LONGEST Battle of WW1: Verdun | Animated History

the air over Verdon hangs heavily with the stench of War Germany undeterred by antant offensives in 1916 aims to bleed France white the French stealed in resolve stand ready to defend every inch of the River Muse with each explosion that rips through the sky with each life snuffed out in the cold mud their tenuous grip on Hope tightens German forces press in from three sides and the men at Verdon prepare for a harrowing Saga of Valor and horror amidst the Grim realities of War situated about 250 km Northeast of Paris Verdon has always held a revered place in French history and sentiment its grounds have repeatedly bore witness to historic events such as the Treaty of verun that marked the division of the Frankish Empire its endurance during the Franco Prussian war against Prussian besiegers and its resilience against German encirclement during the first battle of the marn in 1914 at the core of verdun's Defense lay the Fortified region of Verdon or rfv an intricate network of fortresses encircling the town this network boasted over 20 major forts flanked by numerous smaller fortifications all constructed between 1870 and 1913 among these forts damal V and suil were the most formidable with damal being the largest and newest having been completed just 3 years prior to the battle these forts were marvels of military engineering their steel and concrete foundations buried under layers of Earth offering both camouflage and a degree of protection against artillery shelling as 1915 gave way to 1916 the front lines had wrapped around for done from three sides choking off all but one Supply Route 50 km to the Southwest this Lifeline christened the sacred way became the conduit for hundreds of thousands of soldiers and a torrent of ammunition offering a flicker of respit to The baguer Defenders Verdun held immense strategic importance for both France and Germany for the French it was a symbol of national determination its fortifications guarding the pathway to Paris for the Germans capturing Verdan would not only demoralize the French army but also potentially Force France to seek an Armistice moreover its seizure would provide a tactical Advantage offering a stronghold on the Western Front the first world war was one of the most destructive conflicts in human history upending the social order and leaving millions of people dead wounded and displaced from their homes one of the most interesting stories from the aftermath of the war is that of the czechoslovak Legion thanks to the sponsor of today's video last train home by THQ Nordic you can relive this unit's remarkable Journey from the horrors of the Eastern front through the brutal Civil War ravaged Countryside of Russia as they attempt to make their way back to their newly independent Homeland via the long and dangerous Trans Siberian Railway last train home is an RTS game that combines the realtime tactical combat experience of Company of Heroes with the resource management and strategic decision-making of a game like frost Punk deploy your squad complete diverse objectives in a series of real-time missions while you level up your men and discover their individual stories by unlocking new skills Gathering better equipment assigning medals and helping them rise through the ranks direct your men in their non-combat roles on board the train and unlock its full potential by upgrading the carriages and locomotive and oversee important maintenance work to keep it running choose your tactics wisely and use every skill to safeguard the lives of your soldiers and complete your mission support our Channel today by clicking our Link in the description below download last train home and experience firsthand the compelling Narrative of the czechoslovak legions Valiant fight on behalf of the anant powers during the first world war and their long journey home overall the onset of 1916 seemed to Herald a tide of optimism for the Central Powers in the East their forces had carved deep into Russian territory during the garit tarnoff offensive to the West Germany held its ground against the anant in Belgium and the Champagne region of France the anons failed offensive near Verdon in the previous Autumn further booed German morale meanwhile their alliance with Bulgaria had tightened The Noose around Serbia and although Italy had joined the anant their efforts were mired in the isanzo valley offering little more than a distraction despite for Dunn's strategic and symbolic significance trouble was on the way a lack of appreciation by French leadership especially Chief of Staff Joseph jafra meant that the rfv was undermanned and underere equipped in 1915 verdun's fortifications had already seen a reduction of over 237 guns and a substantial amount of ammunition leaving only its heavy turret guns despite the onset of trench constructions progress slowed due to Resource diversion to the Second Battle of champagne by February 1916 Fort damal the largest in the region was scarcely armed and was used mainly as a barracks in general joff's eyes the forts of Verdun were outdated and not likely to stand up to the Firepower of German artillery instead he wanted to allocate Manpower and material on more easily defensible positions across other theaters of the Western Front it wasn't until political pressure mounted that jafra ordered reinforcements to done on January 23rd the architect of the German assault was their chief of general staff Eric Von falkenhein who was driven by a complicated mix of motivations despite these Central Powers advancing well on the warfront fenine found himself ens snared in a Labyrinth of political and economic dilemmas the protracted nature of the war weighed heavily on his mind and drove home a conviction that sustained Conflict for another two 2 years would leave Germany in a bleak position Falcon hine's political standing was precarious the war had yet to Bear the fruit of a major victory under his command something that his rivals in the German Court were keenly aware of one of these Rivals was Paul Von Hindenburg the celebrated commander of the eth army whose victory at tannenburg cast a long Shadow over Falcon hein's accolades while victories burgeoned in the East Falcon Hine deemed them Hollow in the grand scheme of ending the war victoriously he viewed Russia's vast expanses and indominable spirit as impenetrable to military conquest a sentiment echoed in his phrase the East gives nothing back to fenine it was Britain that was Germany's formidable adversary yet a direct confrontation was deemed feudal given Britain's Naval prowess geographical insulation and robust resupply channels falkenheim believed that sever ing the angl French Alliance could disillusion Britain and expedite the end of the war he surmised that a crushing blow to France at Verdun could be the Catalyst for a much needed breakup part of Falcon hine's attempts to reinforce his political power came in the appointment of Crown Prince vilhelm as the commander of the Fifth Army at Verdun while a novice in military command the 34-year-old vilhelm often seated decision making to his chief of staff under directives from his Royal father Falcon Hine hoped that this Dynamic would help intertwine Royal Prestige with military strategy further advancing his own position within the high seats of Imperial power the German attack was initially slated for February 12th 1916 but inclement weather delayed the offensive another 9 days when February 21st finally came the skies above ver D roared with German artillery over a million shells rained down in a Relentless 10-hour bombardment on French positions in the ensuing 3 days the Germans alternated between artillery showers and probing assaults on Villages north of the rfv methodically edging along the right Bank of the Muse the major push commenced on February 24th slicing through French defenses with alarming ease a grave oversight had left Fort duel Mal thinly manned its capture on the 25th by German forces was a bloodless Victory the night of February 26th saw Philipe pitan the stoic commander of the French second Army bestowed with the command of verdun's defenses it was a charge he accepted with Steely resolve keenly aware of the looming threat he orchestrated a reg garrisoning of the rf's remaining forts bolstering them with additional troops and essential supplies this strategic move was vital in Shoring up the defensive lines ensuring they were braced for any assaults by German forces while the German offensive on the right Bank was Swift and decisive the Left Bank posed a greater problem the difficult terrain of the Left Bank made the advances challenging and its lesser strategic value made every casualy feel more than hardfought in early March German forces managed to seize two villages in the Left Bank their focus then shifted to the elevated grounds on the Left Bank notably the formidable coat 304 and Lam or Dead Man's Hill within the leafy cover of baduas French heavy artillery took position their sight set on thwarting German advances toward coat 304 and the Dead Man's Hill as well as disrupting the German rear lines the toll of the battle began to mount with each passing in day the casualty numbers on both sides climbed steeply by the end of February despite the Grim tally neither the French nor the Germans were any closer to Victory heralding the protracted and bloody struggle that lay ahead the control of these two Hills seesawed between the French and the Germans throughout March and they became the initial staging grounds for a staunch French Resistance the defense orchestrated by General patan had roused Admiral ation among the French ranks however General Joffrey grew increasingly discontented with paton's Resolute focus on defense in a bid to shift the strategy Joffrey aimed to replace baton with a commander who echoed his own aggressive stance yet patan's burgeoning popularity proved a roadblock any abrupt removal risked political Fallout navigating this delicately Joffrey elevated pan to Commander of army group Center positioning Rober NL as the new commander of the second Army a move designed to distance patan from Verdun while appearing politically prudent on May 8th a stroke of Misfortune struck the German forces at Fort dual an accidental Munitions fire triggered a massive explosion claiming hundreds of German lives one speculation is that the blaze was ignited by soldiers attempting to heat coffee using flamethrowers but regardless if this story is true the explosion Rak Havoc plunging the German Garrison into disarray and damaging part of the fort seizing this unexpected opportunity French Commander Nel ordered an assault a meticulous plan was drawn up culminating in an ambitious attack on May 22nd preceding the assault between May 17th and the 21st French artillery Unleashed a barrage of 370 mm and 300 mm shells decimating numerous German defensive positions and Downing several observation balloons on the day of the French assault the 36th Infantry Regiment faced resistance on the Left Flank but the 129th regiment made a gallant Advance breaching the fort and occupying its Western half however their Triumph was fleeting German reinforcements swooped in isolating the 129th regiment and compelling a French retreat but The Saga of resilience continued at Fort V beginning June 2nd the fort endured a Relentless German Siege its Garrison dwindling in supplies and Men clung to survival major Silvan Eugen renal the fort's commander resorted to carrier pigeons for communication on June 4th amidst a dire Supply shortage he dispatched his last pigeon with a plea for resupply the bird albe it affected by poison gas valiantly delivered the message to Verdon Citadel earning the Legion of the honor and the moniker the brave relief arrived on June 5th yet the situation at Fort V remained Grim by June 7th with merely 12 gallons of drinkable water left for 600 men major renau had no choice but to surrender in a rare gesture of chivalry amidst The Savage conflict Crown Prince vilhelm honored Rena with a gifted sword despite V's capture a distant glimmer of Hope sparked on June 4th with the commencement of the Bruff offensive which eased the pressure on the Western Front though the resit was temporary on June 23rd German forces Unleashed a ferocious assault seizing ground before advancing toward Fort suil amidst the chaos roer Nel implored his troops with a resounding cry you will not let them pass my comrades a phrase that would later morph into the iconic battlecry they shall not pass the Relentless Onslaught at ferdan was momentarily eased as July ushered in the battle of the S requiring the redeployment of troops along different front lines by the end of August Romania's declaration of war against these Central Powers opened up a new front intensifying the already complex European conflict this was followed by a significant military reshuffle on August 29th when Falcon Hine weighed Down By The Quagmire at ferun was replaced by Paul Von Hindenberg as the chief of the German general staff Hindenburg with a fresh perspective shifted Focus to other theaters of War as he recognized the diminishing returns of the Verdun campaign he promptly ordered a halt to all offensive operations in the rfv marking a tactical re-evaluation hindenburg's strategic pivot aimed to better Al locate Germany's military resources seeking more favorable battlefields to change the war's trajectory which had been largely stagnant and draining meanwhile the French remained poised to reclaim the territory lost under Falcon Hines leadership in late October a determined French assault began with more than 700 guns pounding Fort damal into submission within a week thousands of shells had rained down rendering the fort's defenses nearly derelict Nel's creeping barrage tactics where artillery fire barely precedes a steady infantry Advance ensured the German defenses stood no chance by the time French troops stormed the fort on the 24th the Germans were already staging an evacuation leaving only a skeleton Force who yearned for reinforcements that would never arrive by the end of that day the French had captured over 6,000 prisoners and 15 artillery pieces the tale was not different at Fort V following devastating bombardments by French artillery the Germans were forced to evacuate after a French shell caused a huge explosion the French reasserted control over the fort shortly after allowing for a moment of symbolic recuperation among the long-drawn Bloodshed on December 14th leadership within the French army shifted from jafra to Nel marking a new phase this change came just before the second off ensive at fun orchestrated by generals patan Nel and commanded by General charl M on the morning of December 15th the calm was broken by the Roar of guns signaling the French Advance the preceding 6-day bombardment involving 827 guns and a total of 1,1 169,000 shells had turned the battlefield into a pockmarked crater artillery observation aircraft directed the final bombardment onto two German positions preparing the ground for infantry assault at 10:00 a.m. the French infantry moved forward shielded by a double creeping barrage of shrapnel and high explosive fire The Barrage was designed to keep German Defenders at Bay while French troops Advanced the attack was effective German defensive lines collapsed with many soldiers captured as the French infantry closed in accounting for over 13,500 German losses from the front divisions despite bad weather the the French troops reclaimed key positions lost earlier in February the rapid pace of their Advance left German Reserve units scrambling to respond by the night of the 16th and 17th new French lines were established extending Beyond damal and north of Fort Vu though nearly unrecognizable with damage French positions had been reclaimed once again the French not only recaptured key areas but also pushed the closest German position over 7 km back from Verdon claiming vital observation points the battle resulted in over 11,000 German prisoners and 115 guns captured boosting the morale of the French forces as they pressed further east as French troops continued their Advance through Villages north of the RF around December 18th the terrifying Siege of run began to lift the fields once filled with these sounds of gunfire and explosions started regaining a semblance of Peace the war tallies at Verdun were harrowing with over 350,000 casualties on both sides of which around 150,000 on both sides also perished although Verdun did not witness the gravest loss its sheer length marked it as the longest battle in the war going from February 21st to December 18th nearly 10 months in total we just released a new exclusive video on the brutal Meli Massacre over on armchair history TV we've also done other exclusives like operation Valkyrie or the malody massacre new armchair 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Channel: The Armchair Historian

Views: 593,092

Keywords: military history, war, battle, the second world war, historical

Id: EQaDgQrogKQ

Length: 20min 29sec (1229 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 27 2024