The Battle of Verdun (WW1 Documentary)

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The Battle of Verdun represents the worst of trench warfare and the suffering of the soldiers in the minds of millions - and for many, the cruel futility of the First World War. But why did Germany decide to attack Verdun in the first place and why didn't they stop after their initial attack failed?
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David Garfinkle, Raymond Martin, Konstantin Bredyuk, Lisa Anderson, Brad Durbin, Jeremy K Jones, Murray Godfrey, John Ozment, Stephen Parker, Mavrides, Kristina Colburn, Stefan Jackowski, Cardboard, William Kincade, William Wallace, Daniel L Garza, Chris Daley, Malcolm Swan, Christoph Wolf, Simen Røste, Jim F Barlow, Taylor Allen, Adam Smith, James Giliberto, Albert B. Knapp MD, Tobias Wildenblanck, Richard L Benkin, Marco Kuhnert, Matt Barnes, Ramon Rijkhoek, Jan, Scott Deederly, gsporie, Kekoa, Bruce G. Hearns, Hans Broberg, Fogeltje
» SOURCES
Bourlet, Michaël. Verdun 1916. La guerre de mouvement dans un mouchoir de poche. 2023.
Krumeich, Gerd. «SAIGNER LA FRANCE»? MYTHES ET RÉALITÉ DE LA STRATÉGIE ALLEMANDE DE LA BATAILLE DE VERDUN, » Guerres mondiales et conflits contemporains, No. 182 (Avril 1996), pp. 17-29
Holstein, Christina. “The Battle of Verdun” Salient Points, vol 2 (12): 35-45.
Horne, Alastair. The Price of Glory. Verdun 1916. 1993 (1962).
Eberholst, Nicolai. “Ragnarok”. Salient Points, vol 2 (12): 65-70.
Lyons, Alex. “Twelve Days in Hell.” Salient Points, vol 2 (12): 77-84.
Bruce, Robert B. “To the Last Limits of Their Strength The French Army and the Logistics of Attrition at the Battle of Verdun 21 February - 18 December 1916.” Army History, no. 45, 1998, pp. 9-21.
Julien, Elise. “Verdun, Site of Memory.” International Encyclopedia of the First World War, 1 Apr. 2021, encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/verdun_site_of_memory.
Martin, William. Verdun 1916: “They Shall Not Pass.” (2001).
von Mellenthin, H. H. “Verdun: The Epic of the War.” Current History (1916-1940), vol. 4, no. 3, 1916, pp. 432-37.
Maufrais, Louis, et Martine Veillet. J’étais médecin dans les tranchées. 2008.
Afflerbach, Holger. Auf Messers Schneide. Wie das Deutsche Reich den Ersten Weltkrieg verlor (2018)
Lunn, Joe. Memoirs of the Maelstrom. A Senegalese Oral History of the First World War. (1999).
Osburg, Rolf-Rüdiger. Hineingeworfen. Der Erste Weltkrieg in den Erinnerungen seiner Teilnehmer. 2009.
Hart, Peter. The Great War 1914-1918. 2014.
 
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»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Jesse Alexander
Director: Toni Steller
Editing: Philipp Appelt
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: above-zero.com
Research by: Jesse Alexander
Fact checking: Florian Wittig
Executive Producer: Florian Wittig
Channel Design: Yves Thimian
Contains licensed material by getty images, AP and Reuters
Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3
All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2024

[@TheGreatWar]

Support Gilded Destiny on Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/gildeddestiny/gilded-destiny-a-grand-strategy-game?ref=16arxn Wishlist Gilded Destiny on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/2189430/Gilded_Destiny/

[@TeddyBelcher4kultrawide]

I gotta watch

[@Sean_Barry]

The line "I don't hate you. I don't hate anyone." made me tear up a bit. I really appreciate the way this channel always weaves in the people as more than just statistics.

[@johncox2865]

Of course he didn’t hate them. They had his gun !

[@criscabrera9098]

Time stamp on where he said that

[@deadlyknights1119]

​@@johncox2865 Bro, most soldiers don't want to go through any of this. They are being ordered to, refusal would lead to a cowardice charge, which leads to an execution. I hate that people have a belief that we humans thrive more from misery than happiness. A line from "The Great Dictator": You are not machines, you are not cattle, your men, you have the love of humanity in your hearts, you don't hate, only the un-loved hate, the un-loved and the un-natural"

[@justalpha9138]

@@johncox2865 When you go through that much misery and suffering, you just want it all to end. Also keep in mind, that aside from the uniforms and the languages, these were literal 18-20 guys brutally destroying each other...

[@Kruppt808]

People hate the suffering, the comrades getting killed for reason X by some old entrenched powerful person far away in a nice building, ordering the youth of his country into certain death and or disfigured/disabled.😢

[@antoinedoyen7452]

What a massacre...my grand father was 17 at Verdun...stayed 3 days in a hole of water and mud...then deeply wounded by german combat gas. He died at 50 yo ...he never really healed .

[@Thug-12Na]

It was such a awfull time n so much distruction death and mentaly insane

[@francisp7609]

My grandfather was also 17. He fought at Le Mort Homme, Le Chemin des Dames, le Fort de Vaux and Douaumont. He was decorated for capturing a German machine gun on his own. He was also gased. He died at 75 years old. Ils ne sont pas passes!

[@stewarta5993]

my grandfather was a piper. survivor

[@antoinedoyen7452]

@@stewarta5993 à musician you mean?

[@georgyzhukov6409]

rip

[@alexs_toy_barn]

Everyone sleepin' on the epic 3:25 Konstantine Schmidt von Knoblesdorf

[@RobertLocksley385]

Almost as great as our own Royal Navy Admiral The Honourable Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax. No, really. I kid you not. Look him up.

[@Allwin-lz6yj]

Nah Yves saint laurent best name of all time

[@Dayvit78]

That is an awesome name. Before hearing it, my favorite German name is August Wilhelm Antonius Graf Neidhardt von Gneisenau, which made for a pretty awesome ship name, too.

[@ronandrews2080]

Wow truly

[@ih6601]

What about Friedrich Kress von Kressenstein?

[@craiglakatos3742]

Two things: 1) I’m sure you hear this all the time, but Jesse your pronunciation of non-English names are excellent 2) love how you consistently mix in primary source material and cite your sources in the description. Keep up the great work!

[@jessealexander2695]

Thanks!

[@Ludwig_Cox]

His French and German pronunciation is fantastic, super rare for an English speaker because it's so difficult.

[@captintinsmith3774]

My great grand uncle Adrien survived this terrible Battle of Verdun..... Alas, his brother Camille, was killed at the Second Battle of Artois in September 1915.....

[@sgtdex3634]

You are of French descent ?

[@captintinsmith3774]

@@sgtdex3634 Indeed I am.... My father was French .....

[@sgtdex3634]

@@captintinsmith3774 ohhh nice I live in France my self I thought so because those names are French haha! Either ways I thank them for their service and sacrifice for this nation a million times even though I’m an immigrant I just can put my self and imagine what they went through not even speaking of Verdun I thank them !

[@captintinsmith3774]

@@sgtdex3634 I come from a long line of French Patriots..... My father was with the "Premiere Armee" under DeLattre De Tasigny and participated in Operation Dragoon .... I also have all of my ancestors "carnets militaires" going back to the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71..... I emigrated to the United States 43 years ago from Europe..... Anyways, my Great Grand Uncle Camille served in the 90th Infantry Regiment as a Sargent and is buried in Barly in the Artois region ..... I still have a sister in France that lives in the center near Chateauroux..... Anyways, Greetings from Kennesaw Georgia USA!👌😎

[@levimccarthy1259]

What is your last name if you dont mind my asking

[@martincohen155]

I visited last year. There's a feeling there. It's unmistakable. Rest their souls.

[@stixoimatizontas]

The aura always lingers...

[@owen1079]

Thank you for all your work. It's depressing these don't have MILLIONS of views. Your documentaries are painstakingly well made👍

[@skippygatten8572]

I visited Verdun. I hiked all around including Dead Man's Hill. Every few feet I was walking in and out of a shell crater. Trees are growing sideways because of the slope of the shell holes 100 years later. I also saw some bones which looked human.

[@ThePizzaGoblin]

Trees know which way is up

[@tj4234]

​@@ThePizzaGoblinI imagine he means growing sideways out the ground. Like trees do on a hill.

[@silasmerzenich]

Which year have you been there?

[@skippygatten8572]

@silasmerzenich I went in November 2018. I went to the Somme on Nov 11 for the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. I spent 2 weeks visiting the entire Western Front from the English Channel to the Swiss border.

[@skippygatten8572]

@ThePizzaGoblin what I ment was the trees were growing on the up and down slope of the shell crater. Yes the trees were pointed up😅

[@jota6262]

For Americans, our great battlefields, like Gettysburg, are picnic grounds, with manicured lawns. But if you want a taste of industrial war, spend an afternoon at Verdun- death is everywhere. Shell craters lip-to-lip for miles, old pillboxes and barbed wire strewn along your way, and even bones and live ordnance if you are unwise enough to stray from the trails. You will be face-to-face with the ghosts of landsers and poilus and you won't forget it.

[@StephenLyons-tl8ie]

True. I visited some years ago; just tragic.

[@Swellington_]

do you have some kind of weird reverse inferiority complex? And you sound as if its a bad thing the battlefields of the past in America are,well idk,something,but just because theirs no shrapnel or a live round or the yard gets mowed regularly,doesnt make it less or whatever your point is not being rude or whatevr but your comment just seemed a little.....odd

[@capablemachine]

@@Swellington_ I think the point is you can still see the carnage 11 decades later on a huge area. The landscape is permanently scarred by the ridiculous amount of ordinance and the scale of the battle. The difference between Gettysburg soldiers who would have seen themselves more like the Napoleonic era as compared to the hyper industrialised battle fields of world war 1. Can you even imagine a million shells fired? I can't.

[@chrismorgenstern4352]

If you were killed or traumatized or lost a leg at Gettysburg or at Verdun, there is no difference.

[@jota6262]

@chrismorgenstern4352 True, but we are all observers here, not participants. If you wish to see the effects of modern war, I would recommend Verdun (or Ukraine) over Gettysburg.

[@KPW2137]

This summer I visited Verdun and fort Douamont. It's beyond incredible, you can see all signs of the battle everywhere even though it's been over a century now.

[@mattkuhn6634]

I was there for the centennial of the armistice - it’s sobering still seeing the evidence of trenches and shell craters in the preserved areas.

[@KPW2137]

@@mattkuhn6634 yes. And these preserved areas aren't small.

[@Art3ga]

Went there last month, the feeling you get when entering the area is indescribable.

[@Gorboduc]

I'd love to see a video about the Red Zone, or "Zone Rouge", which is the area of the Verdun battlefield which is still so poisoned by shells and other toxins that nothing can grow or live there. Artillery rounds, though, are still dug up in quantity, and apparently every few years an unlucky tourist or collector gets blown up by one.

[@DuckAllMighty]

The red zone is the place in the World with the highest concentration of arsenic and other poisonous substances from shells and corpses pr sqkm. But there's still life there, trees and bushes grow and animals still live there. You are advised to stay out though and some places are inaccessible, bc it's too dangerous due to unexploded ordnance. French farmers are also not allowed to farm in the area, due to the crops getting poisoned. The French government still thinks, that it will take another 100-200 years to completely clean up the red zone.

[@andrewsoboeiro6979]

Jesse Alexander is one of the great battle-narrators of our time; I could listen to him narrate Borodino, Leipzig, Alamein, & now Verdun over & over!

[@kohtalainenalias]

there's enthusiasm in the tone and it's clearly articulated and pronounced

[@jessealexander2695]

Thank you!

[@andrewsoboeiro6979]

@@jessealexander2695 thank YOU!!

[@mu0FFpu0FF]

Yeah actually

[@arslongavitabrevis5136]

Jesse is very professional, you can tell by how he takes pains to pronounce German and French names correctly. I have never seen/heard anyone like him. He is a born storyteller.

[@Mplkjo15]

22:19 arguably? the french stopped a massive german offensive designed to pierce the front as a last ditch assault of 1915 (cf. 1:05). It IS a strategic defensive victory as it managed to stop a two year assault, there are no counter arguments possible.

[@robbygood3458]

I'm really loving these videos focusing on specific battles nd offensives. Could do make a video on the Carpathian campaign in 1915. It's such a forgotten front for the absurd amount of men lost there.

[@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506]

Yeah, as a Tyrolian, in every little village you go here, on the graveyard, most of the men who died in the first world war died in Galicia in the first 2 years of the war. It's were Austria lost its best men.

[@lorpot]

As a French, I am still moved by the shakehand between President Mitterrand and Chancelor Helmut Kolh at the Douaumont Memorial. Three wars and now we are friends and allies. At last.

[@yvesremaur4504]

Je traduis en anglais: "as a French" : as a Frenchman. "the shakehand" : the handshake.

[@lorpot]

@@yvesremaur4504 ​ @yvesremaur4504 Ce n'est pas pour vous vexer mais il n'y a que les fats français qui s'amusent à corriger les commentaires sur les réseaux sociaux. Même dans une conversation orale, un Américain trouverait impoli que vous le rattrapiez sur un mot. Ils se contentent gentiment que vous soyez globalement intelligible. Cela vous démangeait tant que ça de montrer à quel point vous m'êtes supérieur plutôt que donner votre avis sur le fond ?

[@michaelsinger4638]

The ultimate response to anyone clown who claims that “French soldiers cannot fight:”

[@alexsims6504]

The man seeing the monster in the dark is so unbelievably relatable. I remember sitting on my 50 cal, scanning the desert under night vision. There was nothing to see but the pinpoints of stars and the dark shapes of shrubs on the ground, but those dark shapes definitely started moving, I know that my eyes were tricking me from being overtired but I had my gun trained on some movement I would have sworn I saw, but no matter how much I kept staring at it I couldn't discern a shape. Turns out that it was just a branch, casting shadows from the moon and it would shift in the wind and my brain thought it was looking at an entire man slowly low crawling at me.

[@hlynnkeith9334]

Verdun gave birth to the fighter pilot. Oswald Boelcke flew at Verdun and started his Dicta Boelcke there. He organized communications with artillery units to alert him when and where French airplanes were in the air so his Feldfleger Abteilung could rise to meet them. This practice later became standard with the Luftstreitkräfte. But first it was done at Verdun.

[@francoisfoue]

The amount of industry is beyond belief: in 1916, France + GB + Italy produced together 600 000 75mm amunitions per day, France almost 300k, GB above 200k, Italy 100k

[@unitedkt18]

Yep, that's called decline

[@hadial-saadoon2114]

I spent a couple of days at Verdun in 2016, the centennial of the battle. The moonscape of shell craters endures after a century. Our first stop was Colonel Driant's bunker. The remnants of the trenches are still visible around it.

[@xDemon1cx]

The flags of France, Germany and the European Union flying on the top of the ruins of Douaumont are an unbeliavably powerful symbol. Whatever your thoughs on the EU are, it is just mind-boggling that it has managed to become a reality and make war between France and Germany (or any of the other members) a mad nightmare of the past

[@CROM-on1bz]

Don't be as stupid as me, don't visit Verdun on a cold winter morning where the fog covers part of the landscape, you have the impression that specters are going to appear on all sides, more than 100 years later Verdun remains a terrifying place.

[@keithplymale2374]

I have been to Verdun. You can still see the signs of what happened there many decades later. When you go into the Douaumont Ossuary you will see along the top of the walls the city symbols of all the cities where men who came to fight for France and died there came from. Among all the French ones you will see Chicago and New York. That is because this was the first place the Lafayette Escadrille flew, fought and died.

[@Michel-r6m]

There are villages completely whiped of the face of the earth. Only signs and bit imagination remind us about these "village detruit".

[@extrahistory8956]

These videos are such a nice reminder of the events from the main series.

[@gabespiro8902]

I read somewhere that the Gorlice-Tarnow offensive may have influenced Falkenhayn’s thinking There, the Germans and Austrians used local numerical advantage and overwhelming firepower to cause a break in an entrenched enemy line and the breakthrough was so devastating it caused the entire Russian line to collapse and what started as a limited offensive to relieve pressure on the Austrians turned into a huge victory for the central powers I think Falkenhayn figured that if he could recreate those conditions on the western front he could cause a similar catastrophic collapse in the French army, one that wouldn’t happen in Russia owing to their massive army and large interior.

[@sebmrtdem]

First of all, as a French guy, kudos to your french accent when you mentionned names and cities. Also, Great video. To give you an idea of the slaughter that Verdun was, 2 of my great great grandfathers died during the battle, and another one was left a cripple for the rest of his life, after having lost a leg during the shelling. I usually don't take the usual jokes about French soldiers being cowards well, but to me, Verdun is no joke at all. Again, great content. My thoughts also go to those german and allies soldiers who lost their lives in this pointless war.

[@jessealexander2695]

Thanks - and I am from Quebec so that explains the French. :)

[@GhostBear3067]

People tend to forget that in 1940 the world's reaction to the fall of France was less "lol cheese eating surrender monkeys" and more "HOLY S**T DID YOU SEE WHAT THEY DID TO FRANCE?!! WE ARE F***ED!!!"

[@Ludwig_Cox]

Another great documentary, Jesse Alexander is such a fantastic presenter. Being able to quote in French and German fluently makes a massive difference in terms of quality in comparison to other documentary's. When I saw that insane 7-hour long documentary on the Franco-Prussian war i was hooked. Everything in each video is quoted from quality sources which are available in the description and the video which is so fantastic. The research time on these videos must be insane. I'm a fan, keep 'em coming.

[@jessealexander2695]

Thanks!

[@erichluepke855]

What I love about this channel is the integration of strategic/tactical events and on-the-ground accounts of the horrors of war. To me, this is the essence of war. You can't get the whole story without both. The soldier account may let us see war as terrible and disgusting, but also as a tragic/heroic story of self sacrifice. If you look only at the strategy and tactics, you would never believe such fairy tales, but then you wouldn't understand why people would even do it.

[@jessealexander2695]

Thanks!

[@johnhenry4844]

Clicked so fast

[@amotaba]

Me

[@forgetfulfunctor1]

Same lol

[@kohtalainenalias]

.. and fought so hard, but in the end it doesn't even matter

[@jessealexander2695]

Nice. @@kohtalainenalias

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

RTH channel is one of the best historical coverage channels 🙏👍🏻

[@hanspick5511]

Those damn cowardly French! Too frightened to retreat or surrender. Fighting themselves to death because it was the eaeaeasy option and they lacked the courage to properly submit to superior forces! Always the same story with them, all through history.

[@TheGreatWar]

see what you did there

[@smal750]

reverse coping

[@CROM-on1bz]

If stupidity were an Olympic sport, you would be a gold medalist without question.

[@nathangilbert7850]

I always love these videos

[@andrewsoboeiro6979]

Fitting this should come out só shortly after Jesse’s “Fall of France” documentary- you can’t appreciate the tragedy of the Third Republic without seeing our hero in its prime!

[@theedslanky1235]

I love in Dan Carlins series when he talks about how france would give up just about anything in 1940 to have the first world War leadership, the more I learn on the subject confirms it for me too

[@akend4426]

I’ve never been this early to one of your videos before!

[@huntertrum3658]

I watched this channel all throughout highschool, and it helped me immensely! I was in highschool from 2014-2018; the dates of WW1 100 years later. when the war started, I was a Freshman, and by the time the war would have ended I was graduated. I remember it was very late into my Junior year, and just so happens that were were learning about WW1 and how the United States got involved. I remember is exact day, April 6, 2017. Why? Two reasons. that was the day the Americans joined the war 100 years ago, and this channel released a video on just that topic! I was amazed, it felt as if I was living through history (in my own weird little way lmao)

[@TheGreatWar]

10 year anniversary this year

[@autodidact537]

@@TheGreatWarOne of the problems that attackers faced in WW1 was that offence was on foot but defense could be mobile (rail or trucks).

[@porcine83]

Excellent as always. Germans motto for the 20th century could be "Tactical success, but strategic defeat."

[@seabrain1212]

This wasn't even a tactical success.

[@Atreides1GDI]

​@@seabrain1212it was

[@maximilianodelrio]

​@@Atreides1GDIOnly at first, then they were being shelled relentlessly in poor defensive positions

[@majormoolah5056]

I am very happy that you made such an even-handed video. Too often in the Anglosphere there are these cliches about the French military. Merci beaucoup :D

[@peterjensen2483]

Father and son fall one by one - fields of Verdun

[@KAISERSCHL8]

What a waste of brave young men from both of these great nations. Truly shows the horror of The Great War. Thank you for sharing, top tier quality, this channel never disappoints!

[@doctordetroit4339]

EVERYONE lost at Verdun......including the Allies.

[@fonzieke2933]

I hope you can keep making great videos like this !

[@Wladyslaw_Raginis]

My polish great grandpa fought there in the side of the germans.

[@alexandrefernandes5008]

Did he survived or he was a father before the war?

[@levimccarthy1259]

Do you happen to know his name

[@HistoryHaty]

Love Great War and Real Time History. Love studying the World Wars. Some might call me a nerd.

[@seandail1]

Nothing wrong with being a nerd like the rest of us!😊

[@HistoryHaty]

@@seandail1 Thank you so much👍👍👍.

[@Elongated_Muskrat]

The definition of insanity……

[@KarlBunker]

A beautifully put together video. Informative and moving in equal measure.

[@Malik-Ibi]

Great video, thank you very much. Are you including this video in your playlist 'All Videos from The Great War - chronological order' ? Are you still updating that list?

[@ElmerSpuda]

Unfortunate that Pétain will always be remembered as a disgraceful traitor.

[@Fallout3131]

As he is

[@IvanIvanov-pl8bm]

it would be great if you could make a clip or two about the congress of vienna 1815 and the two treaties of paris but it would be nice to touch on everything, especially the german question, the italian question, the saxony poland crisis, the river treaties, the colonial changes, the return of the old dynasties , the changes in Denmark and Sweden, the slave question not settled but beginning, the Netherlands, who are the Great Powers, how France comes in, the role of Sweden, Portugal and Spain, the small entry of Spain into the Great Powers and why it is removed from them, why the ottoman empire is not allowed, the secret agreements and the holy alliance

[@oldesertguy9616]

It's amazing that someone who is a career Army officer starts an attack with the idea that maybe some miracle will happen, and without any endgame strategy. And shame on his superiors for letting him.

[@Michel-r6m]

Been to Verdun and surroundings. Seriously impressive. Don't forget to sit and have a café at the bank of the Meusse river.

[@ManuelSalomon-pr1pi]

Thank you so much. I've been wanting you to do a video of verdun for a long time.

[@TheJoeSwanon]

Young men die for the eggs of old men

[@awkc63]

I love the whole history of both World Wars, this one is likely my favourite WWI battle. The Battle of Verdun started. The battle took place on the hills North of Verdun-sur-Meuse in North-Eastern France. Although this battle wasn't the largest, or had the most casualties, it is remembered for a few different reasons. 1. More people died per square Kilometre during this campaign than in any other campaign during World War I. (31 people per KM²) 2. In the initial offensive, 2 out of 5 men were buried alive due to buildings collapsing from shelling. 2 more were injured in some way… and the fifth man, was awaiting his fate. 3. More flamethrowers were used by the Germans in one offensive than any other offensive in war history to date. This was the first campaign where a flamethrower offensive happened in such a big way. A total of 96 flamethrowers were used by the Germans during this time. 4. An estimated 65 million shells were fired from both sides during the 9 month campaign, making it the most during World War I. 5. A slogan used by the French during this campaign was used as Propaganda to help encourage more to enlist. This slogan was also the most used during the war. Ils ne passeront pas! (They shall not pass!) It was believed that if Verdun were to fall, then all of France would fall to the Germans. A total death count from both sides is approximately 305,000. Approximately another 552,000 - 650,000 were injured, captured or lost. The campaign lasted 302 days, to put these numbers into perspective, anywhere from 2,837 - 3,162 people were killed, injured, captured or lost PER DAY throughout the battle. This is one of the longest and most costly battles in human history.

[@sterlingpratt5802]

One of the biggest questions I have still about the war-“Why did Falkenhayn attack at Verdun? And why did he stay?”

[@flashgordon6670]

Dear Jesse Alexander: We’d all love to see a collaboration with you and Tino Struckman. You telling the story and interspersed with Tino, touring the battlegrounds. Showing the landscapes as they are today and merging them into the WW1 story, maps and photographs. Not sure how that would work, but just an idea that came to me. You are both 2 of the greatest historians and treasures on YT and deserve the Medal of History. 🎖 I salute you. Thanks a Million!

[@vincents8165]

Apparently one of the villages near Verdun (perhaps Fleury sous Douaumont) changed hands between the French and Germans - in hand to hand combat - 16 times in just one day.

[@davidhughes8357]

Excellent documentary. European history has seen great achievements but is littered with the corpses of regular people sacrificed in the name of national pride and the quest for power in never ending conflicts. As it was then and as it is to this very day.

[@varovaro1967]

Falkenhayn had nightmares until his deathbed

[@ethancoster1324]

I heard that the Germans ended up shelling their own men on mass during the initial barrage.😅 Absolute madness all round.

[@Digmen1]

Thanks Jesse this is one of the best presentations on Verdun that I have read or seen. And I have read and seen a lot!

[@jessealexander2695]

Thanks!

[@AndrewC.McPherson-xf5zw]

What a crazy death cauldron.

[@indianajones4321]

Fields of Verdun intensifies

[@alexandrefernandes5008]

Yes

[@emileveilleux3074]

France have the most victory in history

[@WJack97224]

War is wickedness. The Germans failed to heed the warnings of Sun Tzu and Clausewitz. The weight of demographics, insecure communications, weakness of production and lack of ocean transportation doomed the Germans. True Christians do not follow politicians violent drives to war.

[@friedrichtellberg7676]

Thank you for so many beautiful and interesting episodes. You are a unique voice. Mein Englisch ist weniger gut als mein Deutsch, Ich finde Ihren Umgang mit Quellen super. Unterstütze Sie gerne. Herzlichen Gruß aus Belgien.

[@jessealexander2695]

Vielen Dank, dank U wel, merci beaucoup!

[@PassiveDamage]

France during ww1 & 2 had an awful lot of commanders denying and withdrawing vital equipment JUST before a charge its almost like they tried rolling over for Germany but were thwarted by their own soldiers determination.

[@Doc_Tar]

Excellent history of Verdun. I didn't notice any mention of the Somme or was it not the factor that the Allies hoped it would be on relieving all the pressure placed on Verdun?

[@alexandrefernandes5008]

Not an expert, but I think it did

[@azimisyauqieabdulwahab9401]

The deadliest war for all time

[@TheGreatWar]

you will learn soon in our Somme video ;)

[@alexandrefernandes5008]

@@TheGreatWar I AM waitinnnggg

[@EricEscander]

​@TheGreatWar you guys are awesome!

[@billyyank2198]

At what point did the German command say, "We're ver-Done with this battle" ?

[@johnbergmann2896]

This entire war is a great representation of the "sunk cost fallacy". They will say about how an operation failing would "be a disaster" when, everything about this war was a disaster, a never ending rolling disaster. Even after it was over because it contributed so much to the next one.

[@andrewklang809]

France lost more men in the greater Battle of Verdun than Germany did, and Germany had more men to lose. But history is rarely determined by a battle, even a several-month battle. The French did what they needed to do - hold on. The Germans failed at what they needed to do - break the French. France had stronger allies than Germany did, and not by a quirk of fate, but by superior diplomacy. Math can only take you so far. Context is everything. The German Army was second-to-none on the tactical and operational level. But, strategically, they were led by arrogant fools.

[@dano4996]

I quite agree with that. The French victory in WW1 has been greatly favoured by an efficient diplomacy which achieved to have alliances with Britain and Russia. it's a very classical trap that France used in many wars against a Germanic power (Austria, Prussia...)

[@jdbb3gotskills]

“I don’t hate you, I don’t hate anyone” that hits hard 😢

[@drrizzla4557]

almost 75% of the French Army experienced the fire in Verdun during the 10 months of this battle

[@GraemeS-pk9cz]

Very well done, thank you. I think you could add that two thirds of the German artillery was heavy and super-heavy, a concentration of heavy guns the like of which had never been seen before, and perhaps would never be seen again. I think this is an important omission in your video.

[@tonyhawk94]

Germans thinking that they would inflict significantly more casualties by being on the offensive side is such a stupid assumption in the first place. And still to this day imperialistic powers thinks likewise.

[@coling3957]

Petain did such a grest job at Verdun and up until the end of the war... but age and cynicism changed him so much later. in 1940 it made no sense bringing him into French govt, let alone making him leader, he was completely defeatist.

[@michaelnoonan352]

It was the Stalingrad of the First World War

[@thierrylofoten4470]

In duration and in atrocity, certainly, but not in results.Stalingrad ended with fully annihilation of the "spearhead" of the Wehrmacht, the 6th army. At the end of battle of Verdun, the French and Germans returned to the starting position, both weakened.

[@michaelnoonan352]

Indeed so. There are similarities, but also differences @@thierrylofoten4470

[@YapsiePresents]

I can't believe i forgot ww1 was also a war where chemical weapons were used normally.

[@Duececoupe]

There's documentaries about the Great War, then there's The Great War channel....👍🏻👌🏼👏🏻

[@nicktrueman224]

Death won at Verdun. Both sides RIP. What they did to these men was criminal.

[@henriashurst-pitkanen8735]

Pedro Pascal is NOT having a nice time at Verdun in the thumbnail.

[@GhostBear3067]

Nobody had a nice time at Verdun.

[@tTimba]

So the germans chose one of the most fortified areas of the frontline in hopes of damaging the french national morale. Did i misunderstand it? It just seems so risky and a waste of resources that couldve been used on an attack on a lighter defended area.

[@sonnyb7612]

Great video. Exactly the type of WW1 battle documentary that I like. Luckily/sadly there's plenty to make in this conflict.

[@effexon]

generals just calculating hundreds of thousands losses like daily tomato.

[@Ukraineaissance2014]

I agree that the role of verdun was lied about after the war by german commanders. They simply didnt have the resources to take on the entente/allies, especially on the attack which swallows up far more men and weapons than the defense. This fact was the basis for the schlieffen plan which relied on winning the war through quick manouevre before the greater population and industry of the entente powers could have an effect.

[@iloveSUVs]

Excellent documentary. I was most impressed with Jesse Alexander's French and German pronunciation.

[@ThymariVanRaalte]

So in conclusion: - Lost because Falkenheim was replaced by Brandenburg. Brandenburg ceased the siege and gave the French more time. - Petaine knows that he must consolidate Verdun, and so he did.

[@adriangoodman8901]

Hello

[@TheGreatWar]

hello

[@amoryhall1796]

Great presentation and analysis of an epoch-defining battle.

[@delboy1727]

I have visited Verdun a few times, and one of the statistics that I still find difficult to comprehend, is the number of artillery shells fired by both sides. If the shells fired was averaged out over the 10 months of the battle, it's the equivalent of 1 being fired every 3 seconds. 1 shell, non-stop, every 3 seconds for a period of 10 months. Obviously that's not how the battle was fought, and there would have been peaks and troughs in the shelling, so I can't imagine what it was like during the times of peak bombardment.

[@dansmith4077]

Great video thanks

[@kidmohair8151]

24 years later the Boches just bypassed Verdun... even then, they still didn't win.

[@Angrymuscles]

We need an RTH episode about Bulgaria in World War 2. One among many forgotten or ignored warring powers, none of whom we should forget.

[@CultistOfNimrod]

What an unimaginable horror, no fvking wonder why men went insane from front line service

[@MrFinds71]

Alternate interpretation: Falkenhayn knew the allies would launch an offensive in the summer of 1916 (they thought in Picardy). He was also aware of the inexperience of the English army. He decided on the offensive in Verdun, cause he knew the French would fight to the end for it. Therefore attracting the French army into Verdun so that England would have to take a greater role in their summer offensive. Falkenhayn was convinced he would beat the English easily. The two stage plan (first weakening the French army at Verdun, then annihilate the English when they attack) would turn the tide in favor of Germany. That plan somewhat succeeded. The french army fought better than expected and inflicted almost as much casualties to the Germans… but England did suffer at first catastrophic losses in July)

[@amotaba]

Like

[@GarroLegionofOne]

It was believed that verdun was the most heavily fortified area on the western front, but by 1916 it was actually one of the weakest

[@bodavidson2804]

"several Alsatian deserters revealed the coming attack" Man they're smart dogs .....

[@dano4996]

As a matter of fact, the majority of Alsatians were sent to the eastern front to avoid this

[@bodavidson2804]

@@dano4996 poor dogs 😔

[@Litepaw]

"its just a short sharp military operation. We're gonna be drinking wine in Kiev, i mean Verdun in 3 days"

[@captainjack8319]

When you consider the vast battles, and immense suffering, of wars throughout history, it makes me grateful for being alive at this time-despite any shortcomings or problems.

[@bachtruongson9408]

Small correction with the map at 1:02: Germany is supposed to own Memel