"They Shall Not Pass!"

By 1916 the Western Front was a stagnant killing ground as neither side could successfully breakthrough the other's front line trenches. Even worse than the massive casualties on the battlefield was the deteriorating situation at the home front for many of the nations. Great Britain and France were doing a good job keeping their populace fed, while on the other hand, Germany was barely able to stop famine and starvation in early 1916. With the realization that Germany would probably be knocked out of the war from starvation soon, the German high command concluded that they had to get France out of the war and then focus on the British. To do this General Eric Falkenhayn proposed that they bleed France white, aka killing so many of their soldiers that the French public would force their government to seek a truce.


The Germans decided that they would strike at Verdun, a city sacred to the French so that the French army would be forced to protect it. On February 21st, the battle began with a ten hour artillery bombardment that lobbed over a million, yes a million, shells on the French forward trenches. The French were totally caught off guard by this attack yet they bravely stood their ground. Many French soldiers were simply buried to death from their trenches caving in due to the artillery barrage. After the barrage, the Germans sent in Stormtroopers and flamethrowers to finish off the surviving men in the trenches. The French were subsequently pushed back, day by day, until the Germans were slowed by French artillery and by March the German offensive had been stopped. French General Nivelle famously told his men that the Germans shall not pass and take Verdun. After being stopped by the French artillery, the Germans then turned their attention to several forts located near the city of Verdun, after brutal fighting and bitter causalities the Germans successfully captured Forts Douamont and Vaux. By this point, though the German high command had concluded that the Battle of Verdun was a complete failure; the Germans were taking the same amount of causalities as the French, if not more, and were bleeding white themselves, yet Falkenhayn refused to call the offensive off. As a result, the French and Germans continued fighting around Verdun until December 1916. The French finally drove the Germans back to their pre-battle trenches, and the battle finally ended on December 22nd with a French victory. Indeed, the Germans had not passed, and France had won the day.


French casualties were between 300 and 500 thousand men, with about 150,000 KIA

German casualties were between 300 and 450 thousand men with about 140,000 KIA


Verdun was the longest continuous battle in human history, it lasted 299 days, yet the war would still go on for two more brutal years. I don’t think I need to say more; it was a bloody battle that killed scores of young men. Let us hope that this sort of industrialized killing and slaughter never happens again.

Fort Douaumont before the Battle


And after the Battle




The Battlefield of Verdun as it is today.

French soldiers at Verdun.

Hi guys, this is a VERY brief summary of the Battle of Verdun, if you want to learn more about the battle then I strongly suggest you go “The Great War” on YouTube. They have a week by week analysis of The First World War, including Verdun.

It’s my birthday today so I decided to get a few things, including a reproduction poster of a WW1 French PR piece concerning the Battle of Verdun and an amazing looking 1916 5 Centime piece.



To keep things legal here is a nice Eastern Roman Follis of Heraclius, Heraclius Constantine, and Martina that I also bought.

 

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Very nice and moving testimony and write up, thank you !
As you may already know, because I wrote that so many times here, my grand father was there and eventually found a roman sestertius while digging a trench during that terrible battle, that he gave me 50 years after the end of WW1 in 1978, and that has been the real start of my ancient coins addiction. Here it is (again....)


Commodus, Sestertius Minted in Rome, AD 192
L AEL AVREL CO---MM AVG P FEL, Laureate head of Commodus right
HERCVLI ROMANO AVG, Hercules facing, head left, holding club and lion's skin, resting on trophy. SC in field
21,01 gr
Ref : RCV #5752, Cohen #203, BMC # 314. RIC # 640.

This is the very first roman coin I have ever possessed, gift from my grand father who found it digging a trench at Verdun battle during WWI

Q

 

Man, talk about pedigree...! That sestertius certainly has a story in your family.

 

@Cucumbor
Wow! I'll be damned if that coin doesn't have the best pedigree on Coin Talk.
Hats off to your Grandfather, he had to be one brave man.

 

@Magnus Maximus

Thanks for the great writeup. I have never visited the battlefields of France. I have however spent some time on the WW I battlefields of Belgium. Being there was an unforgettable and moving experience. I will never forget standing in the place where John McCrae wrote "In Flanders' Fields".

 

Thank you @Magnus Maximus , now tears are coming. Yes he's been much more brave than I would have been I guess, during the five years of his service he's been wounded five times. In 1980 before his passing he told me he still had nightmares about that : millions of young guys that have been destroyed for their entire lives whatever their nationalities

Q

 

Well done, Magnus Maximus! I've always been interested in WWI history. I toured the Verdun battlefield many years ago and it was an awesome experience. My grandfather was a WWI veteran and he had a (reissued) Verdun medal. He was not in the original battle but he served as a US soldier in the Argonne and St.Mihiel sectors. The French awarded them to US and Allied soldiers who served in the vicinity later in the war. Here is an image of one. This is not my grandfathers. His is in a safe deposit box in New England but this is what it looks like.

My grandfather had the highest respect for the French soldiers. His unit apparently was supported and supplied by the French Army on different occasions. If ever he heard someone putting them down even jokingly he didn't hesitate to set them straight.

 

@Deacon Ray Very cool!
He must have fought in the Meuse Argonne Offensive of late 1918, also know as the battle to conquer hell.

Here is an image of two Doughboys in the Argonne, or what's left of it.

 

Terrific coin MM.....and a wonderful write-up of the disturbing carnage that was WWI.

 

A great post!

Edit: and Happy Birthday!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

..and a great write up MM!

I collect German notgeld (war emergency money..and related stuff), here's an interesting piece with a link to the ancient world.




The fellow on the obverse is Saint Maurice, who has been depicted as on this coin since the middle ages. He is still on the city Coburg's coat of arms (except during the Nazi period when this was replaced for reasons you can probably guess).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coburg

According to the standard story, he was the leader of a Roman legion consisting largely of Christians. He knocked heads with Maximian by refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods and refused to rough up some fellow Christians. Long story short: whole legion executed, Maurice and several others saints. How much of the story is true is unknown.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Maurice

 

Happy Birthday and fascinating write-up. I only have to add that field-marshal Petain was one of the prominent military leaders in the battle of Verdun. He called upon all the French youths to join the battle field by cars, starting from Paris. His call was responded.

 

Happiest of Birthdays, and even MORE Happier ones to come!
Best,
Brian

 

Many of the things my grandfather saw and experienced were horrific! He was blinded by gas and was in the hospital for months. Eventually his sight returned and he asked to be sent back to the front because he had friends and family there. His brother (who was later killed in action), his uncle, and many of his childhood friends were in the same unit. None of it changed his faith and love of humanity. He went on to become a highly respected ophthalmologist who never turned anyone away because they couldn't pay.

 

An excellent recount of a terribly sad episode in the history of Europe.

My grandfather also fought at Verdun - on the german side, for which he was awarded the Eiserne Kreuz (Iron Cross). I remember he would show it to me when I was a child.
He only spoke about the Great War reluctantly. I can understand why.

 

Happy birthday Magnus Maximus, and thanks for a very moving write up. And your very lucky Cucumbor to have such a brave man as a grand father, and to be a able to hold an ancient coin he found and gave to you that is just WOW.

 

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone.
@Eduard Reading about the First World War has changed my view on life, I now get so pissed of when I see stupid politicians who want to start wars for no tangible reason. It's crap like that that leaves 40 million brave men dead.

 

Happy B-Day @Magnus Maximus

I was in the military during times of war, but myself never in a warzone. I did once have the opportunity to visit the battlefields of Verdun and it was not until the moment I peered through a window of the Douaumont Ossuary that the horrors of war were by me understood.


not my photograph

 

Happy birthday, MagMax!

 

Happy B-Day @Magnus Maximus! That poster is awesome and great write-up.

@Cucumbor My Grandfather is also the reason I collect ancients and militaria. He brought back an antoninianus from Europe during WWII. I remember thinking how could a 2000 year old coin be in perfect condition.