Verdun 105 (3): Book Review: Verdun 1916 The of Renaissance of the Fortress

Just like the participants of the real thing, particularly those forming grand strategy, I am learning as I go along. The serendipity of having it to hand meant that the Kaufmanns' book has marked the beginning of my detailed reading about Verdun. It was a great place to start.

This dense book is one that you would swear is greater than its 248 pages (plus index). It is a detailed description and analysis of the ten-month Battle of Verdun and the role of the fortress and fortifications in that terrible campaign—plus far more.

The book’s headline title is ‘Verdun 1916’, yet we do not get to the first day of Verdun until page 140. This is not a negative, but a most positive aspect of the book since the first 139 pages are devoted to detailed and essential background, description and analysis of events leading up to 21st February 1916; and plenty about the forts and fortifications.

The first chapter is a summary and overview of final road to war and movements on all fronts from July 1914 to the end of 1915. It provides insights into the strategic situation that lead to Verdun but is also one of the clearest and lucid descriptions of the course to and of the war that I have read (heard or watched).

Each chapter contains sidebars with details of a specific aspect that is relevant to the chapter’s topic. In chapter one these sidebars are casualties during the first fifteen months of the war compared to later (particularly for the French), the challenges to providing the resources for the war matériel and a brief biography of General Petain.

The second chapter on fortresses and fortifications begins with an inventory (location and state) of the fortresses of each European power at the outset of the war in relation to their plans. This is a key chapter of the book, hence it’s 47 pages. The chapter’s sidebars are about artillery and turrets, siege artillery, balloons and modern trench warfare (prior to the First World War). Details about fortifications, designs, dimensions, thickness. design of armour, armament and placement in this chapter are fascinating and edifying but will be super-useful in trying to model such things for the wargame table.

An example of some of the numerous photographs in the book, this a double-page spread showing the turrets of several of the forts around Verdun.

In the third chapter we move to the campaign leading to the attack on Verdun in early 1916. The Kaufmanns describe the creation of the Verdun salient, the St Mihiel salient, the French small attacks orchestrated by Joffre in 1915 in the Argonne/St Mihiel salient. The failure of what had gone before meant a new approach (even though, to our modern eyes and to the men of the time, it did not seem much changed). The options for both sides are discussed and how they came to both plan offensive measures for 1916. Sidebars describe the dismissal of General Sarrail as Joffre’s scapegoat(?)—a bit of a ‘habit’ of his—and the development of air power that would lead to the use of aircraft of various sorts in the Verdun campaign.

Chapter four begins with the planning of the battle, brief biographies of the main generals involved and then describes in detail the “five days in February’’. In the book’s introduction the Kaufmanns state that there is uncertainty as to what Falkenhayn’s objectives were. Several times in this chapter they mention that Falkenhayn is not recorded as having stating his objective to ‘bleed the French white’ until his memoirs years later. The authors seem to suggest that the objective was to bring the French to a battle, engaging men and matériel so as to weaken other sectors of the front. Perhaps, if the Somme offensive had not been initiated by the allies, the Germans would have attacked elsewhere? Falkenhayn realised that, in a long war of attrition, the Germans would come off second best, so he wanted to take the initiative, hence launching the attack in February, on a narrow front and against a position that the French held dear. The summary of the first five days and what could have been demonstrate how it was part of the evolving of warfare in that most terrible conflict. One can almost see it as a ‘training ground’ for the far more successful, targeted and aggressive operation Michael (the Kaiserschlacht) in the autumn of 1918 (though that too ran out of ‘puff’). I wonder how different that might have been had the flower of Germany’s army not been squandered at Verdun? Sidebars discuss evidence regarding Falkenhayn’s aims, the timeline of the five days in February (known and unknown), impressions of the results of the first five days from the generals of both sides and Falkenhayn’s strategy for the initial attack.

The fifth chapter covers the battle from March to December. There is a detailed description of the German attacks of early March and French counter-attacks of early April. The development of each side’s system of rotating divisions (more frequently by the French), defence in depth, machinations and tensions of high command, political influence of President Pointcaire in the need to hold Verdun (to maintain his government) and the determination of the Poilus to defend their motherland all come into play. This chapter focusses on the battles for the forts. In the course of the narrative the Kaufmann’s describe Forts Douaumont, Vaux, Moulainville and Ouvrage Thiaumont, Laufée, Froideterre assisted by diagrams, plans and photographs. The approaches of the two sides to relieving the front-line troops are illustrated by examples of the movements of divisions to different sectors and between Verdun and the Somme. Most of the narrative is at the senior command level, so we read of the movements of divisions and corps, in and out of the front line. This shows the scale of the operation and that the minimum, relevant ‘manoeuvre element’ was the division, adding to the distance of senior command from the frontline. An exception to this is a detailed description of the German capture of Fort Vaux in late May. Firstly outside and then within the confines and corridors of the fort. It is harrowing stuff. Sidebars cover the Somme and the logistics of supply for the French, repairs to road and rail to form la Voie Sacré

The conclusion looks at the battle’s effects on the war and the careers of main generals involved. There are some long quotes from Hindenburg’s reflections on the battle and its lessons. These make for particularly interesting reading, being from a German general who had his forces in the east decreased in order to allow the attack to occur, but who seems to have been supportive of the campaign*. They add further credence to the implied conclusion of the authors that Falkenhayn’s aim to ‘bleed the French army white’ was a later interpretation while to remove the Verdun salient, create a weak-point from which to defeat the entente forces or even to draw in further troops so as to provide opportunities for a strong attack seem to be the more likely aims at the outset.

The book contains many tables, maps, illustrations and photographs. These add detail and understanding for the reader, but, more importantly for me, will help greatly in recreating the battle. The table listing the units of German assault formations and target French formations and units in the initial attacks is but one example.

One of several tables; this provides an order of battle for the first five days.

Maps, in copious quantity are to be found in the pages of the book. These range from the entire western and eastern front to specific areas of Verdun and fortresses. They are excellent to follow locations and details in the text. Several of them are quite small and many are missing a scale, but, as with the book as a whole, they build in information and detail along in line the text making it easier to get an understanding of events over such a large area. These too will be invaluable to me for any wargaming of the battle.

Plenty of maps, which is always great! Some strategic (above) and others relating to Verdun overall (below) or specific parts of the 'battlefield'.

An appendix, providing an overview of weapons of trench warfare (German, French and British) and developments during the war up to and after Verdun, glossary of terms, especially those relating to forts and fortifications, detailed notes on each chapter and a bibliography of chiefly secondary but also some primary (memoir) sources round out the book.

There is much repetition in the text. While you say to yourself that ‘I have read this before’ it is not straight repetition and is part of the way that the authors build the story, so in each case it is more a reference back to a previous point now made in a broader or more specific context or with the addition of more detail or nuance. Therefore, overall, I found this a bonus, rather than a detraction.

Occasional typos (chiefly duplicated or missing words) and grammatical mistakes do detract a little, but these are few in number and, let’s face it, as someone who has written reports, papers (and blog posts) I know that even with the best of intentions, duplicate proof-reading and editing such things slip through.

This is a fine book and, as I mentioned at the outset, I am pleased that it was the one that launched me into learning more about Verdun. I will be referring back to it time and again, especially in the coming weeks and months.

* I have fairly loosely and interchangeably referred to battle and campaign. While the largely stationary actions of the First World War are commonly referred to as battles, I find it more useful (for me) to consider them as campaigns with the sections and phases as battles.

Rating

Reference

Kaufmann, JE and Kaufmann, HW (2016) Verdun 1916 The Renaissance of the Fortress. Pen & Sword Military (an imprint of Pen & Sword Books Ltd), Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK. 255 pp.