The Battle of Verdun by 50Minutes.com

Author:50Minutes.com
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: 50Minutes.com
Published: 2016-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

At first, the fortified town of Verdun seemed very well defended, even impregnable. It was surrounded by the mountains and hills of the Meuse valley. For protection, it had 19 forts and 19 important infantry works. The most important of these was the Fort Douaumont, which rose about 400 meters northeast of the city, near the right bank of the Meuse. However, this impression of power was only illusory. Indeed, in August 1915, convinced that the city would not be the object of attack, the French command decided to withdraw nearly 200 guns from the forts, leaving only 263. Moreover, the number of garrisons present on the site was also reduced to a dozen men.

On the German side, once Erich von Falkenhayn’s plan had been approved, preparations for the attack of Verdun began. Leadership was assigned to the Prussian Crown Prince Frederick William (1882-1951), nicknamed the Kronprinz (“Crown Prince” in German). The attack was originally scheduled for 12 February 1916 and they decided to name it the Gericht (judgment). For the attack, 1 225 artillery pieces of all kinds were sent to Verdun. Meanwhile, trains were responsible for transporting two and a half million shells. Finally, 140 000 foot soldiers were requisitioned and converged in the sector. This preparation phase was delicate. It was indeed necessary to avoid attracting the attention of the French and keep the attack secret. The Germans therefore imposed their presence in the skies in order to avoid the French reconnaissance aircrafts. The only thing not considered by the German command was the weather. A storm delayed the attack by nine days. During this time, they needed to maintain secrecy, stay hidden and hope that no deserter would warn the opponent.

However, these measures did not remain unknown to the French. Indeed, the intelligence services noticed the bustle around the city and warned that an attack was possible. But nobody believed this. However, these warnings were corroborated by French soldiers at Verdun who could hear the preparations being made every day on the other side of the front. Taking precautions, General Joseph Joffre still sent two divisions, but the soldiers were ill-prepared and did not envisage the hell they were about to face. On 20 February, an Alsatian deserter warned the French that the attack was scheduled for the next day, but he was not taken seriously. It took a few days for General Joseph Joffre to become aware that the Battle of Verdun would be decisive.

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