Home»All Photographs»The battlefields of Verdun, february - december 1916

Verdun and the Meuse region are symbols of the WW1. The battle began 21 febrary and ended on 18 december 1916. Winning Verdun would be a major victory for Germany. The French army was severely tested by a relentess barrage of previously unequalled intensity. The ten months of fighting saw the soldiers of both sides targeted by over 60 million shells, resulting in 300,000 killed and 450,000wounded. The German assaults came up against stiff French resistance in wich the regiments involved were prepared to pay the ultimate sacrifice. This forced the attacker to engage in a war of attrition that resulted in comparable numbers of deaths on both sides. The German plan had failed. " Ils ne passeront pas!"