Why Was The Battle Of Verdun Fought ?
General Erich von Falkenhayn, the commander in chief of Germany, believed that the most important enemy of Germany was England. He was of the opinion that once France, England's most important ally, was defeated, England would collapse and this would help the Germans in winning the war at the Western Front. So, in order to defeat the French, Falkenhayn began looking for a place where the French would be more than willing to commit all the resources. He zeroed on to Verdun. |
Verdun was an important city because it was a military stronghold along the eastern border. The lines of defense in the city were built after the 1870 French Prussian war. Furthermore, the northern border of the town led to the Champagne plain and this, in turn, led to Paris. The city also had a number of forts that were fortified with ammunition.
By the year 1915, there was a stalemate at the Western Front with neither the French nor the Germans making too much headway. The war was causing heavy casualties without showing anything in return. So, in order to break the English and French lines along the Western Front, Falkenhayn decided to launch an attack on Verdun, which had been weakened as the ammunition from the forts were relocated to other places along the Western Front.
Verdun had just a single road connecting it to the railhead, and this meant that the German troops could attack the city from three directions, while still being logistically well placed. It was assumed that the French would hold out for a few weeks before falling.
More Articles :
|
The Battle of the Somme in World War I was responsible for the death of around 58,000 British soldiers on the first day itself. The battle, which began on July 1st, 1916, continued until November 18, 1916 and was fought on a 30-kilometer stretch between Arras and Albert. This battle had an effect on the Battle of Verdun, which was being fought between the Germans and French troops. 