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Battle of Verdun
February 21 – December 18, 1916· Battle· Europe
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
The longest battle of World War I: Germany attacked the French fortress city of Verdun, and France held it at enormous cost.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
German commander Erich von Falkenhayn attacked a salient, a bulge in the line, around Verdun in northeast France on February 21, 1916. Germany took Fort Douaumont early, but France, under General Philippe Pétain, rotated most of its army through, supplied along a single road, the Voie Sacrée (Sacred Way). By December the lines were almost where they had started. Estimates run to about 700,000 casualties, including roughly 300,000 dead.
Why it matters
For France it became the symbol of national endurance ('They shall not pass'). Its drain on the French army pushed Britain to take the lead at the Somme.
How we know
French and German army records, the Douaumont ossuary holding the bones of about 130,000 unidentified soldiers, and a landscape still cratered and partly closed off by unexploded shells.
Still debated
Falkenhayn later claimed he aimed to 'bleed France white'. The memo he cited has never been found, and many historians think he invented the aim after the fact.
Connections (4)
▸Battle of Verdun hastened the start of Battle of the SommeWell documented
The connection
The Allies had agreed in December 1915 on joint offensives for 1916, and Joffre and Haig chose the Somme. Verdun drained French divisions, so Britain took the main role, and France pressed for an earlier start, July 1 rather than August, to draw German forces away from Verdun. Germany did shift guns and men to the Somme, easing the pressure.
When and how
Agreed in principle at the Chantilly conference in December 1915; Joffre and Haig fixed on the Somme in early 1916; launched July 1, 1916, while Verdun was still raging.
How we know
Joffre's and Haig's letters and diaries record the French demand for an early start and the shrinking French share of the attack.
Debates and open questions
How much the Somme actually relieved Verdun is debated; Germany had already halted major attacks there by mid-July.
▸Battle of Verdun epitomized Trench warfareWell documented
The connection
Verdun showed trench war at its worst: ten months of bombardment with tens of millions of shells, advances measured in hundreds of meters, and forts, villages and ridges changing hands again and again. Nine French villages were wiped out; most were never rebuilt. Neither side broke through.
When and how
Around Verdun, northeast France, February to December 1916, mainly between the German Fifth Army and the French Second Army.
How we know
Shell counts, casualty returns and maps from both armies, plus the cratered ground and the nine 'villages that died for France', still kept as official communes.
Debates and open questions
Whether Verdun was planned as a battle of attrition or was a failed breakthrough attempt remains debated.
▸Field artillery and howitzers fired tens of millions of shells at Battle of VerdunWell documented
The connection
Germany's plan at Verdun was to use artillery to grind down the French army, not mainly to seize ground. About 1,200 German guns opened the attack on February 21, 1916. Over ten months both sides fired tens of millions of shells into a few square miles, and shellfire killed most of the dead.
When and how
Verdun, northeast France, February–December 1916; German General Erich von Falkenhayn against French commanders Philippe Pétain and Robert Nivelle.
How we know
Army records and munitions statistics; the cratered ground, villages destroyed and never rebuilt, and shells still found there today.
Debates and open questions
Totals of shells fired vary widely between sources, and whether Falkenhayn truly planned to 'bleed France white' or claimed so afterward is debated.
▸Fighter aircraft fought the first battle for air control at Battle of VerdunMostly agreed
The connection
Germany opened Verdun in February 1916 by massing aircraft to blind French artillery observers. General Pétain reportedly told Commandant Charles de Tricornot de Rose to 'sweep the sky' for him. De Rose grouped the best French pilots, flying nimble Nieuports, into hunting squadrons. By spring they had regained control of the air, in the first deliberate fight for air superiority.
When and how
Verdun, northeastern France, February–June 1916; French and German air services, including the American volunteer Lafayette Escadrille from May 1916.
How sure are we?
French and German air service records and pilots' accounts; Pétain's quoted order comes from later memoirs.
Debates and open questions
How much air control mattered at Verdun is debated; it helped French artillery, but the battle was decided on the ground.