![]() The western portion of this conflict took place mostly in Belgium and France, and started as a war of “grand maneuvers” as had been theorized before the fighting began.īut when more troops were poured into an increasingly cramped area, there came a time when the antagonists could no longer maneuver against each other in any operational sense. This new great war, called World War One, began as a local disturbance in Southern Europe but eventually spread into a worldwide struggle which produced two of the greatest bloodlettings in history the battles of the Somme and Verdun. ![]() Within weeks however, the excitement and glory gave way to horror and anonymous death, brought on by dangerous new machines of war which took control of the old fields of honor and turned them into desolate moonscapes littered with corpses and wreckage. In the eyes of many men, pride and honor glowed in competition with the excitement of a wonderful adventure and the knowledge of righting some perceived infringement on the interests of their respective nation. Late during the summer of 1914, train stations all over Europe echoed with the sound of leather boots and the clattering of weapons as millions of enthusiastic young soldiers mobilized for the most glorious conflict since the Napoleonic Wars. Allies and Central Powers literally dug in, excavating thousands of miles of defensive trenches, and trying desperately to break through the other side for years, at unspeakably huge cost in blood and treasure. When German forces met stiff resistance in northern France in 1914, a “race to the sea” developed as France and Germany tried to outflank each other, establishing battle lines that stretched from Switzerland to the North Sea. By December, France had won back nearly all the territory it had lost in February.Looking out across a battlefield from an Anzac pill box near the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders in 1917. It would be another four months before the conflict ceased. Falkenhayn's successors, Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff, upheld the decision to suspend attacks at Verdun, but Germany defended its new positions there. Falkenhayn eventually halted the offensive in July.īut in August, with Germany and Austria-Hungary facing synchronised Allied summer offensives, Falkenhayn tendered his resignation. Some commanders, such as the Kaiser's son, Crown Prince Wilhelm, wanted attacks to cease, while others encouraged Falkenhayn to reapply pressure. Without a clear strategy, there was confusion about how to conduct the offensive.Īs the conflict wore on, division within the top ranks of the German army became apparent. ![]() ![]() General Falkenhayn was notoriously secretive and shared very little with his staff about his strategy or aims for the battle.Īs a result, German commanders had different objectives, ranging from capturing the town of Verdun to destroying the French army. Germany accumulated huge losses and gained little territory, leading it to throw more and more men into the conflict: Verdun soon became a battle of prestige for the Germans, as well as the French. He used many more divisions than planned. The two campaigns together should have brought France and Britain to terms.īut Falkenhayn's plan for an attack that would economise on German resources failed to work out as he had expected. Falkenhayn hoped to combine the Verdun offensive with a U-Boat offensive against British shipping. He planned to use a relatively small number of men to capture the high ground to the north of Verdun and then to inflict enormous casualties on the French using his superior German artillery to halt their counter-attacks. Britain was Germany’s most formidable military foe, but remained out of reach across the Channel. Britain via Verdunįalkenhayn was convinced by 1916 that the war could only be won on the Western Front. He hoped that France would “throw in every man they have” to defend it, draining its army of resources. General Erich von Falkenhayn, the Chief of the General Staff and Germany’s principal strategist, targeted the French town of Verdun because of its position on the Allied line and its sentimental value to the French people.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |