Wars and ConflictsΒ permalink
Battles of the Western Front Pt. 1Ab
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Message 1.Β
Posted by poolec2008 (U13629120) on Saturday, 11th October 2008
The next battle I'm going to be talking to you all about is the Battle of Verdun, fought on February 21st-December 18th, 1916, as in which your country (Great Britain/"AKA" The United Kingdom) didn't fight at Verdun, but only the French fought Imperial Germany in this Battle.
The Imperial German Army used gas again in another battle of the Western Front I've learned about for about 2 years now. This gas is called Poisonous Phosgene Gas. Verdun Lasted all the way into the winter of 1916. Both the German and French suffered Very, very, very, VERY heavy, and High casualties.
The battle began on 21 February 1916 at 7.15 AM with a ten-hour artillery bombardment firing over 1,000,000 shells (including poison gas) by 1,200 guns, most of them heavies, on a front of 40 kilometres (25 m). the Battle info is:
Commanders:
France:
-Philippe PΓ©tain
-Robert Nivelle
German:
Erich von Falkenhayn
Crown Prince Wilhelm
Strength:
French Strength
-About 30,000 on 21 February 1916
German Strength
About 150,000 on 21 February 1916
Casualties:
French Casualties
-378,000; of whom 163,000 died
German Strength
330,000; of whom 143,000 died
Location: Verdun-sur-Meuse, France
Result: French victory
References:
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Message 2
Posted by Amphion (U3338999) on Monday, 13th October 2008
This was Falkenhayen's attempt to 'Bleed the French white.' The old fort of Verdun had been relegated to the status of minor fortress at the beginning of the war as a result of the French losing faith in the fortress system, however, Verdun maintained a great psychological hold on the minds of the French people.Basically, it was of greater value symbolically that strategically.
The fort system which started at Belfort on the Swiss border, and took in Epinal and Verdun were so arranged as to face that territory lost to the French in Alsace-Lorraine, during the Franco-Prussian war. Indeed, the French plan at the beginning of the war, Plan XVII, relied to a certain extent on the Verdun/Belfort system of forts to protect the French rear. It was because of these forts that Germany adopted the Schleiffen Plan. Of Course, once the French had been decimated in their opening battles on the frontier, then the relevance of the fort system was relegated to a position of minor importance. -
Message 3
Posted by Mark (U2073932) on Monday, 13th October 2008
ah yes...Petain's famous, 'le feu tue,' - firepower kills. Fighting with steel instead of flesh.
Against the German theory of Ermattungstrategie – attritional warfare and Weissbluten – bleeding to death of one's opponent. Think the spelling is okay.
A new kind of warfare - expecting heavy losses in the knowledge that the enemy is losing a lot more. Cold and heartless thinking from the top. -
Message 4
Posted by Amphion (U3338999) on Tuesday, 14th October 2008
'Scheitzengrabenvernichtungsautomobil'
How the German's initially referred to the Tank! -
Message 5
Posted by vera1950 (U9920163) on Tuesday, 14th October 2008
my thats a gob full,no wonder we just stuck to tank.!!!
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Message 6
Posted by stalteriisok (U3212540) on Wednesday, 15th October 2008
bustenhalter
thats why we stuck to bra - lol -
Message 7
Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Wednesday, 15th October 2008
Re: Message 6.
Stalteri,
in French "soutien-gorge" . "gorge" in English: "throat". Hmm, those "chaste" Frenchmen...In our dialect we say simply "soutien" and everybody knows about what piece of female garment one speaks. In the official Dutch it is "bustehouder", but everybody says "BH", bit as "WC".
Warm regards from an old friend,
Paul.
PS: who solved the French-return-from-Britain enigma after Dunkirk
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Message 8
Posted by stalteriisok (U3212540) on Thursday, 16th October 2008
hi paul
stop that we will be banned for going off thread talking about womens underwear
listen - u are STILL the only one to solve that question
your friend
st
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