany." (Lyons, 2000). In addition to its history, Verdun was also the strongest position on the entire occupied Allied Western Front, which Falkenhayn was betting that the French would not part with the area with ease, thus setting the table for his infamous attrition tactic. Overall, this would be the longest single battle of the War, lasting nearly 10 full months.
Initial Troops on the Ground:
Allied Forces, were made up of only three divisions ranging from 8,000 to 14,000 men, most of which did arrive until days before the battle would begin. Additionally, this section of the Allied Forces was poorly outfitted only having, "270 artillery pieces of various kinds and quality." On the other side of things, the Central Powers were unofficially prepared for an offensive amassing six divisions to facilitate the offensive, as well as four divisions in reserve. Along with the ten divisions, the Central Powers emplaced the most concentrated amount of artillery the war had yet to see in one place, numbering 1,200 pieces including some of the most devastating guns on the era that would provide the desired Hell on Earth, Falkenhayn desired.
The Battle Begins: The Battle of Verdun would begin February 21, 1916, nine days after the desired start of General Falkenhayn, due to weather restrictions brought on by a blizzard and ensuing fog in the region. On the dawn of the 21st, the shelling began with an unprecedented force destroying many of, "the poorly constructed French trenches, kill[ing] many of the defenders, and shred[ing] forests in the projected breakthrough area, yet despite this hurricane of steel and high explosives, not all the French in its path were killed." (Lyons, 2000).
The Nature of the Fighting: The Battle of Verdun, was extremely versatile in terms of fighting considering it would deploy several of the most sinister weapons of the era. Artillery, was the mainstay of the Battle, launching as the Central Forces launched a relentless assault with their highly concentrated 1,200 guns firing an incredible 2.5 million rounds (Trueman, 2016). that would mark the region to this day. Along with any battle the artillery would just be the start, as the Germans would employ a newer tactic of sending platoon size elements forward assume the now embattle positions, instead of attacking at full force. Additionally, these elements would have a devastating new weapon, the Flamethrower, which initially sent French Defenders in panic, but the panic would be short lived, as the Flame Troopers vulnerability would exposed as French Defenders realize a well-placed round would essentially give a human grenade, as the tanks would explode. Overall, the Trench warfare of the era would result in a stalemate as heavy losses would mount on each side within the early days of the battle. (Lyons, 2000).
Casualties:
Total French Casualties: 162,440 Dead, 377,000 Wounded Total German Casualties: 143,000 Dead, 337,000 Wounded Total Casualties: 305,400 Dead, 714,000 wounded (Lyons, 2000).
The Advance: For the Battle of Verdun, the attempted advance was by the Germans as officially looked to take the city of Verdun as it would break the French line, but overall would lead to a stalemate as casualties would mount in an alarming rate.
The Disposition of the Forces at the Battles Conclusion: By the middle of December 1916, after nearly ten long months of fighting, the German Kaiser would call a halt to the German Offensive at Verdun. Frustration would be the best term to use at the end of the battle on the German side, since with no real ground gained and a massive death toll, the battle itself would be a resting nightmare for the German People. As for the French, relief would be the operative term as the almost ten months of fighting, had left the historic area with a terrible scar as well as, damage to the Allied Forces would be as alarming as they were for the German forces leaving, an ugly graveyard for the once quiet river city.
The Geography of the Battlefield: The Geography around Verdun, was in natural favor of the French, being that the area of the city rested, "on steep hills along the east bank of the Meuse and lower hills dissected by ravines on the west bank. It also boasted no fewer than 60 forts, 20 of them of major importance, arranged in three concentric rings around the city." (Lyons, 2000). Additionally, the fortification was known as a salient, or "a section of fortification that juts out to form an angle." (Dictionary.com, 2017). Overall, the battlefield was in traditional Great War fashion being the lines were setup in the trademarked trench warfare style.