by
Anna, Jeremy, Sharell, Katie, and Min Sol
Cause
 The Germans wanted Paris.
 They needed to gain the Verdun land first.
 Germans knew that they had a larger
fighting force than the French and that the
French would not surrender until every
soldier was wounded or dead.
 Germans attacked the French.
 The aim was to eliminate the French
troops.
Effect
 Germans did eliminate many of the
French but they lost almost as many
men, thus defeating their purpose.
 Germans lost approximately
434,000 men.
 French lost approximately 550,000
men.
Significance
 Was One of the greatest and
largest battles ever fought.
 Was the first battle to have so
many soldiers in combat on one
small piece of land.
 Led to about 700,000 casualties
(more than had been lost in any
one battle before).
 It is significant to us because it
showed that you can not always
win with sheer numbers.
Evidence
 "The string in France has reached breaking point.
A mass break-through - which in any case is
beyond our means - is unnecessary. Within our
reach there are objectives for the retention of
which the French General Staff would be
compelled to throw in every man they have. If
they do so the forces of France will bleed to
death."
-Falkenhayn to Kaiser William II
This is a direct quote from the German leader
telling of the Germans’ plan of attrition warfare.
 This is a map of Verdun where the battle occurred.
A French eye-witness: “...my battalion
comes straight from the land behind
the front-lines, the men are exhausted
and did not sleep. The battalion
consists of 800 men - the battalion that
we are here to replace lost 800 men...“
This person saw what went on in the
Battle of Verdun.
These are some of the
troops trying to advance
under fire.
This is a trench from the
battle.
 A German eye-
witness: ...”We all
carried the smell of
dead bodies with
us. The bread we
ate, the stagnant
water we drank.
Everything we
touched smelled of
decomposition due
to the fact that the
earth surrounding
us was packed with
dead bodies....”
This is the view
from the other side
of the battle.
Soldiers attacking from the
front of the line.
Summary OF The Battle
 Started February 21, 1916
 Germany wanted to weaken the French troops so they
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could eventually gain Paris.
Germany bombs Verdun starting the war.
The head of the French army, Henry-Philippe Petain, came
up with the strategy of injuring as many German soldiers
as possible, no matter what the cost.
Some of the German soldiers had to leave Verdun to fight
in the battle of Somme.
This allowed the French to gain more power.
 The head of the Germans, Falkenhayn, was removed
from his position because the Germans were not
doing well in the battle.
 The French gained control of the fort.
 The war ended December 19, 1916
 The German plan failed as they lost almost as many
men as the French.
Questions
 According to our research, there was no distinct
“winner” of this battle. Who do you think was the
most victorious in the end? Why?
 Do you think this battle accomplished any thing
or was it just a waste of time and soldier’s lives?
Sources
 http://www.freeinfosociety.com/media/images/3641.png
 http://www.historylearningsite.ca.uk/battleofverdun.htm
 http://wiki.answers.com/q/what_were_the_causes_of_the
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battle_of_verdun
http://www.freeinfosociety.com/media/images/3642.jpg
www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/.../index.htm
acenturyofnovember.com/html/gallery/battles.htm
World book 2001 volume 20