Verdun 1916

by Malcolm Brown

1916 was a year of killing. The British remember the Somme, but earlier in the year the heart of the French army was ripped out by the Germans at Verdun. The garrison city in northeastern France was the focus of a massive German attack; the French fought back ferociously, leading to a battle that would permanently scar the French psyche. Using original French sources and eyewitness accounts from both sides, Malcolm Brown brings the horror of Verdun into vivid focus.

Genres: History, World War I, Nonfiction, Military History, Military Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 1999

About the author

Malcolm Brown is a best-selling popular military historian. Originally a television producer specialising in military documentaries, he has been a freelance historian at the Imperial War Museum since 1989. Brown has researched and written extensively on the First and Second World Wars. He is a regular contributor to BBC History Magazine, and lives in Reading.

Reviews

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written history of the 1916 battle around Verdun.

Brown does provide a narrative history of the battle, but his main aim seems to be putting a human face on it. He covers the background as well, and his account of the battle itself is pretty basic. He does cover some interesting and often neglected topics, like medics’ and civilians’ experience of the battle. He also argues that the French army performed better and that the Germans failed to take advantage of their air power or their tactical innovations (like stormtrooper units, flamethrowers and gas)

There is no real analysis, though, and some details are absent, like the fighting for Fort Vaux and the back-and-forth struggles for the villages. There are also no maps, and no specific units or even dates mentioned.

A good introduction overall.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a solid narrative on the battle perhaps a little dated now. Easy to read and with a good flow perhaps not as in-depth as the standard 'the price of Glory'. But, similarly, a great introductory work on the subject and incredibly useful as a narrative of events. If one is looking for an introduction to this topic then I strongly recommend it or price of Glory.

However, as a scholarly work addressing strategy it proves very dated. More contemporary research has given more depth and context to the arguments about whether the German high command, particularly General von Falkenhayn, planned this battle as a battle of attrition or not. The work of Robert T. Foley, German strategy and the path to Verdun', is by far the standard work on addressing German strategic planning and tactics leading up to and within the battle.

Thanks for reading

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for school. I really enjoyed all the quotes throughout the book from people who actually lived through the battle. It helped to fully understand it.

[Joseph Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting book that gave a great insight into Verdun during the First World War. Great book.

[Pier Olivier Parent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent récit de la plus grande bataille de la Première Guerre mondiale avec de nombreuses citations par ceux qui ont pris part à la bataille.

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humanity is mad. It must be mad to do what it is doing. What a massacre! What scenes of horror and carnage! I cannot find words to translate my impressions. Hell cannot be so terrible. Men are mad! — Lieutenant Alfred Joubaire (Died for France at Verdun

Two horrendous battle were fought in 1916: Verdun and the Somme. The latter which lasted from July 1 to November 18, is better known to English speakers as it was fought mainly by troops from Britain and the Empire. The Somme resulted in over 1.1 million casualties on both side with the British losing 58,000 the first day, of which 19,000 were killed. Details complete with excellent full screen maps can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_o....

The Battle of Verdun was an attempt by the Germans to bleed France white and force her into an armistice by attacking an area so sacred to France that the retention of which the French General Staff would be compelled to throw in every man they have. The strategically located city had a history going back to Attila the Hun, Charlemagne and the Peace of Westphalia.

Verdun was a series of 28 forts great and small built on high ground (>150 meters) overlooking the valley of the Meuse River. They had been modernized before the war and equipped with heavy artillery. However, under Joffre, fortresses were no longer considered in vogue and they had pretty much been abandoned and disarmed. Further, Verdun was a salient with only one light railroad and one narrow winding highway along which to move troops and supplies. The German CiC, Falkenhayn, expected it to be an easy victory and an on-going bloodbath for the French.

Brown gives only the bare essential military details. For those, go to either The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916 or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_o... which has full page maps etc. Brown tries to bring to the reader the horror of those engaged in the fighting on both sides. The "mill on the Meuse" ground up 700,000 men (330,000 Germans, 370,000 French) over the course of 300 days, with many of the dead and wounded never having seen an enemy soldier. It was a battle of artillery, with several thousand heavy guns on both sides shelling the trenches.

Brown quotes extensively from letters, memoirs, official documents, written by soldiers, officers, nurses, ambulance drivers, presidents and paupers on both sides. It is not an easy read if one has any imagination. The stench of death was everywhere. A shell would bury the living and the dead while the next one would disinter them again. There were no white flag truces to gather the wounded. Dirt in the wounds made gas gangrene a constant companion. Food and water were all at a premium.

The Germans took a few kilometers but they did not take Verdun. Furthermore they were bled as white as the French. Falkenhayn was replaced by Hindenburg and Ludendorf. Joffre was fired. Petain emerged as the hero of Verdun which came back to haunt France some 20 years later when he would surrender to Hitler instead of turning back the Nazi invasion.

However the effect of the hell of Verdun on the morale of French troops resulted in mutinies the following year, which were never recovered from until into 1918.

Bravery and belief in duty were never in short supply. The savagery that humans can inflict and endure staggers the mind.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Malcolm Brown has written a number of excellent books about the British army on the Western Front based on the archives of the Imperial War Museum. Here, he branches out to look at the titanic nine month long Franco-German struggle for Verdun which consumed around 750,000 lives.

Away from his usual archival sources, Brown takes a more straightforwardly military look at events. That said, the book is still shot through with powerful account from participants and veterans. It lacks the colour and literary power of Alistair Horne's The Price of Glory, this is still an excellent introduction to one of the most hellish episodes in military history.

[Einar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its ok, but its hard to get a grip of the battle and therefore also the book, or the other way around. Or maybe just how the battle was, confusing.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering the subject matter has been well covered before, Brown does manage to bring some new perspectives to the story.
That said, he does little to bring the horror to life.