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Beginning of the Battle
The Battle of Verdun begins in February of 1916. The battle starts with German bombardment and infantry assault. The German chief of general staff said he wanted to make "bleed white blood." So he started a battle. -
The Days of the Battle
The following days of the battle up until March, consisted of Germany advancing their lead and pushing back the 51st division of Bois de Fosses and capturing Ornes village. Brabant was also captured, and on the 25th, Fort Douaumont is taken over by Germany as well. Germany, at this point, has been dominating the battle, and continue to throughout the fight. -
The Battle Days in March
The fight continues at Verdun. German has attacked the west bank of Meuse. Capturing Forges, Regneville, and more, while Homme remains in the hands of the French. -
German Advances in April
The German army makes the decision to go on the offensive and attack on both flanks of the Meuse. The Germans make it through the west at Le Mort-Homme, in which they will later attack, but they make little advance in the east. -
The Grinding Mill
There is little change in May. Germany makes repeated attacks on Le Mort - Homme. France also has counter-attacks against Fort Douaumont, but the attack fails. -
Time From June to July
Fort Vaux is surrounded by Germans, and the French are forced to surrender that location. A major German attack in the Thiaumont-Fleury-Souville gives Germans even more gains than before. In July, French Somme offensive moves north, drawing Germany away from Verdun. Also, the last major German offensive of Operation Gericht fails to take Souville. -
Period of Recovery
In August, Falkenhayn resigns, and is replaced by Paul Von Hindenburg in the German forces. -
The Battle Continues
Paul Von Hindenburg orders that all offensive operations cease at Verdun. -
What Happened in October?
French artillery begins a major predatory bombardment on the German lines in Verdun. French offensives kicks in and they make huge advancements. They make an advancement of 1.8 miles on the first day, and they recapture Fort Douaumont. -
The French Expands
During November, the French make many major advances and takes back Fort Vaux. -
December Days
In December, the French offensive pushes Germany back to almost the spot they began in February of 1916, in Bois de Chaume. The Germans have lost most of their gains in the battle of Verdun by now. -
Beyond the Battle
This is not the end of the Battle of Verdun. There were still two more long years at Verdun, but from January-August 1917, it was mostly quiet. Then in late August, the French make major advances and reclaim many of the land that was in the hands of Germany from February 1916. -
The Final Act
The final act came in August, with the help of the U.S. Army, the final battle days came down to the very end. By the end of November, Verdun could finally have peace and begin restoration. -
Affect On All Sides
All sides of the battle surrendered greatly with the amount of lives lost. Men were cut in two flame throwers were used at times, the dead were everywhere you looked. In total, there were over 300,000 lives lost. There were so many casualties and fighting. In the end, it came down to peace in the Battle of Verdun.
