The Battle of Verdun On May 1, 1916, Nivelle took the place of Philippe Pétain and became the new commander of Verdun. Appointed by Marshal Joffre, he had had enough of Pétains repeated requests to bring in more and more men. The new commander calls for fewer men, but more means, and quality artill
February 1916, Joffre is sixty-four years old. He was general and commander-in-chief at the dawn of the Battle of Verdun. When the threat of the biggest German offensive arrives, Joffre ignores the warnings he receives, deeming the Battle of the Somme more important, his priority. He only reacts aft
The losses were appalling, for a gain in conquered territories nil. After 10 months of atrocious suffering for both sides, the battle will have cost 378,000 men (62,000 killed, more than 101,000 missing, and more than 215,000 wounded, often disabled) to the French, 337,000 to the Germans, 22 million
Indeed, the allies attacked on the Somme. The Russians are advancing on the eastern front. The Italians push back the Austrians. Troops and artillery were taken from the Verdun front. These conditions make it difficult for the German command to continue operations in Verdun. On July 11, Falkenhayn
Fighting is taking place on both banks of the Meuse The Kronprinz begs Falkenhayn to attack the left bank to silence the French guns. The Germans attacked around Mort-Homme, on the left bank side, the Bois des Bourrus, the Bois de Cumière and the Bois des Corbeaux. Then they attacked on the right b
The French command reacts on February 25, 1916, Joffre decided to send the Second Army to Verdun, which had been placed in strategic reserve, and of which General Pétain had been the commander since June 21, 1915. He entrusted him with the command in chief of the sector of Verdun. Having to inform
The apocalypse on the right bank of the Meuse On Monday, February 21, 1916 around 7 a.m., a 380 shell exploded in the courtyard of the Episcopal Palace in Verdun. This is the beginning of an inhuman battle - operation baptized Gericht (tribunal) by the Germans - which will last ten months. A delug
German General Falkenhayn therefore chose Verdun for its vulnerability and also because he would not have to move many troops. Counting on the German superiority in heavy artillery, he will use the Trommelfeuer method:a drum roll artillery preparation which should make it possible to level the groun
It is a salient of the French lines, surrounded on several sides, the Meuse complicating the defense of the sector. In the salient, there are several forts including those of Douaumont and Vaux. But since the destruction of the fortifications of Liège, Namur and Maubeuge by German howitzers, the Fre
For the French command, led by Generalissimo Joffre, the war of movement remains topical. The head of the armies pays all his attention to the preparation of a major offensive on the Somme. You have to break through, resume the movement warfare and end it. For the German command, in the person of G
The Sturmtruppen (or Stosstruppen) were elite units of the German army during the First World War. They were created in the spirit of positional warfare. Why an elite unit? The creation of an elite unit by the German general staff was decided towards the end of 1914-beginning of 1915. The purpose o
The Gurkhas are members of the Rajput Khasi clan of northern India who migrated from Rajasthan to what is now Nepal in the 16th century, driven out by the Muslims. Their language, Gurkhali, an Indo-European dialect close to Hindi, has become the common language of Nepal under the name Nepali or Nepa
The American aviators who distinguished themselves in the skies of bloodied Europe in 1916 were able to give the image of the fighter pilot the contours that it still retains today:very great qualities of generosity, disinterestedness, panache , class and a lot of unconsciousness. It was enough to r
Corps Francs refers to units of combatants formed outside the regular army, often improvised and under-equipped, with autonomous supervision then recovered, used or integrated by a regular army. First World War Said of units specialized in attacking enemy trenches during the First World War. The F
The Brigade des Fusiliers Marins is a unit of the French Navy which fought alongside the Belgian army in 1914-1915 and which sacrificed itself in October 1914 at Diksmuide to stop the advance of the German army and protect Dunkirk . Origin of the Brigade When the 1914 war was declared, the French N
The mixed battalion of the Pacific (B.M.P.) is a military infantry unit, created in 1916. The battalion will successively become the battalion of skirmishers of the Pacific then the marching battalion of the Pacific. It was sent to France during the First World War, when it returned to the islands i
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (popularly known as ANZAC) was originally an army corps formed of Australian and New Zealand troops who fought in the First World War at the Dardanelles against the Turks, so the ANZACs fought on the Western Front and in the Middle East. The term ANZAC will
Thomas Edward Lawrence (August 16, 1888 - May 19, 1935), also known as T. E. Lawrence, and especially as the famous Lawrence of Arabia (Lawrence of Arabia), or - among his Arab companions - Aurens or Al-Aurens, is a British archaeologist, officer, adventurer and writer. He achieved notoriety as a Br
Raymond Poincaré, born August 20, 1860 in Bar-le-Duc (Meuse) and died October 15, 1934 in Paris, was a French statesman, cousin of the mathematician Henri Poincaré. Trained in politics by Jules Develle, where he was director of cabinet at the Ministry of Agriculture in 1886, then elected general co
General Oskar von Hutier (August 27, 1857, December 5, 1934) was one of the best German generals, one of the most innovative during the First World War. In particular, he developed a tactic widely used by the Germans and which was applied to the Sturmtruppen, the German assault troops. Hutiers tacti
Mother Teresa of Calcutta became internationally known as a nun who dedicated her life to charity work. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Mother Teresa of Calcutta she was an Indian nun who became internationally known for her humanitarian work in India. She was the founder of the Mission
Slave Coast , in 18th and 19th century history, the stretch of coast of the Gulfs of Guinea in Africa, roughly Volta flux west to Lagos in modern Nigeria or alternatively in the Niger Delta extends across Africa the East (in todays republics Togo , Benin and Nigeria). Al
The hippie movement appeared in the city of San Francisco, on the west coast of the United States, in the 60s. The hippies preached free love, respect for nature, pacifism and a simpler life, without consumerist concerns. They also used drugs to open their minds and be more creative. Origin of the
Dear lovers of the most exalted ancient culture, today I would like to introduce you to none other than Philokles , one of the great persons of Egyptian national history . Doesnt ring a bell, you say? Could I introduce myself. The things Philokles dealt with were not all equally kosher, and history