by Anna, Jeremy, Sharell, Katie, and Min Sol

Cause The Germans wanted Paris. They needed to gain the Verdun land first. Germans knew that they had a larger fighting force than the French and that the French would not surrender until every soldier was wounded or dead. Germans attacked the French. The aim was to eliminate the French troops.

Effect Germans did eliminate many of the French but they lost almost as many men, thus defeating their purpose. Germans lost approximately 434,000 men. French lost approximately 550,000 men.

Significance Was One of the greatest and largest battles ever fought. Was the first battle to have so many soldiers in combat on one small piece of land. Led to about 700,000 casualties (more than had been lost in any one battle before). It is significant to us because it showed that you can not always win with sheer numbers.

Evidence "The string in France has reached breaking point. A mass break-through - which in any case is beyond our means - is unnecessary. Within our reach 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." -Falkenhayn to Kaiser William II This is a direct quote from the German leader telling of the Germans’ plan of attrition warfare.

This is a map of Verdun where the battle occurred.

A French eye-witness: “...my battalion comes straight from the land behind the front-lines, the men are exhausted and did not sleep. The battalion consists of 800 men - the battalion that we are here to replace lost 800 men...“ This person saw what went on in the Battle of Verdun.

These are some of the troops trying to advance under fire. This is a trench from the battle.

A German eye- witness :...”We all carried the smell of dead bodies with us. The bread we ate, the stagnant water we drank. Everything we touched smelled of decomposition due to the fact that the earth surrounding us was packed with dead bodies....” This is the view from the other side of the battle. Soldiers attacking from the front of the line.

Summary OF The Battle Started February 21, 1916 Germany wanted to weaken the French troops so they could eventually gain Paris. Germany bombs Verdun starting the war. The head of the French army, Henry-Philippe Petain, came up with the strategy of injuring as many German soldiers as possible, no matter what the cost. Some of the German soldiers had to leave Verdun to fight in the battle of Somme. This allowed the French to gain more power.

The head of the Germans, Falkenhayn, was removed from his position because the Germans were not doing well in the battle. The French gained control of the fort. The war ended December 19, 1916 The German plan failed as they lost almost as many men as the French.

Questions According to our research, there was no distinct “winner” of this battle. Who do you think was the most victorious in the end? Why? Do you think this battle accomplished any thing or was it just a waste of time and soldier’s lives?

Sources battle_of_verdun battle_of_verdun acenturyofnovember.com/html/gallery/battles.htm World book 2001 volume 20