From 2006 1965438+ 1, Fajinhan quietly assembled his troops to attack Verdun. At the same time, the Germans openly sent more troops to Chambeni and made a gesture of launching an offensive in Chambeni. Fei Xia, commander-in-chief of the French army, was really taken in. Since 19 14, when the German army was unable to conquer Verdun and diverted its attack direction, the French army thought that Verdun fortress was outdated, and Fei Xia stopped strengthening it in 19 15. At this time, the German movement to Xiangbeni made Fei Xia extremely alert. He thought that the Germans would attack Shanbeni and then March into Paris from here. The Germans continued to quietly gather troops in the direction of Verdun. As the signs of assembly became more and more obvious and exposed, the British and French Coalition forces finally figured out the true intentions of the Germans. Fei Xia panicked and quickly sent more troops to Verdun. But by February 2 1 day, only two divisions had arrived in Verdun. On this day, the Germans began to attack Verdun. German artillery bombarded Verdun fortress with heavy artillery, and then launched a charge. The prologue of the battle of Verdun began. The German 1000 cannons, like thunder, took turns to charge higher and higher. Verdun fortress commander petain commanded the defenders and reinforcements to resist desperately. However, because the reinforcements only came to two divisions, plus his own two divisions, there were only four divisions in total, and they were pushed by the Germans for 6 kilometers on the first day. But it finally stabilized.
The battle was difficult for the French army. The German army has 27 divisions, 1000 cannons, while the French army has only 1 10000 men and 270 cannons. But at least it resisted the German attack. After the French reinforcements arrived, the two sides began a tug-of-war. The Germans didn't win Verdun in one fell swoop the day before, and they had already lost their fighters. Both sides are sending more troops to Verdun, and they are fighting a life-and-death war. After fierce fighting in April, the strength of the French army is comparable to that of the German army. The Germans were in a hurry, and the Crown Prince personally signed it, using gas bombs for the first time. But the French army stopped the German attack again and again in front of the fortress. In July, the German army launched its last offensive climax, but it was still resisted by the French army. In autumn, the French army began to counterattack.
In the Battle of Verdun, Germany and France invested nearly 2 million troops, and the total number of casualties reached more than 6,543,800. The Germans exhausted their energy in this battle. After the French counterattack began, they successively recovered large areas of land east of Verdun, and the Germans were losing ground. By 19 17, the German-Austrian camp was gradually declining, and finally defeated and surrendered at 19 18, and the First World War ended immediately. The Battle of Verdun was the decisive battle and turning point of the First World War. The Germans failed to realize their plan to occupy Verdun and outflank South Paris Road. After running out of troops, I couldn't find a way out and finally failed. During the First World War, the German and French armies fought in the areas where Verdun had bases from February 19 16 to February 12.
Battle Attempt and Force Deployment1965438+At the beginning of 2006, the German high command planned to defend on the eastern front, concentrating its forces on the Verdun projection of the French army on the western front, so as to contain and consume the main force of the French army and force France to surrender. The troops receiving the attack mission are the 5th Army under the command of Crown Prince William of Germany (under the jurisdiction of 7 armies, with a total of 17 divisions and 1204 artillery pieces, including 683 heavy artillery pieces and 168 aircraft; Later, it was increased to 50 divisions, accounting for about 1/2) of the total German troops on the Western Front.
Verdun is the strategic stronghold of the northeast border of France, the east gate of Paris, and the support point of the whole French army. The French high command also attaches great importance to defending this strategic position. The fortification area of Verdun is 1 12km, and it is defended by the French Third Army (under the command of General El, with 1 1 division and 632 guns). The fortification area consists of four defensive positions with a total depth of 15- 18 km. Three of them are field defensive positions. The fourth defensive position consists of the permanent fortifications of Verdun fortress and two fortress areas.
1965438+In February 2006, the Crown Prince of Germany personally led 2 10000 Germans to launch a crazy attack on Verdun. Verdun's security force was weak, but the German attack was postponed due to bad weather conditions, which provided time for France to mobilize reinforcements, and France mobilized two divisions to enter this area. German deployment: The 7th, 18 and 3rd armies (6 and a half divisions, 879 artillery pieces, including 522 heavy artillery pieces and 202 mortars) carried out a major assault on the front of the area from Kongsanwa to Orne River 15 km wide, and the 5th army covered its left flank; 15 Army carried out auxiliary assault 6 kilometers south of the Orn River, and the 6th Army took containment action on the west bank of the Meuse River. In the main direction, France has only two divisions. German infantry is twice that of France, and artillery is 3.5 times that of France. The gun density reaches 50- 1 10 guns per kilometer. In order to realize the suddenness of the battle, the Germans carried out a series of feints on the western front in June 5438+the same year 10.
French army deployment: the base of French army Verdun spans the banks of the Meuse River, with the front width of 1 12km and the depth of15 ~18km; There are four defensive positions, the first three are field defensive positions, and the fourth is a solid position consisting of the permanent fortifications of the fortress and two fortified areas. It is condescending, easy to defend but difficult to attack. France's 3rd Army (with 1 1 division and more than 630 guns, under the command of General F. El; Later, it increased to 69 divisions, accounting for about two-thirds of the total strength of the French army. Five divisions defended northern Verdun, three divisions defended eastern and southeastern Verdun, and the other three divisions were deployed as reserves on the west bank of the Meuse River in southern Verdun.
After two years of war of attrition, Germany launched the Battle of Verdun at the beginning of 19 16 to break the deadlock. 1 965438+21February 2006, in order not to expose the main assault direction, the Germans bombarded the 40-kilometer front with1200 cannons for eight and a half hours, fired one million shells, and then attacked with the troops of the three armies (the third, seventh and eighteenth armies).
The Germans began to prepare artillery. In order to conceal the main attack direction, the German artillery shelled a 40-kilometer-wide front at the same time, and the aviation bombed the French positions for the first time, destroying some defensive positions and killing a large number of effective forces. 16: 45, German infantry attacked and occupied the first defensive position of the day. In the next four days, they successively captured the second and third defensive positions, pushed forward for 5 kilometers, and occupied the important support point of Dumont Fort. Infantry attack, using deep combat formation, advancing in waves of skirmisher line, with the attack group in front.
The French high command appointed H.P. Betan, commander of the 2nd Army, as the front commander of Verdun (succeeded by R.-G. Neville in May of 1 year), mobilized all available forces, and determined to fight the Germans in Verdun. On the 26th, Petain ordered the recapture of Dumont Castle. After four days of fierce fighting, the French army suffered heavy losses and failed. Since February 27th, the French army has used the only Leduc-Verdun highway (also known as the "Holy Road") that keeps in touch with the rear to continuously dispatch troops and materials to Verdun, organizing 3,900 trucks in one week, transporting 6,543,800 people and 25,000 tons of materials. This is the first large-scale automobile transportation in the history of war. A large number of French reinforcements went into battle in time, which strengthened defense in depth and had a great influence on the campaign process. By the end of the month, the Germans consumed a lot of ammunition, the strategic reserve did not arrive in time, and the attack power dropped sharply, thus losing the opportunity to break through the French defense. On March 5, the German attack scope expanded to 30 kilometers, and the main attack direction shifted to the west bank of the Meuse River, from rapid impact to steady attack, in an attempt to capture the 304 highland and the 295 highland, relieve the threat of French artillery in the west bank, and surround Verdun from the west; At the same time, we continued to strengthen the offensive on the east coast, from rapid attack to steady attack, but the French army stubbornly resisted and captured only a few small strongholds after paying heavy casualties. From April to May, the Germans concentrated their weapons, including flamethrowers, suffocating gases and bombers, and made a key assault on the French army in the West Bank. However, after the infantry reached the first line of the 304 highland and the 295 highland, they were violently counterattacked by the French artillery and stopped attacking at the end of May. On the east coast, the French army frequently rotated combat troops, constantly carried out counterattacks, and repeatedly competed with the Germans, delaying the German attack. At the beginning of June, the Germans launched a large-scale offensive again. After seven days of fierce fighting, they cut off the connection between Fort Wobbe and other positions of the French army, forcing the defenders of Fort Wobbe to surrender on the 7th. In late June, the Germans used phosgene asphyxiating gas bombs and tear gas bombs to storm Fort Sourville for the first time, and fired 1 10000 gas bombs on a 4-kilometer-wide front, causing heavy casualties to the French army. They once reached less than 3 kilometers from Verdun, but were finally repelled.
On the 24th, the French army was forced to give up the second line of defense. On the 25th, the Germans attacked and occupied Dumont Fort with strong firepower.
Fei Xia, commander-in-chief of the French army, appointed General henri philippe petain as commander-in-chief of Verdun at this time. On the day when General Petain's 20th Army entered Verdun, it received the battle report of the capture of the fortress. Due to the tenacious resistance and heavy snow of the French 33rd regiment, the German attack on Duomen Village was blocked. The French army used the only Ba-Raduch-Verdun highway that kept in touch with the rear (the French called it the "Holy Road") to transport personnel and materials to Verdun, and organized 3,900 trucks to transport19,000 and 25,000 tons of materials in a week, which was the first large-scale automobile transportation in the history of human war. A large number of French reinforcements arrived in time, strengthened defense in depth, reversed the unfavorable situation at the beginning of the campaign, and plunged the campaign into a seesaw battle.
The Germans lost the advantage of artillery support because they advanced too fast. Instead, they were exposed to the artillery range of the French army on the west bank of the Meuse River. Because of the continuous artillery attack, the battlefield has become a quagmire, and it is difficult for artillery to move forward. When the Germans finally occupied Duomeng village, they had lost four regiments. Unable to advance to Verdun, the Germans occupied Mount Hom instead. After three months of fierce fighting, the Germans captured two villages in the west of Verdun and surrendered at Fort Vaud in the east of Verdun. But both sides suffered heavy losses. General Betan was prepared to save his strength for better defense, but he was dismissed and replaced by a more aggressive general Neville.
The German army's next target is Fort Solvay. On June 22, 2006, the Germans dropped poison gas bombs on the French positions, and the next day they attacked with 60,000 troops, but failed to take the Suwei fortress. The fighting continued until September 6.
The Battle of the Somme began at 19 16, forcing the Germans to transfer some troops from Verdun to deal with the British and French allied forces in the north. In autumn, the Germans were very tired. German Commander-in-Chief Paul von Hindenburg replaced General Fajinhan and appointed erich ludendorff as the commander of the Battle of Verdun.
191610/October 2 1 The French army launched a counterattack, using new 400 mm caliber guns and Xu Jin's barrage shooting technology.101October 24, retaken Dumont fortress./
After the Russian 19 16 summer offensive campaign and the Battle of the Somme on the western front, the Germans did not invest any new troops in the direction of Verdun, and the subsequent offensive action was only to contain the French army face to face. After several months of bitter struggle, although the Germans wedged into the French defense line at 7 ~ 10 km in the north and east of Verdun, they failed to reach a breakthrough. On August 29th, E.v0n Falcken Hain was dismissed, and Marshal P. von Hindenburg took over as German Chief of Staff. On September 2, the Kaiser approved to stop the attack. 10 year1On October 24th, the French army launched a large-scale counterattack.1Early October1111/kloc-0-0. In the 10 month battle, the two sides invested 2 million troops, fired 40 million shells, and suffered nearly one million casualties, which set a record in the history of war and made Verdun a terrible "meat grinder" and "hell on earth". This battle is a typical positional war and war of attrition. The two sides participated in the war with many troops and suffered heavy casualties. The French army lost 543,000 people and the German army lost 433,000 people, so the service was called the "meat grinder". The experience of SCO defense has become the basis for countries to build fortifications after the war. This decisive battle was the turning point of World War I, and the German Empire gradually moved towards the final defeat.
Although the French army suffered more serious losses, it did not reach the level of 2: 1 expected by the Germans. Verdun brought France to the brink of collapse, but it didn't collapse. Petain insisted that the troops on the battlefield must be rotated regularly, so that 70% of the French army took part in the battle, while only 20% of the Germans took part. The brutal fighting had a psychological impact and almost led to the mutiny of the French army. The mutiny didn't really happen, because the soldiers were promised that they wouldn't take part in cruel battles with the Germans in the future. After that, French soldiers refused to carry out offensive fighting and only stayed in the trenches to defend against the war. Among them, in the battle for the fortress of Verdun, the French army has been using machine guns, mortars and powerful slingshots (grenades) to confront the attacking Germans in the fortress bunker.
After the battle, Kaiser Wilhelm II dismissed Fajinhan as chief of staff, and Hindenburg took over, with ludendorff as his deputy. Paul von Hindenburg's full names are: Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Hindenburg and Bene Kendoff. Date of birth and death:1847 65438+102/08/934. German marshal and politician. He was the second president of Weimar Republic. Hindenburg was born in a Prussian officer's family, so he also started his military career in the army. 1859 to 1866 entered the military school, 1866 participated in the Pu 'ao War, with the rank of lieutenant. He also participated in the Franco-Prussian War from 1870 to 187 1 as an officer. 1903 was promoted to general,1911retired at the age of 64. Hindenburg was an excellent soldier at the beginning of his military career, but his most famous achievement was his perfect combination with ludendorff in the First World War. His later political career was damaged by his dim spiritual strength, outdated ideas and narrow observation. Nationality: Germany, province: Posen (now Poznan), highest rank: Marshal. Hindenburg's appointment of Hitler as Prime Minister also became one of the factors that Hitler launched the Second World War in the future. After the outbreak of World War I, in the face of the joint attack of Russian troops Kampf and Samso Loff for many years, Prithvis, commander of the German Eighth Army on the Eastern Front, lost his temper and was dismissed. Hindenburg was ordered to serve again with the help of erich ludendorff and took over the Eighth Army in marienburg on August 23rd, 2004. This is the beginning of his cooperation with ludendorff. ludendorff's intelligence and Hindenburg's command ability are perfectly combined.
Hindenburg adopted the battle plan drawn up by ludendorff and Hoffman, launched a counterattack, and annihilated Sam Solov's Russian Second Army from two wings. He won a brilliant victory in the Battle of Tannenburg. In early September, together with ludendorff, he commanded the German army to hit the Russian First Army hard in Kampf for many years and expelled it from East Prussia. In late September, Hindenburg began to command the Polish campaign, which reached its climax in the Battle of Rhodes at 1 1.