#History of Germany in World War II#【Collection of History - German History World War I, No. 36】
In 1916, where should France be played?
At one point, the German top brass were very upset, not because they didn't know where to fight, but because there were many people who objected after choosing the location!
And this place is Verdun, a place just 210 kilometers from Paris.
The reason for the opposition was that many generals believed that the Fortress of Verdun was built on a mountain, the forts were lined up, the fortifications were strong, there must be heavy troops, and the German attack here would definitely gain more than it was.
Just when the German army could not unify the opinions, France sent a god assist, and the result was that the German army really began a large-scale attack on Verdun, opening the offensive mode of 1916, so why did Germany choose this place to attack on a large scale? What is the Frenchman's assist?
Germany focused its 1916 offensive on the Verdun region for the following reasons:
First: geographical factors
The terrain is high in the south and low in the north, with many hilly forests, and from northwest to northeast, there is a Maas Hills Mountain Range, and the altitude is only about 400 meters. The Maas River, which originates in the Alps, runs in a north-south direction through the city of Verdun, and there is a north-south railway next to the valley, reaching Saint-Mière in the south and Sedan in the north. Another east-west railway, east to Metz, Germany, to The West to Convran.
The city of Verdun, just below the hill, was at the crossroads of two railways, at the confluence of the Maas River and the hilly mountains, and its geographical location was extremely important, and if the German army won, it would also destroy the railway system here.
At the same time, the location of the Verdun region is exactly the protrusion of the Western Line of the Entente, which is embedded in Germany like a wedge, becoming the easternmost fulcrum of the French front, which has strategic and political significance for France, and it is only 210 kilometers away from Paris, which is the entrance to its northeast, and has the title of "Paris Key" and "French Gateway to the East".
Once Germany captures this place, it will open the road to Paris again, then France will once again face a dangerous situation, at the beginning of the war in 1914, the history of German soldiers under the city of Paris is likely to repeat, so Germany began secret preparations as early as the end of 1915 in order to attack here, they transferred the most elite troops and supplies on the Western Front, and many new weapons will be put into the battlefield.
Second: the destruction of France's strategic defenses
As a strategic point of the French eastern defense system, once captured, it will destroy the entire French defense system, the road to Paris will open the door, the morale of the French military and civilians will also be hit hard, then France will have to withdraw from the war, and the remaining British and Russian will not be able to compete with the German army on the mainland.
If France defeats the remaining small European powers, it will lead to Germany and Austria, Russia and Britain will be isolated, and the domino effect will be revealed.
Third: France cut off its own arm
According to the German reconnaissance, the French evacuated and demolished nearly 4,000 guns of various types in the Verdun fortress group, which was tantamount to cutting off an arm, which was the help of the French gods.
So what is the French figure?
The reason was that in the first two years of the First World War, German artillery destroyed many famous fortresses, and this cruel reality made the french top brass's confidence in the permanent fortifications waver, and they came to the conclusion that the fortresses that were not defended by field troops could not be held alone under German artillery fire for a long time. Instead of having artillery and artillery entrenched in the fortress, it was better to dismantle the cannons and mobilize artillery for use in field troops, which could better exert the mobility of the artillery and provide artillery support for the French army that blocked the German army on the front line.
Therefore, the Fortress of Verdun demolished a large number of cannons, which gave the Germans hope of capturing the area, or a good opportunity for the French to take the initiative.
The german chief of the general staff at the time, Falkenhain, told his opponents before he attacked Verdun:
"I analyze that the French did not regard Verdun as an indestructible fortress that must be defended, and as far as I know, the French army, instead of strengthening the defense of the Verdun fortress since August 1915, demolished a lot of artillery for other use, and this place has been abandoned by the French, and there are very few guards in it, so please don't worry."
This is the effect of the French assist, which is equivalent to its own negligence creating opportunities for the enemy, and if France had paid attention to this salient, it might not have demolished so many defensive facilities.
At 8:12 a.m. on February 21, 1916, with eight hours of German shelling, a 10-month-long battle began, and the German-French battle here became one of the largest, most costly, and longest-lasting battles of the First World War.
The French suffered 550,000 casualties, the Germans also suffered 450,000 casualties, and the Battle of Verdun was also known as the "meat grinder", "slaughterhouse" and "hell", which shows the terrible extent, and the strategic initiative of the first world war after the battle began to tilt to the Allies.
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