The two sides invested a total of 2 million troops, fired 40 million shells, and suffered nearly 1 million casualties, which was the Battle of Verdun in World War I. The casualties on both sides and the Battle of the Somme, which is also the most typical position war, the war of attrition, and the casualties on both sides are nearly 1 million.
In 1914, in order to quickly occupy France and win the victory, both sides invested a lot of troops in the European battlefield, and at this time, the German army and the French army were in a position of price, no matter how the German army attacked, there was no progress, and the French army could not fight. The German Chief of the General Staff, von Falkingham, believed that the increase in troops would be won or defeated by the French at Verdun. At this time, the French army saw that the German army was constantly increasing its troops, so the French army was also increasing its troops, and both sides invested 2 million troops before and after this, which was an unprecedented battle. It was also a turning point in the First World War.
Both sides were preparing for the war, transporting a large number of bombs, machine guns, grenades, and cannons to the front, so there was also the first large-scale automobile transportation war in history. In this battle, the German 1200 cannons, in 9 hours, fired a million shells, which shows the fierceness of the battle, which is why after the end of the First World War, the French army to repair the Maginot Line to block the German army, because they did not want to fight anymore.
The French also kept bombing German positions, a bomb war was fought, and the number of shells fired by both sides after the war was counted at 40 million shells.
After the shelling hit, the Germans began to launch a frontal attack, at this time the German army concentrated its forces and weapons, including the use of flamethrowers and suffocating gas attacks, but was fiercely counterattacked by the French artillery fire, and repeatedly fought for the position.
Gas and tear gas were also used for the first time in the battle, causing heavy casualties. The second line of defense of the French army was soon broken, because The French Field Marshal Philippe Pétain (hero of the First World War, loser of the Second World War, Pétain line), personally commanded the front line.
He commanded the 20th Army, stubbornly resisted the enemy's attack, and later because the Germans advanced too fast, they lost the advantage of artillery support, and were resisted by Marshal Pétain at the village of Omun, unable to advance.
Unable to advance, the Germans turned around and prepared to take Mount Home, and after 3 months of fierce fighting, they were still resisted by the French, and by the autumn, the French began to counterattack. Begin to recover positions captured by the Germans.
The typical trench warfare and war of attrition came to an end, and this decisive battle was the turning point of the First World War, and it was also the gradual defeat of the German Empire from then on.
The number of casualties after the war was as high as one million, setting a record in the history of war, making Verdun a terrifying "meat grinder" and "hell on earth".
And in the Battle of Verdun, there is also an interesting story, at that time the French shells were not as much as the Germans, the quality of the shells may not be as good as the Germans, just on this day a French artilleryman, when the shells were about to be fired, adjusted the wrong size, who knows whether it was crooked or not obliquely hit the German ammunition depot, suddenly, the largest explosion of the First World War began. Thinking about how powerful and powerful the ammunition depot found the explosion, suddenly the German ammunition depot left only a scorched earth, which also made the French army at the Battle of Verdun finally win, adding a key stroke, it can be said that the crooked shell was indeed indispensable.