Wikipedia:Disambiguation: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox Military Conflict |
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{{guideline|[[WP:D]]<br>[[WP:DAB]] <br>[[WP:DISAMBIG]]}} |
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|conflict=Battle of Verdun |
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|partof=[[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] ([[World War I]]) |
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|image=[[Image:Verdun and Vincinity - Map.jpg|300px|Battle of Verdun]] |
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|caption= |
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|date=[[21 February]] – [[19 December]] [[1916]] |
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|place=[[Verdun]]-sur-Meuse, [[France]] |
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|result=Marginal French victory |
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|combatant1=[[Image:Flag of France.svg|25px]] [[France]] |
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|combatant2=[[Image:Flag of the German Empire.svg|25px]] [[German Empire]] |
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|commander1=[[Philippe Pétain]]<br>[[Robert Nivelle]] |
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|commander2=[[Erich von Falkenhayn]] |
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|strength1=About 30,000 on [[21 February]] [[1916]] |
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|strength2=About 150,000 on [[21 February]] [[1916]] |
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|casualties1=378,000; of whom 120,000 died |
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|casualties2=337,000; of whom 100,000 died}} |
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{{Campaignbox Western Front (World War I)}} |
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The '''Battle of Verdun''' was one of the most important battles in [[World War I]] on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]], fought between the [[German Empire|German]] and [[French Third Republic|French]] armies from [[21 February]] to [[19 December]] [[1916]] around the city of [[Verdun|Verdun-sur-Meuse]] in northeast [[France]]. |
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{{Guideline list}} |
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{{Dabnav}} |
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'''Disambiguation''' in Wikipedia is the process of resolving conflicts in article titles that occur when a single term can be associated with more than one topic. In many cases, this same word or phrase is the natural title of more than one article. In other words, [[wiktionary:disambiguation|disambiguation]]s are paths leading to different topic pages that share essentially the same term in their title. |
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The Battle of Verdun resulted in more than a quarter of a million deaths and approximately half a million wounded. Verdun was arguably the longest battle and one of the bloodiest in World War I. In both France and Germany it has come to represent the horrors of war, similar to the significance of the [[Battle of the Somme (1916)|Battle of the Somme]] in the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] and the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]]. |
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For example, to create a link to [[Mercury]], just put double square brackets around the word — <nowiki>[[Mercury]]</nowiki> — producing [[Mercury]]. Now, [[Mercury]] is a ''disambiguation page'', listing the several usages of the word. All ''Mercury'' links in an article probably refer to a particular Mercury, such as the element ([[Mercury (element)]]), the planet ([[Mercury (planet)]]), the automobile brand ([[Mercury (automobile)]]), the record label ([[Mercury Records]]), the NASA manned-spaceflight project ([[Project Mercury]]), the plant ([[Mercury (plant)]]), or the Roman god ([[Mercury (mythology)]]). |
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The Battle of Verdun popularised the phrase ''"Ils ne passeront pas" ("[[They shall not pass]]"'') in France, uttered by [[Robert Nivelle]], but often incorrectly attributed to [[Philippe Pétain]]. |
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__TOC__ |
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==Symbolic value of Verdun== |
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Two different methods of disambiguating are discussed here: |
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* '''disambiguation links''' — at the top of an article, a note that links the reader to articles with similar titles or concepts that the reader may seek instead of the current article. |
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* '''disambiguation pages''' — non-article pages that contain no content and refer users only to other Wikipedia pages. |
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For centuries Verdun had played an important role in the defence of its hinterland, due to the city's strategic location on the [[Meuse]] River. [[Attila the Hun]], for example, failed in his [[fifth century]] attempt to seize the town. In the division of the empire of [[Charlemagne]], the [[Treaty of Verdun]] of [[843]] made the town part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. The [[Treaty of Munster|Peace of Munster]] in [[1648]] awarded Verdun to France. Verdun played a very important role in the defensive line that was built after the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of [[1870]]. As protection against German threats along the eastern border, a strong line of fortifications was constructed between Verdun and [[Toul]] and between [[Épinal]] and [[Belfort]]. Verdun guarded the northern entrance to the plains of [[Champagne (province)|Champagne]] and thus the approach to the French capital city of [[Paris]]. |
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== Deciding to disambiguate == |
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Ask yourself: When a reader enters this term and pushes "[[Wikipedia:Go button|Go]]", what article would they most likely be expecting to view as a result? (For example, when someone looks up [[Joker]], would they find information on a comedian? On a card? On Batman's nemesis? On the hit song or album by The Steve Miller Band?) When there is no risk of confusion, do not disambiguate or add a link to a disambiguation page. |
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In [[1914]], Verdun held fast against German invasion, and the city's fortifications withstood even [[Big Bertha (Howitzer)|Big Bertha]]'s artillery attacks. The French garrison was housed in the citadel built by [[Vauban]] in the [[17th Century]]. By the end of the [[19th Century]], an underground complex had been built which served as a workshop, munitions dump, hospital, and quarters for the French troops. |
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===What not to include=== |
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====Dictionary definitions==== |
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A disambiguation page is not a list of dictionary definitions. A short description of the common general meaning of a word can be appropriate for helping the reader determine context. Otherwise, there are templates for linking the reader to [[Wiktionary]], the wiki dictionary; see [[Wikipedia:How to link to Wikimedia projects#Wiktionary]]. |
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==Background== |
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====Duplicate topics==== |
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Disambiguation should not be confused with the [[Wikipedia:Merge|merging]] of [[Wikipedia:Duplicate articles|duplicate articles]] (articles with different titles, but regarding the very same topic, for example "[[gas turbine]]" and "combustion turbine", or "[[restroom]]" and "washroom"). These are handled with [[Wikipedia:Redirect]]s. |
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After the Germans failed to achieve a quick victory in 1914, the war of movement soon bogged down into a stalemate on the Western Front. [[Trench warfare]] developed and neither side could achieve a breakthrough. |
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====Lists==== |
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Lists of articles of which the disambiguated term forms only a part of the article title don't belong here. Disambiguation pages are not search indices. Do not add links that merely contain part of the page title (where there is no significant risk of confusion). |
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In [[1915]] all attempts to force a breakthrough—by the Germans at [[Second Battle of Ypres|Ypres]], by the British at [[Battle of Neuve Chapelle|Neuve Chapelle]] and by the French at [[Battle of Champagne|Champagne]]—had failed, resulting only in terrible casualties. |
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====List of ships==== |
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{{main|Wikipedia:WikiProject Ships#Index Pages|Wikipedia:WikiProject Ships#Index page template}} |
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The German Chief of Staff, [[Erich von Falkenhayn]], believed that although a breakthrough might no longer be possible, the French could still be defeated if they suffered sufficiently huge casualties. He planned to attack a position from which the French could not retreat, both for strategic reasons and for reasons of national pride, so imposing a ruinous [[battle of attrition]] on the French armies. The town of Verdun-sur-Meuse was chosen to "bleed white" the French: the town, surrounded by a ring of forts, was an important stronghold that projected into the German lines and guarded the direct route to [[Paris]]. |
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Lists consisting entirely of ships replace disambiguation pages. Where a vessel is listed among other entries by a hull number or other abbreviation, the entry should conform to the style for ships. |
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In choosing the battlefield, Falkenhayn looked for a location where the material circumstances favored the Germans: Verdun was isolated on three sides; communications to the French rear were poor; finally, a German railhead lay only twelve miles away, while French troops could only resupply by a single road, the [[Voie Sacrée]]. In a war where [[materiel]] trumped ''élan'', Falkenhayn expected a favorable [[Loss Exchange Ratio|loss exchange ratio]] as the French would cling fanatically to a death trap. |
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====Sister projects==== |
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Disambiguation descriptions should not be created for subjects whose only articles are on pages of sister projects, even if the disambiguation page already exists (e.g., the [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation/Sep11|poll on 9/11 victims]]). Subjects that have articles on both Wikipedia and sister projects are, of course, fine. |
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Rather than a traditional military victory, Verdun was planned as a vehicle for destroying the French Army. Falkenhayn wrote to [[Wilhelm II of Germany|the Kaiser]]: |
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====Summary or multi-stub pages==== |
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Several small topics of just a paragraph or so each can co-exist on a single page, separated by headings. Although this is similar to a disambiguation page, the disambiguation notice '''should not''' be put here, as the page doesn't link to other articles closely associated with a specific term. |
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<blockquote>"The string in France has reached breaking point. A mass breakthrough—which in any case is beyond our means—is unnecessary. Within our reach there are objectives for the retention of which the French General Staff would be compelled to throw in every man they have. If they do so the forces of France will bleed to death."</blockquote> |
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As each [[Wikipedia:section|section]] grows, there may come a time when a subject should have a page of its own. (See [[Wikipedia:Article size]] and [[Wikipedia:Summary style]].) |
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Recent scholarship by [[Holger Afflerbach]] and others, however, has questioned the veracity of the Christmas memo {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. No copy has ever surfaced and the only account of it appeared in Falkenhayn's post-war memoir. His army commanders at Verdun, including the German Crown Prince, denied any knowledge of a plan based on attrition. It seems likely that Falkenhayn did not specifically design the battle to bleed the French Army, but justified ''ex-post-facto'' the motive of the Verdun offensive, despite its failure. |
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Although many pages rely on this principle, it has become more common for each subject to have a separate page for its own stub. |
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==Battle== |
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Always use {{tl|split}} or {{tl|splitsection}}, and reach consensus before attempting the split. [[Wikipedia:Be bold in updating pages]] doesn't apply, as it is very difficult to revert a split, often requiring extensive assistance by administrators. |
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[[Image:Battle of Verdun map.png|thumb|300px|Map of the battle]] |
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[[Image:Verdun burning 1916.jpg|thumb|300px|Verdun burning during bombardment with incendiary shells]] |
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==Disambiguation links== |
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Verdun was poorly defended because most of the artillery had been removed from the local fortifications, but good intelligence and a delay in the German attack due to bad weather gave the French time to rush two divisions of 30th Corps—the 72nd and 51st—to the area's defense. |
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A user searching for a particular term might not expect the article that appears. Therefore, helpful links to any alternative articles with similar names are needed. One of the [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Template examples|templates]] shown below may be used. Their parameters are described in [[Template talk:Otheruses4]]. |
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The battle began on [[February 21]], [[1916]] with a nine-hour artillery bombardment firing 1,000,000 shells by 1,200 guns on a front of 40 kilometres (25 [[Mile|mi]]), followed by an attack by three army corps (the 3rd, 7th, and 18th). The Germans used [[flamethrower]]s for the first time to clear the French trenches. By 23 February the Germans had advanced three miles capturing the Bois des Caures after two French battalions led by Colonel [[Émile Driant]] had held them up for two days, and pushed the French defenders back to [[Samogneux]], [[Beaumont-en-Auge|Beaumont]], and [[Ornes]]. Poor communications meant that only then did the French command realise the seriousness of the attack. |
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===Top links=== |
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When a user searches for a particular term, he or she may have something else in mind than what actually appears. In this case, a friendly link to the alternative article is placed at the top. For example, the article about [[Alexander the Great]] contains a link to the 1956 film ''[[Alexander the Great (1956 film)|Alexander the Great]]'': |
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On [[24 February]] the French defenders of 30th Corps fell back again from their second line of defense, but were saved from disaster by the appearance of the 20th Corps under General Balfourier. Intended as relief, the new arrivals were thrown into combat immediately. That evening French Army chief of staff, General [[Noël Édouard, vicomte de Curières de Castelnau|de Castelnau]], advised his commander-in-chief, [[Joseph Joffre]], that the French Second Army under General Phillipe Petain, ought to be sent to man the Verdun sector. On [[25 February]] the German 24th ([[Brandenburg]]) Infantry Regiment captured a centrepiece of the French fortifications, Fort [[Douaumont]]. |
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{{For|the film of the same name|Alexander the Great (1956 film)}} |
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Castelnau appointed General Philippe Pétain commander of the Verdun area and ordered the French Second Army to the battle sector. The German attack was slowed down at the village of Douaumont by the tenacious defense of the French 33rd Infantry Regiment and heavy snowfall. This gave the French time to bring up 90,000 men and 23,000 tonnes of ammunition from the railhead at [[Bar-le-Duc]] to Verdun. |
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::Which is generated by entering: <nowiki>{{</nowiki>[[Template:For|For]]<nowiki>|the film of the same name|Alexander the Great (1956 film)}}</nowiki>. |
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::''Note that double brackets are'' '''not''' ''required within the template in order to generate the link.'' |
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As in so many other offensives on the Western Front, by advancing, the German troops had lost effective [[artillery]] cover. With the battlefield turned into a sea of mud through continual shelling it was very hard to move guns forward. The advance also brought the Germans into range of French artillery on the west bank of the Meuse. Each new advance thus became costlier than the previous one as the attacking [[German Fifth Army]] units, often attacking in massed crowds southward down the east bank, were cut down ruthlessly from their flank by Pétain's guns on the opposite, or west, side of the Meuse valley. When the village of Douaumont was finally captured on [[March 2]] 1916, four German regiments had been virtually destroyed. |
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Where there are several articles to be disambiguated from each other, include a link to a separate [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Disambiguation pages|disambiguation page]]. In many cases, the template {{tl|Otheruses}} is appropriate to link to that page. However, a variety of special cases are also handled. For example, |
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*[[Lace]] uses the disambiguation template {{tl|Otheruses2}}, which generates: |
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{{otheruses2|Lace}} |
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[[Image:Le Mort Homme 1916.jpg|thumb|300px|Le Mort Homme and Hill 287, May 1916]] |
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*Finally, [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] uses {{tl|Redirect}}, a different template incorporating ''redirect'' information: |
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{{redirect|Bach}} |
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Unable to make any further progress against Verdun frontally, the Germans turned to the flanks, attacking the hill of Le Mort Homme on [[6 March]] and [[Fort Vaux]] on [[8 March]]. In three months of savage fighting the Germans captured the villages of Cumières and Chattancourt to the west of Verdun, and Fort Vaux to the east surrendered on [[June 2]]. The losses were terrible on both sides. Pétain attempted to spare his troops by remaining on the defensive, but he was relieved on [[1 May]] and replaced with the more attack-minded General [[Robert Nivelle]]. |
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Above all, do not [[Wikipedia:Piped link|pipe]] the link. Show the entire linked article title ''as is'', to avoid confusion, which is the reason for the top link in the first place. |
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The Germans' next objective was Fort Souville. On [[June 22]] 1916, they shelled the French defences with the [[Use of poison gas in World War I|poison gas]] [[diphosgene]], and attacked the next day with 60,000 men, taking the battery of Thiaumont and the village of Fleury. The Germans, however, proved unable to capture Souville, though the fighting around the fort continued until [[September 6]]. |
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===Bottom links=== |
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Bottom links are deprecated. Such links are harder to find and easily missed. |
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For alternatives that are related to the article, |
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and not likely to be ambiguous, the "See also" [[Wikipedia:Section|Section]] is more appropriate. |
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The opening of the [[Battle of the Somme (1916)|Battle of the Somme]] on [[July 1]] 1916, forced the Germans to withdraw some of their artillery from Verdun to counter the combined Anglo-French offensive to the north. |
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===Template examples=== |
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A number of [[Wikipedia:templates|templates]] have been created to ensure the uniform appearance of disambiguation links, some of which were previously outlined: |
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*{{tl|Otheruses}} This template automatically generates the article title (in this instance, "Disambiguation") so you don't have to retype it, or in case the page is moved to one with a new name. |
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{{Otheruses}} |
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*{{tl|Otheruses2}} This template requires a link be entered ("DifferentArticleName") |
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{{Otheruses2|DifferentArticleName}} |
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*{{tl|Otheruses4}} to disambiguate one other topic |
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{{Otheruses4|'''This Topic'''|'''Another Topic'''|DifferentArticleName}} |
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*{{tl|Otheruses-number}} for year pages (in this example, the title of this page appears rather than a 4-digit numeral) |
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{{Otheruses-number}} |
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*{{tl|Otherplaces}}, analogous to {{tl|Otheruses}} |
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{{Otherplaces}} |
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*{{tl|Otherplaces2}}, analogous to {{tl|Otheruses2}} |
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{{Otherplaces2|DifferentArticleName}} |
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*{{tl|Otherpeople}} |
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{{Otherpeople}} |
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*{{tl|Redirect}} In this example, the term "Lalala" has been entered as the parameter: |
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{{Redirect|Lalala}} |
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By the autumn, the German troops were exhausted and Falkenhayn had been replaced as chief of staff by [[Paul von Hindenburg]] ([[Prussia|Prussian]] Army) and his co-commander General [[Erich Ludendorff]] ([[Bavaria|Bavarian]] Army). |
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A longer, but incomplete list of disambiguation templates is found at [[Wikipedia:Template messages/General#Disambiguation and redirection]], with further style information at [[Wikipedia:Hatnotes#Templates]]. Many more templates are listed in [[:Category:Disambiguation and redirection templates]]. |
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The French launched a counter-offensive on [[21 October]] 1916. Fort Douaumont was bombarded with new 400 mm guns (brought up on rails and directed by spotter planes), and re-captured it on [[October 24]]. On [[November 2]] the Germans lost Fort Vaux and retreated. A final French offensive beginning on [[December 11]] drove the Germans back to their starting positions. |
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[[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Links to disambiguation pages|Links to disambiguation pages]] include the text "(disambiguation)" in the title (such as [[America (disambiguation)]]). |
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[[Image:German dead at Verdun.jpg|thumb|300px|German dead at Verdun]] |
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==Disambiguation pages== |
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{{main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages)}} |
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==Casualties== |
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Each of these pages in Wikipedia comprises a list (or multiple lists, for multiple senses of the term in question) of similarly-titled links. |
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It was crucial that the less populous Central Powers inflict many more casualties on their adversaries than they themselves suffered. At Verdun, Germany did inflict more casualties on the French than they incurred—but not in the 2:1 ratio that they had hoped for, despite the fact that the [[German Army#World War I 1914–1918|German Army]] grossly outnumbered the French. |
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*Link to the primary topic (if there is one): |
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::A '''[[school]]''' is an institution for learning. |
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*Start each list with a short introductory sentence fragment with the title in '''bold''', and ending with a colon. For example: |
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::'''Blockbuster''' may refer to: |
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*Try to start each entry in the list with a link to the target page. |
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*Each bulleted entry should, in almost every case, have exactly one navigable (blue) link. |
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*Do not pipe the name of the links to the articles being listed. |
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*Only include related subject articles as long as the term in question is actually described on the target article. (For example, the [[Canton]] disambiguation page legitimately has an entry for [[Flag terminology]].) |
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France's losses were appalling, nonetheless. It was the perceived humanity of [[Field Marshal]] [[Philippe Pétain]] who insisted that troops be regularly rotated in the face of such horror that helped seal his reputation. The rotation of forces meant that 70% of France's Army went through "the wringer of Verdun", as opposed to the 25% of the German forces who saw action there. |
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Include the template {{tl|disambig}} (or other disambiguation template, such as {{tl|2CC}} or {{tl|Geodis}}) at the bottom as an indicator of the page's status. Following the template, include any of the standard categories as appropriate. |
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==Significance== |
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For a prime example of an actual disambiguation page, see [[Lift]]. |
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The Battle of Verdun—also known as the 'Mincing Machine of Verdun' or 'Meuse Mill'—became a symbol of French determination, inspired by the sacrifice of the defenders. |
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The successes of the fixed fortification system led to the adoption of the [[Maginot Line]] as the preferred method of defence along the Franco-German border during the inter-war years. |
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== |
==See also== |
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[[image:verdun_memorial.jpg|thumb|300px|Verdun Memorial]] |
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Before constructing a new disambiguation page, determine a [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Specific topic|Specific topic]] name for any and all existing pages, and a generic name for the disambiguation page. |
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* [[Émile Driant]] |
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Move any page with a conflicting title (i.e. the same exact title) to its more specific name. |
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* [[French villages destroyed in the First World War]] which were ruined during the Battle of Verdun, and six of which have not subsequently been rebuilt |
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Use the <u>What links here</u> list for the moved page to update all of the pages that [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Links to disambiguated topics|link to that page]] (more likely than not, a link in Wikipedia will point to your new disambiguation page unnecessarily, and this should be resolved on a case-by-case basis). |
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* [[Douaumont ossuary]] |
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* [[Verdun Memorial]] |
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===Construction=== |
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* [[Voie Sacrée]] |
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Assuming a [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Generic topic|Generic topic]] page, |
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use the <u>What links here</u> list of the moved page to access the redirect page created by the move, and replace that redirect page with the new disambiguation page. |
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==Notes== |
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Use the new disambiguation page to find and replace any old [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Disambiguation links|disambiguation links]] in existing pages with a link to the new disambiguation page. |
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{{Citations missing|date=December 2006}} |
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==References== |
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Note that the standard link templates will actually point to a ''[[Term XYZ (disambiguation)]]'' version of the new name. |
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* Clayton, Anthony. ''Paths of Glory - The French Army 1914-18.'', ISBN 0-304-36652-8 |
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Use the red-link on an existing page to create a [[Wikipedia:redirect|redirect]] page, |
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* Foley, Robert. ''German Strategy and the Path to Verdun.'', ISBN 0-521-84193-3 |
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<code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[Term XYZ]]{{R to disambiguation page}}</nowiki></code> |
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* Horne, Alistair. ''The Price of Glory.'', ISBN 0-14-017041-3 |
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* Keegan, John. ''The First World War.'', ISBN 0-375-70045-5 |
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* Martin, William. ''Verdun 1916.'' London: Osprey Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-85532-993-X |
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* Mosier, John. ''The Myth of the Great War.'', ISBN 0-06-008433-2 |
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{{portal|World War I}} |
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==External links== |
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=== Page naming conventions === |
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* [http://www.xs4all.nl/~verdun The Battle of Verdun (English-Dutch Site)] |
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* [http://www.geocities.com/bunker1914/verdun.htm DIE SCHLACHT UM VERDUN - EINE EUROPÄISCHE TRAGÖDIE] |
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A disambiguation page is usually [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions|named]] after the generic topic (eg "[[Term XYZ]]"). "[[Term XYZ (disambiguation)]]" is not the standardized name for a disambiguation page, and is only used when there is a primary topic with an article at "Term XYZ". It is acceptable, on the other hand, to create a page at "Term XYZ (disambiguation)" that redirects to the disambiguation page at "Term XYZ". This type of redirect can be used to indicate deliberate links to the disambiguation page. |
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* [http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/verdun.htm Info from firstworldwar.com] |
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* [http://www.third-reich-books.com/x-590a-verdun.htm Verdun book excerpt] |
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Usually, there should be just one disambiguation page for all [[Letter case|case]]s (upper- or lower-case) and variant punctuation. |
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* {{cite web | title=Verdun - A Battle of the Great war| url=http://www.verdun14-18.de }} |
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:For example, "[[Term xyz]]", "[[Term Xyz]]", "[[Term X-Y-Z]]", and "[[Term X.Y.Z.]]" should all [[Wikipedia:redirect|redirect]] with the template {{tl|R to disambiguation page}} to one page. |
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====Generic topic==== |
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In most cases, the generic term or phrase should be the [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions|title]] of the actual disambiguation page. This permits an editor to visually determine whether a disambiguating page is generic in [[:Category:Disambiguation]]. |
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Links that deliberately point to generic topic disambiguation pages should use an unambiguous "(disambiguation)" link instead, to assist in distinguishing accidental links. In turn, the "(disambiguation)" page will [[Wikipedia:redirect|redirect]] to the generic topic page. This "(disambiguation)" redirect page should always be created for the [[Wikipedia:Links to (disambiguation) pages]] listing. |
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:For example, the specific topic [[Tables (board game)]] links to [[Table (disambiguation)]], a redirect to [[Table]] with the template {{tl|R to disambiguation page}}. [[Table]] is a generic topic disambiguation page. |
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====Primary topic==== |
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When there is a well known '''primary meaning''' for a term or phrase, much more used than any other (this may be indicated by a majority of links in existing articles or by consensus of the editors of those articles that it will be significantly more commonly searched for and read than other meanings), then that topic may be used for the title of the main article, with a [[Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Disambiguation links|disambiguation link]] at the top. Where there is no such clearly dominant usage there is no primary topic page. |
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Ensure that the "(disambiguation)" page links back to an unambiguous page name. The unambiguous page name should [[Wikipedia:redirect|redirect]] to the primary topic page. This assists future editors (and automated processes). |
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:For example, the primary topic [[Rome]] has a link at the top to [[Rome (disambiguation)]], where there is a link back via [[Rome, Italy]] (rather than directly to [[Rome]]). |
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If there is extended discussion about which article truly is the primary topic, that may be a sign that there is in fact no primary topic, and that the disambiguation page should be located at the plain title with no "(disambiguation)". |
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====Specific topic==== |
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For disambiguating specific topic pages, several options are available: |
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#When there is another word (such as [[Cheque]] instead of [[Check]]) or more complete name that is equally clear (such as [[Delta rocket]]), that should be used. |
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#A disambiguating word or phrase can be added in parentheses. The word or phrase in parentheses should be: |
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#*the generic ''class'' that includes the topic (for example, [[Mercury (element)]], [[Seal (mammal)]]); or |
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#*the ''subject'' or ''context'' to which the topic applies (for example, [[Union (set theory)]], [[Inflation (economics)]]). |
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#Rarely, an adjective describing the topic can be used, but it's usually better to rephrase the title to avoid parentheses. |
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If there is a choice between disambiguating with a generic class or with a context, choose whichever is simpler. Use the same disambiguating phrase for other topics within the same context. |
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:For example, "(mythology)" rather than "(mythological figure)". |
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If there is a choice between using a short phrase and word with context, there is no hard rule about which is preferred. Both may be created, with one redirecting to the other. |
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:For example, [[Mathematical analysis]] and [[Analysis (mathematics)]]. |
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[[Category:1916|Verdun]] |
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[[Category:1916 in France|Verdun]] |
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[[Category:Battles involving France|Verdun]] |
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Revision as of 23:20, 8 February 2007
| Battle of Verdun | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Western Front (World War I) | |||||||
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
.svg?lang=en){kind=small} German Empire | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Philippe Pétain Robert Nivelle | Erich von Falkenhayn | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| About 30,000 on 21 February 1916 | About 150,000 on 21 February 1916 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 378,000; of whom 120,000 died | 337,000; of whom 100,000 died | ||||||
The Battle of Verdun was one of the most important battles in World War I on the Western Front, fought between the German and French armies from 21 February to 19 December 1916 around the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in northeast France.
The Battle of Verdun resulted in more than a quarter of a million deaths and approximately half a million wounded. Verdun was arguably the longest battle and one of the bloodiest in World War I. In both France and Germany it has come to represent the horrors of war, similar to the significance of the Battle of the Somme in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
The Battle of Verdun popularised the phrase "Ils ne passeront pas" ("They shall not pass") in France, uttered by Robert Nivelle, but often incorrectly attributed to Philippe Pétain.
Symbolic value of Verdun
For centuries Verdun had played an important role in the defence of its hinterland, due to the city's strategic location on the Meuse River. Attila the Hun, for example, failed in his fifth century attempt to seize the town. In the division of the empire of Charlemagne, the Treaty of Verdun of 843 made the town part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Peace of Munster in 1648 awarded Verdun to France. Verdun played a very important role in the defensive line that was built after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. As protection against German threats along the eastern border, a strong line of fortifications was constructed between Verdun and Toul and between Épinal and Belfort. Verdun guarded the northern entrance to the plains of Champagne and thus the approach to the French capital city of Paris.
In 1914, Verdun held fast against German invasion, and the city's fortifications withstood even Big Bertha's artillery attacks. The French garrison was housed in the citadel built by Vauban in the 17th Century. By the end of the 19th Century, an underground complex had been built which served as a workshop, munitions dump, hospital, and quarters for the French troops.
Background
After the Germans failed to achieve a quick victory in 1914, the war of movement soon bogged down into a stalemate on the Western Front. Trench warfare developed and neither side could achieve a breakthrough.
In 1915 all attempts to force a breakthrough—by the Germans at Ypres, by the British at Neuve Chapelle and by the French at Champagne—had failed, resulting only in terrible casualties.
The German Chief of Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, believed that although a breakthrough might no longer be possible, the French could still be defeated if they suffered sufficiently huge casualties. He planned to attack a position from which the French could not retreat, both for strategic reasons and for reasons of national pride, so imposing a ruinous battle of attrition on the French armies. The town of Verdun-sur-Meuse was chosen to "bleed white" the French: the town, surrounded by a ring of forts, was an important stronghold that projected into the German lines and guarded the direct route to Paris.
In choosing the battlefield, Falkenhayn looked for a location where the material circumstances favored the Germans: Verdun was isolated on three sides; communications to the French rear were poor; finally, a German railhead lay only twelve miles away, while French troops could only resupply by a single road, the Voie Sacrée. In a war where materiel trumped élan, Falkenhayn expected a favorable loss exchange ratio as the French would cling fanatically to a death trap.
Rather than a traditional military victory, Verdun was planned as a vehicle for destroying the French Army. Falkenhayn wrote to the Kaiser:
"The string in France has reached breaking point. A mass breakthrough—which in any case is beyond our means—is unnecessary. Within our reach there are objectives for the retention of which the French General Staff would be compelled to throw in every man they have. If they do so the forces of France will bleed to death."
Recent scholarship by Holger Afflerbach and others, however, has questioned the veracity of the Christmas memo [citation needed]. No copy has ever surfaced and the only account of it appeared in Falkenhayn's post-war memoir. His army commanders at Verdun, including the German Crown Prince, denied any knowledge of a plan based on attrition. It seems likely that Falkenhayn did not specifically design the battle to bleed the French Army, but justified ex-post-facto the motive of the Verdun offensive, despite its failure.
Battle
Verdun was poorly defended because most of the artillery had been removed from the local fortifications, but good intelligence and a delay in the German attack due to bad weather gave the French time to rush two divisions of 30th Corps—the 72nd and 51st—to the area's defense.
The battle began on February 21, 1916 with a nine-hour artillery bombardment firing 1,000,000 shells by 1,200 guns on a front of 40 kilometres (25 mi), followed by an attack by three army corps (the 3rd, 7th, and 18th). The Germans used flamethrowers for the first time to clear the French trenches. By 23 February the Germans had advanced three miles capturing the Bois des Caures after two French battalions led by Colonel Émile Driant had held them up for two days, and pushed the French defenders back to Samogneux, Beaumont, and Ornes. Poor communications meant that only then did the French command realise the seriousness of the attack.
On 24 February the French defenders of 30th Corps fell back again from their second line of defense, but were saved from disaster by the appearance of the 20th Corps under General Balfourier. Intended as relief, the new arrivals were thrown into combat immediately. That evening French Army chief of staff, General de Castelnau, advised his commander-in-chief, Joseph Joffre, that the French Second Army under General Phillipe Petain, ought to be sent to man the Verdun sector. On 25 February the German 24th (Brandenburg) Infantry Regiment captured a centrepiece of the French fortifications, Fort Douaumont.
Castelnau appointed General Philippe Pétain commander of the Verdun area and ordered the French Second Army to the battle sector. The German attack was slowed down at the village of Douaumont by the tenacious defense of the French 33rd Infantry Regiment and heavy snowfall. This gave the French time to bring up 90,000 men and 23,000 tonnes of ammunition from the railhead at Bar-le-Duc to Verdun.
As in so many other offensives on the Western Front, by advancing, the German troops had lost effective artillery cover. With the battlefield turned into a sea of mud through continual shelling it was very hard to move guns forward. The advance also brought the Germans into range of French artillery on the west bank of the Meuse. Each new advance thus became costlier than the previous one as the attacking German Fifth Army units, often attacking in massed crowds southward down the east bank, were cut down ruthlessly from their flank by Pétain's guns on the opposite, or west, side of the Meuse valley. When the village of Douaumont was finally captured on March 2 1916, four German regiments had been virtually destroyed.
Unable to make any further progress against Verdun frontally, the Germans turned to the flanks, attacking the hill of Le Mort Homme on 6 March and Fort Vaux on 8 March. In three months of savage fighting the Germans captured the villages of Cumières and Chattancourt to the west of Verdun, and Fort Vaux to the east surrendered on June 2. The losses were terrible on both sides. Pétain attempted to spare his troops by remaining on the defensive, but he was relieved on 1 May and replaced with the more attack-minded General Robert Nivelle.
The Germans' next objective was Fort Souville. On June 22 1916, they shelled the French defences with the poison gas diphosgene, and attacked the next day with 60,000 men, taking the battery of Thiaumont and the village of Fleury. The Germans, however, proved unable to capture Souville, though the fighting around the fort continued until September 6.
The opening of the Battle of the Somme on July 1 1916, forced the Germans to withdraw some of their artillery from Verdun to counter the combined Anglo-French offensive to the north.
By the autumn, the German troops were exhausted and Falkenhayn had been replaced as chief of staff by Paul von Hindenburg (Prussian Army) and his co-commander General Erich Ludendorff (Bavarian Army).
The French launched a counter-offensive on 21 October 1916. Fort Douaumont was bombarded with new 400 mm guns (brought up on rails and directed by spotter planes), and re-captured it on October 24. On November 2 the Germans lost Fort Vaux and retreated. A final French offensive beginning on December 11 drove the Germans back to their starting positions.
Casualties
It was crucial that the less populous Central Powers inflict many more casualties on their adversaries than they themselves suffered. At Verdun, Germany did inflict more casualties on the French than they incurred—but not in the 2:1 ratio that they had hoped for, despite the fact that the German Army grossly outnumbered the French.
France's losses were appalling, nonetheless. It was the perceived humanity of Field Marshal Philippe Pétain who insisted that troops be regularly rotated in the face of such horror that helped seal his reputation. The rotation of forces meant that 70% of France's Army went through "the wringer of Verdun", as opposed to the 25% of the German forces who saw action there.
Significance
The Battle of Verdun—also known as the 'Mincing Machine of Verdun' or 'Meuse Mill'—became a symbol of French determination, inspired by the sacrifice of the defenders.
The successes of the fixed fortification system led to the adoption of the Maginot Line as the preferred method of defence along the Franco-German border during the inter-war years.
See also
- Émile Driant
- French villages destroyed in the First World War which were ruined during the Battle of Verdun, and six of which have not subsequently been rebuilt
- Douaumont ossuary
- Verdun Memorial
- Voie Sacrée
Notes
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2006) |
References
- Clayton, Anthony. Paths of Glory - The French Army 1914-18., ISBN 0-304-36652-8
- Foley, Robert. German Strategy and the Path to Verdun., ISBN 0-521-84193-3
- Horne, Alistair. The Price of Glory., ISBN 0-14-017041-3
- Keegan, John. The First World War., ISBN 0-375-70045-5
- Martin, William. Verdun 1916. London: Osprey Publishing, 2001. ISBN 1-85532-993-X
- Mosier, John. The Myth of the Great War., ISBN 0-06-008433-2