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It was in Verdun, France.

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The French and German

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It was fought by using trenches.

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The battle started February 21, 1916 and it ended December 18, 1916

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The massive loss of life at Verdun 143,000 German dead out of 337,000 casualties, to France's 162,440 out of 377,231 would come to symbolize, more than that of any other battle, the bloody nature of trench warfare on the Western Front.

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The attack on Verdun (the Germans code-named it ‘Judgment’) came about because of a plan by the German Chief of General Staff, von Falkenhayn. He wanted to “bleed France white” by launching a massive German attack on a narrow stretch of land that had historic sentiment for the French – Verdun.

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21 February – The Battle of Verdun begins with a lengthy German preparatory bombardment and an infantry assault


4.00 a.m. – German artillery units begin their preparatory bombardment at Verdun


4.45 a.m. – Bombardment ceases and the German infantry assault begins. The Bois d’Haumont and the Bois d’Herebois fall to the Germans, but Driant’s Chasseurs just manage to hold on to the Bois des Caures


22 February – The Germans renew their artillery bombardment at first light, then use a greater weight of forces to overwhelm the defence of the Bois des Caures. The hill is taken and Driant is killed


23 February – Brabant is captured, and Samogneux’s defence looks precarious. A French counter-attack to take the Bois des Caures fails


24 February – The German advance takes several other key points, pushing the 51st Division off the Bois des Fosses and capturing Ornes village on the Meuse. The French second line of defences collapses


25 February – Fort Douaumont is taken by the German 24th Infantry Regiment. Pétain takes command of the Verdun sector

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It was originally planned by the German Chief of General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn to secure victory for Germany on the Western Front. The aim was to crush the French army before the Allies grew in strength through the full deployment of British forces.

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By early December, under Robert Nivelle, who had been appointed to replace Philippe Pétain in April, the French had managed to recapture much of their lost territory, and in the last three days of the battle took 11,000 German prisoners before Hindenburg finally called a stop to the German attacks.

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Expanding the Battle

4 March – Douaumont village falls to Germans

6 March–9 April – Intense fighting continues at Verdun.  German attack on west bank of the Meuse makes slow but steady progress, capturing Forges, Regnéville, the Bois des Courbeaux (recaptured on the 8th then lost again on the 10th) and Côte de l’Oie. Le Mort-Homme remains in French hands

9 April – German forces launch a major attack on both sides of the Meuse. The onslaught on the west bank puts German troops on the slopes of Le Mort-Homme, but the offensive on the east bank makes little headway

30 April – Pétain takes command of Army Group Centre; Nivelle becomes commander of Second Army

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Recovery

French forces launched a major counter offensive at Verdun, capturing Thiaumont Redoubt and Farm, Fort Douaumont and several other key locations

28 August – Falkenhayn resigns, and is replaced by Paul von Hindenburg

2 September – Hindenburg orders that all offensive operations at Verdun cease

19 October – French artillery begins a major preparatory bombardment of the German lines at Verdun

24 October – Major French offensive begins, making advances of 3km (1.8 miles) on the first day, and recapturing Fort Douaumont

2 November – French forces recapture Fort Vaux

15 December – Another French offensive at Verdun pushes German forces back almost to their February 1916 start positions at Bois de Chaume. The Germans have by now lost nearly all their territorial gains at Verdun

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The Grinding Mill

4–24 May – German forces make repeated attacks on Le Mort-Homme

22 May – A French counter-attack against Fort Douaumont by the 5th Infantry Division fails

29 May–2 June – Fighting is intense around Hill 304, Le Mort-Homme and Thiaumont

3–8 June – Fort Vaux is surrounded by the Germans, and after a five-day battle the French are forced to surrender this key position

23–30 June – A major German attack in the Thiaumont–Fleury–Souville sector brings further German gains, although the impending Anglo-French offensive on the Somme begins to pull German attention further north

1 July – Anglo-French Somme offensive begins further north, drawing off German reserves from Verdun

11–12 July – The final major German offensive of Operation Gericht fails to take Souville

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The first shot was fired on 21 February 1916 It came from a German long-distance naval gun and damaged Verdun Cathedral, right in the center of the city. It was followed by a huge barrage of Verdun’s front defenses inflicting huge casualties. Of every five French soldiers that had been positioned on the front line, only one survived unscathed.

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The Battle of Verdun was a French victory.

Verdun was heavily defended Surrounded by numerous heavily-armed forts, Verdun was a fortress city and a vital link in the French sector of the Western Front. To the French, Verdun was their national treasure, something Falkenhayn knew full well.