Battle Plan

• German General Erich von Falkenhayn became convinced by the winter of 1915 that the war could only be won in the west, according to an article from the BBC. Von Falkenhayn believed a full scale attack against Verdun would cause the French to commit all of their available forces to the frontlines. A decisive victory would break the French army and leave Britain alone on the Western Front. With Germany's submarines blockading needed supplies and reinforcements from reaching the British Isles, the Germans could then force Britain into submission.
  
  

Opening Shots

• Von Falkenhayn began positioning artillery to the north and east of Verdun in order to bombard the town prior to the German infantry moving in to attack. The French High Command ignored reports about German forces mobilizing outside of Verdun, and as a result the German bombing took French troops in Verdun completely by surprise, explains French historian Stephane Audoin-Rouzeau in an interview with PBS. The French trenches were obliterated by the German bombardment, and only one road was left operational to provide the French with reinforcements.
  
  

German Advancement

• German troops began advancing on French positions, and by the end of February, the German army had taken Fort Douaumont. French reinforcements, led by General Philippe Pétain, began arriving and slowly managed to stop the German advancement through the use of counter-attacks. Back and forth fighting continued over the next several months as German and French forces fought to establish control of the frontlines. By June, the German army had nearly reached the Belleville heights, the last French position prior to Verdun itself, and Pétain began considering a retreat.
  
  

Needed Relief

• With French troops stretched to the limit, the Battle of Verdun looked to become the decisive victory the Germans needed to break open the Western Front. On July 1st, 1916, Allied forces led by the British launched an attack that would become known as the Battle of the Somme. The Allied Command hoped that an attack along the Somme River to the north of the German army's position would force the Germans to divert troops from Verdun and relieve some of the pressure on the French army. The gambit worked, and it allowed the French to reorganize and eventually take back the territory lost to the Germans over the previous five months of fighting.