Respond for the above discussion to further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
use Minimum of 2 sources cited. APA format for in-text citations and list of references one paragraph response .
Option 2: Select a major battle such as Verdun, Marne, Ypres, or the Somme and chronicle that battle. Add further details about the battles. What was the main strategy? What were they trying to accomplish? How did leaders influence and mobilize troops? What were the main consequences of the result?
Verdun’s battle began February 21st, 1916, initially planned by Erich von Falkenhayn, the German Chief of general staff. The goal was to suppress the French Army before the allies grew in strength through British forces’ full deployment. Falkenhayn secured the heights on the east bank of the river Meuse located in Verdun’s city, which would allow the Germans to dominate the surrounding area, making it vital for the French to regain the land or free Verdun (www.iwm.org). German losses at Verdun were the same as the French casualties in just a few weeks. General Philippe Petain took command of the French Second Army at Verdun. Petain organized his forces and established a series of mutually supporting strongpoints rather than pushing all his troops into the vulnerable front-line trenches. Petain rotated troops through Verdun regularly, and whereas exposing the French Army to the battle, it ensured troops did not spend extended periods at the front (www.iwm.org).
In April, General Robert Nivelle took over French command from Petain and began large-scale counterattacks. On June 24th, the Allied bombardment began on the Somme. The Nivelle Second Army had artillery superiority and employed new tactics based on specialist infantry (www.iwm.org). The battle ended on December 15th due to the winter conditions, and the results of fighting on the Somme made further activity impossible. At one point, the battlefield conditions become so harsh that the French Army troops exploded in open rebellion. Soldiers had to carry on in the middle of countless dead bodies and the remains of men dismembered by artillery bombardments (Duiker, 2015 p. 75). The French had lost 377,000 men and the Germans 330,000. Falkenhayn’s plan to destroy the French Army had failed.
Thank you!
References,
Duiker, W. J. (2015). Contemporary world history (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
What was the battle of verdun? https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-was-the-battle-of-verdun (Links to an external site.).
