Falkenhayn began mobilizing troops at least seven weeks ago. The Germans laid five railways in their controlled areas, used 13,000 wagons, 2.5 million artillery shells and 300,000 soldiers, as well as the necessary equipment for the soldiers.
Overwintering supplies were sent to the Verdun front line.
In order to better organize the attack, the Germans also mobilized construction machinery including excavators. About 150 aircraft participated in the Battle of Verdun. This was an unprecedented scale. In previous battles, aircraft had never been used on the battlefield.
main character.
In the recent year of 1914, both sides in the war suffered heavy casualties. The Russian Empire has lost 4 million people so far. In Gorlice and Tarnów alone, 150,000 people were killed, 680,000 were injured, and 900,000 were killed.
captured.
The British and French allied forces also suffered heavy casualties. In the last two months of 1914, 335,000 French soldiers were killed in Champagne and Artois alone, and countless more were missing. Since the outbreak of the world war, the total number of French casualties has reached 200.
Ten thousand.
British casualties are slightly smaller, but since the outbreak of the World War, there have been more than one million casualties, including nearly 400,000 killed in action, most of them from the Southern African Expeditionary Force.
At the beginning of 1915, the German army had a total of 120 divisions on the Western Front, and the British and French allied forces had 91 divisions on the front line, but there were also 90 reserve divisions. At this time, Paris and London had no secrets for Berlin, and Berlin had no secrets for Paris and London.
There is also no secret. Falkenhayn knew this situation. Considering that Germany's war potential was far inferior to that of the British and French coalition forces with huge colonial support, Falkenhayn decided to strike first and let France continue to bleed until the French could no longer bear to withdraw.
war.
After experiencing the brutal battles of Champagne and Artois, Joffre and Haig were not intimidated by the huge casualty figures. They were planning a new offensive just after the battle. At the starting point of the battle, Joffre and Haig
There was a dispute in Belgium. Joffre preferred to break through the German defense lines on the Somme River north of Paris. Haig still focused on Belgium, which was closer to the English Channel, trying to seize the Belgian coastal port city of great strategic value.
Falkenhayn knew that the British and French forces would launch a series of attacks in 1915, but he did not know where the British and French forces would choose as a breakthrough.
In December last year, in order to plan a new offensive, Joffre transferred the troops stationed in Verdun to other areas. Verdun's defense gradually became empty, so Falkenhayn chose Verdun as the breakthrough point for the entire front.
Verdun was a protruding part of the entire defense line of the British and French forces. It was a small town located among many fortresses. Many important battles had taken place in history, and now it has become the focus of everyone's attention.
It was cold and humid in France around New Year. A week of continuous rain made the roads muddy. The German troops hid in well-equipped bunkers. Each bunker could station 500 German officers and soldiers.
The British and French allied forces were hiding in the woods. The defense facilities on the front line of Verdun were not perfect. The previous military commander believed that the defense force in the Verdun area was weak and needed to be strengthened. However, he did not wait for reinforcements. Instead, he waited for Xia Xia.
According to Fei's transfer order, the old General Haier is now responsible for the defense of Verdun. General Haier also noticed this problem and reported to Joffre and War Minister Galieni respectively. This was hated by Joffre, but General Haier
With Gallieni's support, Joffre was unable to dismiss General Haier this time, but General Haier also did not get the support he wanted.
After the New Year, there were three consecutive sunny days. The muddy land began to harden and the cold environment improved. On January 5, the German army mobilized 1,200 artillery pieces and launched a fierce attack on the starting position on a 40-kilometer-wide front.
Including the 30 heavy artillery pieces that captured the Liege Fortress in Belgium at the beginning of the World War.
Within eight hours, the German army fired about 100,000 artillery shells. The French army dispatched reconnaissance planes, but they could not find the German artillery positions because there was thick smoke and soaring fire everywhere behind the German defense lines. The density of artillery was surprising.
German bombers also participated in the bombing of Verdun. The French made a big mistake. They did not pay enough attention to aircraft before the war and did not have enough pilots. The French did not have the same spirit of sacrifice as the Germans. They wanted to form a strong force.
The flying force takes time.
The German shelling was so intense that the German commanders believed that no one in the French positions could survive.
However, the German commander was still very cautious. After the bombardment stopped, he did not immediately invest ground troops. Instead, he waited for the French army to enter the position and conducted shelling for two hours before committing ground combat troops.
The German ground troops began to attack. The troops participating in the first wave of the offensive included three armies and nine divisions, all from the Fifth Army led by Crown Prince William. The main task of these troops was to find the remaining French troops on the French positions and then call for firepower.
Strike, attacking troops used flamethrowers, used flamethrowers to clear trenches,
The battle was very fierce. The French army experienced a brutal battle in 1914, but they did not lose their courage. The French troops who held their positions relied on the dilapidated fortifications to shoot at the German troops, suffering heavy casualties and still fighting to the death.
However, the Verdun garrison was weak. Before the Battle of Verdun, General Hale had only two divisions left in his hands. Later on the day of the Battle of Verdun, two new infantry divisions arrived at Verdun.
, the four divisions still could not stop the German army's advance. On the first day of the battle, the German army captured the first line of defense of the French army.
After learning the news of the German army's all-out attack, the theme of the joint meeting immediately became whether to cooperate with the French army and launch an attack in the direction of Belgium to reduce the pressure on the French army in Verdun.
Haig insisted on attacking, but his purpose was not to relieve the pressure on the French troops, but to regain the honor of losing ground.
Everyone else was opposed to the attack, and Rock's attitude was particularly fierce.
"Why attack? During the third battle of Artois, we were still fighting the Germans in Mons, but Joffre secretly stopped the attack on Artois. This was already a betrayal of the alliance. Now the Germans have chosen the French army.
Attack the defense line where the troops are stationed, not the defense line where our expeditionary force is stationed. If the Germans choose us, will the French launch an attack to contain the Germans?" Roque firmly believes that an eye for an eye is an eye for an eye. The French were wrong first, and also
Don't blame the British Expeditionary Force for being unkind.
"Then we just sit back and wait for the opportunity to slip away? Now that the Germans are focusing all their energy on Verdun, it is a good opportunity for us." Haig was also resolute. He was dazzled by Rock's conquest of the Ottoman Empire.
, eager to perform and make some achievements, proving that he is more suitable for the position of commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force than Roark.
"How can you guarantee that Germany's power in Belgium is empty? Do you think Falkenhayn was not prepared at all for our possible containment when he organized the attack? I can guarantee that as long as our British Expeditionary Force launches an attack now, we will definitely
They will be attacked head-on by the Germans." Roque refused to give in. In the past, the attacking force was not the Southern African Expeditionary Force anyway. Roque didn't care who he loved.
It's different now. Now Roark is a strong competitor for the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force. As long as Haig makes a mistake, Roark is very likely to replace him.
If you think about it this way, it seems that you should support Haig's attack, so that when Haig's head is bleeding, Roark can jump out to clean up the mess.
"How many troops do we have on the front line that can be used for attack? How many artillery shells are stored? If there is strong resistance from the Germans, how can you defeat the Germans? Or if the Germans launch a counterattack, can you withstand it?
"Kitchener asked a series of questions, and it was obvious that Haig was unprepared for these questions and was stunned and unable to answer a single sentence.
Even Arthur Balfour and John Jellicoe were frowning at this time. As the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, Haig would be outrageous if he didn't even know how many troops were available on the front line for attack.
"We have 1.5 million rounds of artillery shells in Dover, which were originally going to be sent to the Asia Minor Peninsula. If there is demand on the Western Front, they can be shipped now." Winston clearly understood this joint. Since Haig attacked
If your desire is so strong, then work hard to create conditions for Haig.
After the surrender of the Ottoman Empire, the consumption of the Asia Minor Peninsula immediately decreased. These artillery shells were no longer necessary, but they were very needed on the Western Front.
"If there are 1.5 million rounds of artillery shells, then I am confident of defeating the Germans." Haig issued a military order. Since the outbreak of the World War, at least half of the casualties on both sides of the war were caused by artillery. He is truly worthy of being the king of war.
"Your confidence is groundless!" Rock and Winston sang in unison, forcing Haig into a corner.
"That's nonsense. You are not the only one who can lead the expedition to victory. I will use victory to prove that I am worthy of any level of trust." Haig was fooled again. There is something wrong with this guy's brain and he can't control himself even if he is slightly stimulated.
mood.
At the end of the meeting, Kitchener and William Robertson still trusted Haig and gave Haig the authority to take the initiative to attack.
It doesn't matter to Rock. Whether Haig can win or not will not affect Rock's honor.
Rock's demonstration of putting British interests first won the trust of almost everyone.
George V soon learned what happened during the meeting. Although George V did not express his position, Roark knew that if Haig performed poorly this time, Haig would soon be in trouble.
On January 12, Roque returned to Cyprus. By this time, the French troops had stabilized the defense line after paying heavy casualties. The German Fifth Army had advanced the front five kilometers. The commander of Verdun was now Champagne.
Pétain, the French commander during the battle, in order to motivate the French troops to fight, Pétain promised the French troops that they would not let the French troops participate in such cruel battles in the future.
This promise indeed inspired the troops, but it also brought serious hidden dangers. Free France is no joke, and promises cannot be given casually.
(Here I am, the update will be delivered on time at seven o'clock. Isn't such a diligent fish head worthy of a reward——)