In addition, they counted on the help of England. And only after the first day did they begin to pull up additional military units to Verdun. The French did not expect such a powerful blow. Thus, the "Verdun meat grinder" on the first day was marked by the advance of German troops for two kilometers to the rear of the French and taking their first position. Ahead were moving scouts and assault brigades, reinforced with grenade launchers, machine-gunners and flamethrowers. The Germans conducted the offensive of infantry in a dense battle formation, in which individual groups were formed into a single echelon. But there they were expected by the stubborn resistance of the French. In the morning the Germans began the artillery preparation, which lasted 8 hours, after which the German troops launched an offensive on one of the sectors of the front - near the Meuse River. The beginning of the battle in the area of the Verdun fortified areaĪs it is already clear from the preparation, "Verdun meat grinder" was predetermined by the German command from the very beginning. By the way, it should be said that the French squadron "Newport" was able to participate fully in the battles only in May. That is, already at the very beginning of the campaign, one of the planned tasks was determined - the prevalence in airspace. The battle of Verdun began with the fact that the sky was completely cleared of the French aircraft so that German bombers could freely and unhinderedly do their work. Thus, the Germans hoped to ensure a breakthrough and a subsequent continuous offensive. Against them, Germany introduced six and a half of its divisions and almost all the power of artillery. On the front, 15 kilometers long, on one side, there are two divisions of the French troops. Next followed the competent development of the situation - the battle of Verdun. The victory on it provided an open passage to Paris with the subsequent capitulation of French troops. Such a site was found in the form of a small protrusion near Verdun. With respect to France, it was decided to find the most promising place on the line of deployment of troops and make a breakthrough on it. England decided to parry an unlimited attack of submarines. To which Alexander Gelfand immediately received 1 million rubles. Regarding the European giant, it was decided to support the revolutionary movement. They concerned the three most powerful opponents: Russia, Britain and France. Resources were limited, and the military council identified three tasks that could be addressed. Inside the country, the people were starving, but the army kept a dislocation on the fronts. The victories of previous years were given to Germany dearly. Such an idea could only be presented by the cruel nature of the First World War, when the most hardened leaders looked at people's lives only as units. The English historian Alistair Hori wrote about this battle in the following way: "Never before did any of the commanders-in-chief or strategists assume the retention of victory by the death of bloodletting. The fate of the country and its territorial integrity were decided on the battlefield. But, despite the huge number of victims on both sides, France has managed to defend its independence. The battle took place between German and French troops on the Western Front for ten months. The largest military operation of the First World War, included in the annals of history under the name "Verdun meat grinder", was the first significant event of the twentieth century.
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