Falkenhayn

Erich von Falkenhayn, the German army chief of staff, told Kaiser Wilhelm that the czar’s army was so weakened by the blows it has suffered that Russia need not be seriously considered a danger in the foreseeable future.

And it was the place chosen by German general Erich von Falkenhayn to deliver a shattering blow to the French army and break France’s will to fight.

Falkenhayn’s plan was to strike at a vital location that the French could not afford to lose.

They would defend Verdun at all costs, Falkenhayn reasoned, and would fight to regain the city if it was lost.

Caught by surprise, as Falkenhayn had planned, and overwhelmed by the enemy’s numbers and firepower, the French began to fall back as the Germans advanced toward the key forts of Vaux and Douaumont.