Rebmann

The Battle of Verdun took place in France and was the longest single battle to transpire in World War I. It was also known to the world as the deadliest battle of World War I. The battle commenced on February 21, 1916 and lasted until December 18, 1916. Since the beginning of the battle, the armies suffered substantial losses. The tragic loss of many men also classified this battle as the bloodiest of World War I. Although both sides endured harsh fatalities, the strategies and technology of the French were remarkable in their victory over the German Army in the Battle of Verdun.

A leading cause of this battle was the attack on Fort Douaumont. The French had a plan to reclaim their fort that was taken by the German Army. About 500,000 men were positioned into two forts, Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux. The Germans did not have the advance in the war as they anticipated. Both armies believed that they were skilled enough to win this battle, but the French would soon take over and recover the territory that they had lost. On October 24, 1916, the French repossessed Fort Douaumont. Erich von Falkenhayn was not happy with the retrieval of the land because of the rank of the French Army at this point in the war.

Falkenhayn took part in the starting of the Battle of Verdun. He sent a letter to Kaiser Wilhelm II stating that the answer to victory was not in Russia. Falkenhayn came up with a plan to attack France. By attacking France, it could benefit his army by possibly moving up in status. He intended to continuously attack the men on the opposite side to wear them down. This plan was used because Falkenhayn wanted the French to give up. Though Erich believed this would work, the rank of the French still remained higher than the r...

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... defeat the German Army, the French had to create strategies on how they were going to accomplish a victory over the German Army. World War I also brought new technology that would assist the men involved in the battle. A variety of new weapons were introduced to the French and German armies during the Battle of Verdun. One of the newest weapons was Diphosgene gas. Diphosgene was used to harm a large amount of people at once. It is a poisonous gas first introduced in World War I because of the effects. Henri Philippe-Petain possessed a huge quantity of supplies. Being prepared for the war was vital to the troops. They had to be aware of their surroundings while in combat and always have weapons handy because of the fear of a surprise attack. In addition, the strategies and new technology used by French were significant in the victory over the Germans in world war I.