French Soldier vs German Soldier

Verdun 1916

French Soldier vs German Soldier cover

French Soldier vs German Soldier

Verdun 1916

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Description

Featuring specially commissioned artwork, archive photography, and full-color maps, this engrossing study investigates the doctrine, training, equipment, and combat record of the French and German troops who clashed in three key battles during the epic struggle for the Verdun sector at the height of World War I.

On February 21, 1916, the German Army launched a major attack on the French fortress of Verdun. The Germans were confident that the ensuing battle would compel France to expend its strategic reserves in a savage attritional battle, thereby wearing down Allied fighting power on the Western Front. However, initial German success in capturing a key early objective, Fort Douaumont, was swiftly stemmed by the French defenses, despite heavy French casualties. The Germans then switched objectives, but made slow progress towards their goals; by July, the battle had become a stalemate.

During the protracted struggle for Verdun, the two sides' infantrymen faced appalling battlefield conditions; their training, equipment, and doctrine would be tested to the limit and beyond. New technologies, including flamethrowers, hand grenades, trench mortars, and more mobile machine guns, would play a key role in the hands of infantry specialists thrown into the developing battle, and innovations in combat communications were employed to overcome the confusion of the battlefield. This study outlines the two sides' wider approach to the evolving battle, before assessing the preparations and combat record of the French and German fighting men who fought one another during three pivotal moments of the 10½-month struggle for Verdun.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Opposing Sides
Bois des Caures
Mort-homme
Fort Vaux
Analysis
Aftermath
Unit Organizations
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published Mar 24 2020
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 80
ISBN 9781472838179
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Dimensions 10 x 7 inches
Series Combat
Short code CBT 47
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

David Campbell

David Campbell has worked as a freelance new media…

Illustrator

Adam Hook

Adam Hook studied graphic design, and began his wo…

Resources

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