~Date:~November 06~

Verdun, located on the Meuse River, is a small city in northeastern France. It is 225 kilometers away from Paris in the west and 58 kilometers away from Metz in the east. It is known as the "Key to Paris". In ancient times, it was a Gallic castle. In 843, Charlemagne

His three grandsons signed the Treaty of Verdun here to carve up Charlemagne's empire, establishing the Kingdom of East, Central and West Frankia, forming the prototype of the three kingdoms of Germany, Italy and France. After that, the ownership of Verdun changed. 1648

After it belonged to France in 1998, a series of forts were built in strategic locations around it and became fortresses. After that, it became a battleground between Prussia and France. In 1792, it was captured by the Austrian and Prussian allied forces. It was occupied by the Prussian army again during the Franco-Prussian War.

1873.

Verdun in 1916 was just an unnoticed fortress support point on the long Western Front. However, for this fortress, its dramatic beginning may have begun in June 1915, when the Military Committee of the French Parliament

A delegation from the 19th Army inspected the fortress there. Those delegates heard rumors at the front that some junior officers and soldiers in Verdun were worried because of their insecurity, because the Kaiser's army was just ahead.

Receiving the delegation were General Dubai, who commanded Army Group Eastern, and General Coutançeau, the governor of Verdun. General Dubai explained to the delegates that after experiencing the Battle of Liege and the Battle of Namur,

In the future, the practical use value of permanent fortresses no longer existed. They could certainly be destroyed by heavy howitzers and were therefore merely facilities for attracting artillery shells for the local garrison. The only effective defense at Verdun was a line of defense that guarded the extended ring of fortresses.

Field Army.

According to this well-founded idea, the equipment of the fortress has been dismantled, and the reserves of guns, garrison troops and warehouse supplies have been dispersed to various units. The local governor, General Kutangsuo, is a man of reckless nature, and almost immediately after the announcement of his superiors

After this opinion, he expressed a different opinion. He believed that the fort still had a high value and should play an important role together with the defense of the position. General Dubai was furious with his subordinates for such an interruption and attacked him.

The rebuke was so severe that after the delegation returned to Paris, they felt that they must appeal to the Minister of War to protect this outspoken officer from punishment and humiliation.

However, in fact, after a few weeks, the outspoken General Coutanceau was still transferred from the post of governor of Verdun and replaced by General Eyre. By the end of January 1916, including the Verdun garrison,

The command of the army in the area was transferred from General Dubai to the central army group commanded by General Drangler de Cary. Therefore, the responsibility for neglecting the comprehensive expansion of defense in the area is not centralized and therefore difficult to hold accountable.

In a purely military sense, Verdun was of no special importance to either the French or the German armies. The firepower equipment of the Verdun fortress had been dismantled. Verdun had no real ammunition depot; it had no real ammunition depot at any meaningful strategic point.

It has no protective effect. It is 220 kilometers away from Paris. Even if the German army captures the place, it will not have any significant impact on the security of the capital or the entire defense line.

Because of this, for the French military headquarters, they have never paid attention to this place. For the French, they have never considered that the Germans would launch an attack from here. But what they don’t know is that whether it is for the French

For both Kinghan and Ludendorff, this was a dangerous exit, endangering Germany's main railway lines less than 20 kilometers away.

However, in contrast, there are only two crappy railway lines in Verdun on the French side, while the German army in the occupied area of ​​​​this front has been supplied by no less than 15 railways. Therefore, the German army should try to prevent Verdun from attacking.

It was a piece of cake. Capturing Verdun would only bring military convenience to the German army at best, and would only be a minor inconvenience to the French army.

For the French, Verdun has no military significance, but for the French nation, there is an emotion attached to Verdun. Because of this, the French have not yet

When they realized all this, the Germans took the initiative to choose this place.

"It is the great fortress that stands proudly facing Metz. Its name has haunted the minds of Germans for many centuries. It is the most progressive castle in France and the main fortress on France's eastern frontier. Its fall

It will have repercussions throughout Europe, and once we capture it, the victories on the Marne and the Ise will forever be eclipsed."

In the headquarters of the Fifth Army with the "Crown Prince Wilhelm Army", Falkenhayn, who rushed to the front line from Berlin, looked at Crown Prince Wilhelm, whose reputation had soared after the victory in the Ardennes. He once again explained his attack to him.

Thought. At this time, the argument he expressed was the ideological basis for Falkenhayn's decision to attack Verdun by the German army.

"Our attack on Verdun will not be a "breakthrough" attack. The attackers will not be trapped in a pocket surrounded by fire from all sides. They will fire at the French army, and they will continue to shoot at the French army's pride.

The 18 divisions and a large number of artillery belonging to the 5th Army commanded by His Highness will deplete the French troops and make France "a river of blood."

While explaining his ideas, Falkenhayn seemed to be in high spirits. In his opinion, in the end, this place will attract the attention of the whole of France as he planned, and by then, this place will become a "

"Moulin" A mill that devoured the French.

"Rivers of blood?"

Crown Prince William looked at the French defense line in the Verdun area on the map, and looked at Falkenhayn with some doubts. At the same time, he frowned. Although he was only a colonel, as the crown prince, he

He was often summoned by his father as his son. However, he was uneasy about the attack on Verdun. In fact, after Falkenhayn proposed this strategic idea to his father William II last year, he

He had received this news from his father. Unlike Falkenhayn's strategic views, he was more inclined to the views of the vast majority of military staff on the staff. He also believed that it would be wiser to end Russia in the east first.

This move is because if Russia is defeated, Germany can be freed from the dilemma of fighting on two fronts. At the same time, Germany can use the resources of Russia and even Asia to help Germany win this war. Now Falkenhayn's choice is in

From his point of view, he is simply taking a risk, but on the other hand, because he has been suppressed for a long time, his opposition will not play a decisive role, even though he is the future owner of Germany. However, at this time, the law is as always

King Hann repeatedly declared that the French army would "shed all blood" at Verdun, which made him deeply uneasy because he did not believe that all the blood would only happen to the French army.

When it bleeds, Germany also bleeds.

"Once the battle begins, "Verdun", the proud place of the French, will become an anvil. The French will be hammered to death by German artillery on the anvil. The French army will hold on with patriotic passion.

A fixed position may be blown to pieces by artillery fire there! As long as one German soldier is killed for every two Frenchmen killed, then we will win the war! The ultimate goal of this battle is to,

Drain the blood of France with Verdun!”

The extremely cold words still made Crown Prince William look at him when he was slightly cheating. This was really... too risky. Did he never consider that compared to France, the blood of Germany is rarer?

Is German blood draining more easily?

"What if the French decide to abandon Verdun?"

Looking at the map, in Crown Prince William's view, Verdun may be a matter of honor, but in military terms it has no value worth holding on to. If he were Xiafei, faced with this situation, he would definitely withdraw from here.

,Then……

"Of course, if the French army is unwilling to make tragic sacrifices, if they think that there is no need to make huge sacrifices to defend the hills of Verdun with empty fortresses, then this plan aimed at making the French shed blood is also

It is bound to fail. I don’t want to take this argument too far.”

Falkenhayn spoke with great confidence.

"Whether it is for France or Germany, Verdun will be a monument to victory. The proud French will definitely use all their manpower and material resources to deal with the challenges coming from us..."

Falkenhayn, who had correctly measured the psychology of the French nation, suddenly raised his head to look at Crown Prince William, and then said forcefully.

"Therefore, we are going to launch an attack from here, and make the Gallic roosters pay the price for their arrogance, and ultimately let the entire France bleed dry!"

As he spoke, he raised his chin slightly and looked at Crown Prince William and said mysteriously.

"Moreover, in this battle, we will use an unprecedentedly powerful weapon. The use of this weapon will ensure that we can capture the French position at a very small cost. It can be said that this weapon

, will completely change the state of war on the Western Front!"

Falkenhayn's pride made Crown Prince William curious. He looked at Falkenhayn, who seemed somewhat mysterious. He had never doubted his confidence, but this was the first time he saw his mystery, so he

He asked with some doubts.

"General, can you tell me what weapon you are talking about?"

Faced with Crown Prince William's curiosity, Falkenhayn smiled slightly and then said.

"Your Highness will be able to see him next week after the railway is completed. When the battle begins, the whole of France, no, the whole world will witness the power of "Alfred"'s shocking power!

"

The moment he finished speaking, Falkenhayn tapped Verdun on the map table with his fist and said affirmatively.

"Verdun! This war will change from here!"

"Verdun!"

Thousands of kilometers away in Peiping City, in the military map room separated only by a wall from the Prime Minister's Office, a large map of the French battlefield is hung on the wall, while a military map of the Verdun area is tiled on the wall.

Map on the table.

"Believe me, this place will soon attract the attention of the world!"

Looking at Xiao Xiao standing in front of the military map, Li Zicheng said in an extremely confident tone that he had been observing the situation in Europe since the expedition. Although he did not know much about the history of World War I, he felt that because of "Verne

With the name "Meat Grinder", I remember that place and also the time - February 1916.

It was also from that time that Li Zicheng ordered the intelligence agency in France to collect intelligence on the Verdun area. The intelligence collected shocked him. The French did not seem to realize that the German army was attacking Verdun.

It can be said that the defense there is the weakest on the entire Western Front.

"According to the information we have, the French army's Verdun fortification area spans both sides of the Meuse River, with a frontal width of 112 kilometers and a depth of 15 to 18 kilometers; there are four defensive positions, the first three are field defense positions, and the fourth

The road is a solid position composed of permanent fortifications and two fortification zones. It is condescending and easy to defend but difficult to attack. The French 3rd Army has 11 divisions and more than 630 artillery pieces. It is commanded by General F. El., 5

One division defends the area north of Verdun, three divisions defend the area east and southeast of Verdun, and three divisions are deployed as reserves on the west bank of the Meuse River south of Verdun."

Then, Li Zicheng pointed towards the German-controlled area on the other side.

"The 5th Army commanded by the German Crown Prince Wilhelm has seven corps, a total of 18 divisions, more than 1,200 artillery pieces, and about 170 aircraft. In terms of military strength, the Germans have an absolute advantage. Considering that Verdun maintains

The national sentiments of the French nation. If the Germans attack here, the French will have almost no other choice but to defend Verdun. Unless the French can sit back and watch the fall of Verdun, which will cause a heavy blow to their national sentiments!

"

Recalling the information about the Verdun Meat Grinder that he had seen in some military magazines in the past, Li Zicheng was like a military strategist at this time. He was talking eloquently about several countries in the military map room.

The military staff of the National Academy of Sciences kept nodding their heads. They may have suspicions, but at this time, they did not want to disturb the Prime Minister's interest. After all, this was only his concern, and the National Academy of Sciences was very involved.

The expeditionary force's war is the same even in the presidential palace. Therefore, they are extremely cooperative with the Prime Minister's interest today. After all, sometimes, they can benefit somewhat from some of the Prime Minister's ideas. Although in

To a certain extent, he is an amateur, but many times he has some extremely novel ideas, and those ideas can always change the way war is conducted to some extent.

For example, airplanes, then airborne troops, and then... in short. There will never be any harm in listening to more of his thoughts on military matters. But today, they found that the Prime Minister is different from the past, because what he talked about

But it is a battle that may break out on the Western Front.

They don't have much confidence in the "future" battle mentioned by the Prime Minister. Although the State Council does not interfere with expeditionary military supplies, it does not mean that these military staff of the State Council do not pay attention to Europe. After all, they are now

Hundreds of thousands of colleagues have arrived in Europe, and hundreds of thousands of expeditionary forces are being formed in China.

Because of this, they are also paying attention to the development of the war situation in Europe. Because of the expedition of the expeditionary force, they no longer focus on the new tactics and new weapons shown in this European war.
To be continued...