1. Terror on the Western Front: Death, Destruction and Dismemberment
Verdun and the Somme
Terror on the Western Front: Death, Destruction and Dismemberment

5. Start
Finish

6. Artillery at Verdun

7. Death in the trenches at Verdun

8. The Battle of the Somme
Remembered primarily for the unparalleled loss of life
58, 000 British troops killed on the first day alone, July 1, 1916
Primary scope of the battle was to drain
the German forces of reserves, and also
to gain territory
Attack actually began on June 24
with an eight day bombardment of German lines

9. The Somme – North Eastern France

10. View from Elevated trenches

11. British Trenches – “Over the Top”

12. Britain is Key
Germany believed that Britain formed the foundation of the Allied effort, and must be removed
Began implementing a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare against British shipping in an attempt to starve Britain out
Problem: This ran the risk of bringing the U.S. into the war

13. Significance of Place
Verdun, itself, held specific meaning to the French
It was the last fortress to fall during the Franco- Prussian war, and it had been improved since
Hence, it was of great symbolic significance and maintained a psychological hold on the minds of the French people
Germany knew this… and counted on it!

14. German Strategy
Subject Verdun to intense bombardment to draw in and divert French troops from all over the Western Front
“bleed France white” until it can stand no longer
Formidable opposition: 1 million Germans vs. 200, 000 defenders
Battle begins: 07:15 on February 21st

15. The Beginning
1,400 guns packed along the eight mile front, served by nearby railway facilities
100, 000 shells poured into Verdun every hour
Intention? Kill as many French defenders as you can before an infantry advance
By the end of the first day, German forces had only captured front line trenches

16. Result After Day 1
French Lieutenant Colonel, Emile Driant had been killed and his battalion had been reduced from 600 to 180 men
Germany lost some momentum, after infantry is withdrawn to allow further artillery bombardment
The French situation was pretty bad

17. French Sentiment
Upon losing Douaumont, the French sentiment was one of unwavering resolve:
> Popular sentiment demanded its recapture, making a withdrawal from Verdun impossible
The French commanding officer, Joffre, issued a warning stating that anyone leaving would be court- martialed

18. French Soldier killed at Verdun
Controversial:
Staged or true?

19. Change of Course
For the remainder of the next few months, German attacks were met with counter attacks, with casualties mounting on both sides
By the time the battle ended almost 1 million casualties were tallied in roughly equal numbers for both side

20. Continued French Losses
French forts could only hold out for so long, reserves of water were gone, and the forts themselves begin to crumble
New chemical warfare: Germany, at this point, began unveiling phosgene gas, which was acted by forming hydrochloric acid once in the lungs

21. *A Fundamental Shift
In an attempt to drain German manpower from Verdun, a major offensive was staged elsewhere at the Battle of the Somme
Originally planned to begin August 1, it was moved to July 1 to help divert German resources elsewhere
Fortune comes: a sudden drain in German resources to the Eastern Front provides a sense of vindication

22. Final Results of Verdun
By the time it ends casualties were listed at 550, 000 French losses and 434, 000 German losses
The only impact? Wounding of both armies!

23. The hope?
The expectation of this was that German defenses would be destroyed, enabling British troops to walk across no man’s land
1,500 British guns were employed
750, 000 men went into the attack
One problem: many of the advance artillery munitions were ‘duds’ –poorly made and ineffective

24. No Surprise!
The attack was of no surprise to the Germans, in fact the eight day bombardment served merely to alert Germans of an imminent attack. HOW CAN THE ALLIES EFFECTIVELY COORDINATE AN ATTACK?
The majority of soldiers who went over the top were killed instantly, or forced back into their trenches by machine gun fire
By the end, poor weather had brought a halt to the Somme on November 18

25. Final Results British and French had gained 12 kilometers of ground
British casualties were estimated at 420, 000
French casualties were 200, 000
German casualties were around 500, 000
Critics argue that an inflexible approach was a main issue, or that the British were compelled into battle to relieve the French at Verdun

26. Homework Read Handout and answer this question in one page:
“How do we assess responsibility for such an immense, unnecessary, loss of life?”

27. The Roots of Verdun
On Christmas day 1915, a letter is sent to Kaiser Wilhelm II
The letter outlines that the key to winning the war was not to be found on the Eastern Front, but on the Western Front
Rationalization: If France could be defeated, Britain would also seek terms, or be defeated as well