Verdun 3: The opening onslaught 21st - 25th February

Crown Prince Wilhelm -
a better soldier than his
image suggested

The artillery onslaught before infantry action grew in enormity through 1915, starting at Neuve Chapelle, and increasing dramatically at Gorlice-Tarnow, Champagne and at Loos. Earlier in the war the heaviest German shelling had been at the great defensive fortifications at Liege, Naumur and Antwerp. But 1916 saw preliminary artillery bombardments grow to new levels of destruction. The assault on the centre of the Verdun salient comprised more than a million shells in twelve hours. Unlike the later British bombardment at the Somme - a full week - these German shells fell on fairly weak French positions. Even so, the limitations of the approach were there to see. As with indiscriminate bombing of cities by Germany and Britain during WW2, the apparent scale of destruction did not correlate directly with the 'degradation' of the enemy's resistance or morale. 

The leader of the German forces at Verdun - Crown Prince Wilhelm, the Kaiser's son - did not enjoy the public profile of a dashing young hero. His awkward manner and appearance had him lampooned as "the Clown Prince" by allied propaganda and cartoonists, nor was he was particularly popular in Germany. However, he was a good soldier who understood his men. He was unhappy with Falkenhayn's restricted objectives and knew that his men would fight better for a glorious cause than a cynical one. He was also concerned that his infantry might lose their edge if they were kept waiting too long. He wanted to press forward with decisive action from the 12th February, but he was foiled by bad weather.

An intermittent shelling of various points of the whole salient commenced on 16^th, but it was no heavier than many of the diversionary actions all along the Western Front. It was not until 21^st February that the French could be absolutely certain that Verdun was the object of German ambitions. A massive hammer blow of heavy artillery shelling commenced at 7.15 on that morning. It surpassed any previous bombardment, and for 12 hours more than 100,000 shells per hour fell on the 6 miles central section of the French line. Late in the afternoon the German infantry moved forward, expecting a trouble free advance to the main heights outside Verdun. Initially, the advance proceeded like clockwork. They advanced through the Bois de Haumont and the Bois de Caures, and the French line between Brabant and Herbebois was pulled back, effectively straightening out the blunt nose of the salient. Another heavy bombardment followed at first light on 22^nd, and a day of fierce fighting ensued, with valiant resistance form the French poilus in the southern parts of the woods. The Germans used flamethrowers in their attack on the village of Brabant and continued to flatten Herbebois with artillery. Mostly the day became one of desperate fighting in the south of the woods. By the end of the day the Germans had forced their way into the shattered village of Haumont, and were emerging from the Bois de Caures to the village of Beaumont. It was here that the heroic stand of the light infantry Chasseurs, led by the aforementioned Colonel Driant, held them up until nightfall. Driant had only two battalions, numbering 1300 men, against the centre of the German advance with nearly 150,000 men in total. Only 118 of Driant’s brave men survived but – as in Belgium in 1914 – the delay imposed on the German juggernaut by heroic resistance would prove significant. [Guderian, the Panzer ace of WW2 watched this as a junior intelligence officer from the Crown Prince’s HQ and resolved on a more mobile warfare in future]

Gradually the French had to fall back, but retreated skilfully. Driant was last to retire and fell, mortally wounded. (A poignant statue and tribute marks the spot just outside Beaumont, north of Douaumont).

The French now began to employ similar tactics to Falkenhayn – maximising the opponents’ losses. To the rear of Driant’s small force, Colonel Chretien’s 30^th Corps numbered 35,000 men. They resolved to withdraw a little with each successive German assault, taking as heavy a toll as possible, and then to stand on a final position at all costs once the enemy had been weakened. Accordingly, they resolved to pull back from Brabant to Samogneux, south of Beaumont.

Fort Douaumont pre battle
from the air, Feb 1916

The attack of 23^rd had a less precise artillery prelude, but another full day of vicious fighting. The French again withdrew their lines at the end of the day in order to strengthen defensively (sensible and appropriate, but opposite to Joffre’s early war tactics). They pulled back from Ornes and Beaumont, and also shortened their lines to the east of Verdun by pulling back from the Woeuvre. The retreat was another valiant affair that exacted very high German casualties.

By 25^th the French were virtually at the limit of their withdrawal. They were holding a line from Vacherauville on the Meuse, eastward along the Cote de Poivre, south of Louvement, then southwards by the woods of La Vauche and Hardaumont to the edge of the hills at the gorge of Vaux. The “must hold” positions were the Cote de Poivre on Froideterre and the Douaumont plain (fortunately not the Fort itself). This was the fifth day of battle. The Germans had anticipated holding Verdun itself by this time, and it had started snowing.  They were limited to a four mile front, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to advance further into a salient surrounded by strengthening defences. Falkenhayn's plan began to look suspect.