Verdun: France's Ordeal and Triumph
Verdun: France’s Ordeal and Triumph in 1916 Few battles in history carry the same weight of symbolism and suffering as Verdun. Fought between February and December 1916, Verdun became the longest battle of the First World War, drawing in millions of men and leaving a scar that has never quite healed in French memory. More than just a clash of arms, Verdun was a deliberate attempt by the German High Command to “bleed France white” — to drain her manpower and spirit to the breaking point. The French, however, did not collapse. Instead, they held. The phrase “On ne passe pas” entered the national mind. But at what cost? Verdun claimed over 700,000 casualties, French and German combined, with villages erased from the map and an entire generation scarred. To understand the French role at Verdun is to explore not only the military struggle, but also the endurance of soldiers, the leadership that mobilised them, and the symbolic power that shaped France’s war effort thereafter. The Road ...