The Crown Prince Wilhelm (1882-1951), one of two operational planners for the offensive, took the directive to mean “to capture the fortress of Verdun by precipitate methods.” Yet, Falkenhayn’s plan was to seize the strategic initiative in along the Meuse, which he saw as the best location on the Western Front for a German army breakthrough. Second, when the orders were sent down from Falkenhayn to conduct offensive operations “in the Meuse area in the direction of Verdun,” they were misinterpreted. Those nine days allowed the French to reorganize and strengthen their defenses, as well as to begin to bring in reinforcements (Image source: WikiMedia Commons)įirst, the offensive itself was supposed to have launched on Februpoor weather forced it to be postponed until Feb. The German assault on Verdun should have been a breakthrough moment for the Imperial German army, but there were several miscalculations that the High Command did not plan for or anticipate. In the air, they could more than 150 planes led by the effective Fokker Eindecker. Falkenhayn knew that the French had effectively stripped the various fortresses around Verdun of heavy artillery and thousands of troops and, believing that the area was ripe for a German breakthrough while the Austrians protected his rear against the Russians, amassed his force accordingly.īy early February 1916, the Germans had gathered overwhelming superiority on the ground, with nine divisions against France’s two, nearly 1,400 heavy artillery pieces. THE BATTLE OF VERDUN was the result of preparations, planning, and execution by Chief of the German General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn (1861- 1922). The offensive instead drained Germany of irreplaceable troops and resources.” (Image source: WikiMedia Commons) “Multiple miscalculations cost the Kaiser’s army a chance for a potentially decisive blow against France. The Kaiser’s generals hoped the battle would break the French army and even force the enemy to sue for peace.
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