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Anniversary of the beginning of the battle Verdun

Article about: In this time it was the trommelfeuer. 100 years agon....

  1. #1

    Default Anniversary of the beginning of the battle Verdun

    In this time it was the trommelfeuer. 100 years agon....
    The best Militaria forum in France is here : http://deutsch-militaria.forumactif.us/

  2. #2

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    Salute to your brave comrades.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Anniversary of the beginning of the battle Verdun   Anniversary of the beginning of the battle Verdun  

    Regards,

    Jerry

    Whatever its just an opinion.

  3. #3

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    60.000.000 shells during the battle.
    The best Militaria forum in France is here : http://deutsch-militaria.forumactif.us/

  4. #4

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    My only reminder of my visit to the battlefields with my regiment back in 1971 and 1972 is this small booklet which contains 12 images, some of which I have reproduced. One of the finest books ever written about the battle is: 'The Price Of Glory: Verdun 1916' by Alistair Horne. French troops which were initially earmarked for the forthcoming battle of the Somme were instead used at Verdun, and as a consequence the British played a much larger part on the Somme than was initially intended. My new book touches on the fighting at Verdun in several places, part of which appears below.


    Anniversary of the beginning of the battle VerdunAnniversary of the beginning of the battle Verdun

    'The French considered that the chances of an attack in this area were so remote that they even started to remove many of the guns from the various forts which dotted the area for use in the forthcoming offensive planned for the Somme in July. But for the past few weeks there had been a feeling of unease, and the French rather hurriedly started strengthening their defences and brought in extra troops.

    'At 7:15 a. m., on the morning of February 21st, the hounds of hell were unleashed on the fortress of Verdun when the Germans opened up with a nine-hour artillery barrage on the French positions around the city. Much of the shelling from the smaller calibre weapons was put down on the east bank of the Meuse river, while the larger calibre siege guns and howitzers turned their attention to the forts and the city itself. It was later estimated that over one million rounds were fired in the bombardment which could be heard almost 100 miles away. The ensuing battle would become the longest, and probably the bloodiest of WW1. Erich von Falkenhayn, the German commander of the Fifth Army, would later claim that his intention was to bleed the French army dry. He correctly predicted that for the French, the battle would become a matter of honour; and one that they could never contemplate losing.'

  5. #5

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    I always thought the term was " bleed the French white " .......

  6. #6

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    During the battle 3 villages disapeared, but they have allways mayors....
    Because every year bodies are found in the ground, so they must contact Gendarmerie to find families....
    The best Militaria forum in France is here : http://deutsch-militaria.forumactif.us/

  7. #7

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    I find one of the most interesting aspects of the Battle of Verdun is how it helped to change French Army doctrine. Part of the reason that the forts were so lightly defended in 1916 was an attempt to avoid a repeat of the bottling up and defeat of the Army at Sedan by the Prussians in 1870 coupled with French reliance on the offensive and the psychological will to overcome the enemy. However when it was shown in 1916 that the forts could be held against heavy artillery bombardment and repeated assault they then placed a reliance on them for the next war, hence the Maginot line.

  8. #8

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    What a tribute to the pure, and murderous, insanity of mankind...

    Lebus, was it a typo, or did you mean 60 million shells?

  9. #9

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    Quote by HistoryMan View Post
    I always thought the term was " bleed the French white " .......
    Depending on where you get your information from depends largely on which quote you use. There are references to Falkenhayn's quote being either 'bleed the French white' or 'bleed the French dry.' In his memorandum, he actually said...

    'Within our reach behind the French sector of the Western front there are objectives for the retention of which the French General Staff would be compelled to throw in every man they have. If they do so THE FORCES OF FRANCE WILL BLEED TO DEATH.'

    So there you go... bleed white, bleed dry, bleed to death. Whichever phrase you choose to use it is obvious what Falkenhayn's true objective was, the destruction of the French army.

  10. #10

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    Not a typo : 300 days and 60.000.000 shells.
    Every year, 20 tons of shells are found(5% chimical)


    On all France, 800 tons every year...
    The best Militaria forum in France is here : http://deutsch-militaria.forumactif.us/

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