Battle of Verdun in World War I

Battle of Verdun in World War I The Battle of Verdun was fought during World War I (1914-1918) and lasted from February 21, 1916 until December 18, 1916. The longest and largest battle fought on the Western Front during the conflict, Verdun saw German forces attempt to gain the high ground around the city while drawing the French reserves into a battle of annihilation. Striking on February 21, the Germans made early gains until increasing French resistance and the arrival of reinforcements turned the battle into a grinding, bloody affair. Fighting continued through the summer and saw the French commence counterattacks in August. This was followed by a major counteroffensive on October which ultimately reclaimed much of the ground lost earlier in the year to the Germans. Ending in December, the Battle of Verdun soon became an iconic symbol of French resolve to defend their country. Background By 1915, the Western Front had become a stalemate as both sides engaged in trench warfare. Unable to achieve a decisive breakthrough, offensives simply resulted in heavy casualties with little gain. Seeking to shatter the Anglo-French lines, the German Chief of Staff Erich von Falkenhayn began planning a massive assault on the French city of Verdun. A fortress town on the Meuse River, Verdun protected the plains of Champagne and the approaches to Paris. Surrounded by rings of forts and batteries, Verduns defenses had been weakened in 1915, as artillery was shifted to other sections of the line (Map). Despite its reputation as a fortress, Verdun was selected as it was located in a salient in German lines and could only be supplied by a single road, the Voie Sacrà ©e, from a railhead located at Bar-le-Duc. Conversely, the Germans would be able to attack the city from three sides while enjoying a much stronger logistical network. With these advantages in hand, von Falkenhayn believed that Verdun would only be able to hold out for a few weeks. Shifting forces to the Verdun area, the Germans planned to launch the offensive on February 12, 1916 (Map). The Late Offensive Due to poor weather, the attack was postponed until February 21. This delay, coupled with accurate intelligence reports, allowed the French to shift two divisions of the XXXth Corps to the Verdun area prior to the German assault. At 7:15 AM on February 21, the Germans commenced a ten-hour bombardment of the French lines around the city. Attacking with three army corps, the Germans moved forward utilizing storm troopers and flamethrowers. Staggered by the weight of the German attack, the French were forced to fall back three miles on the first day of fighting. On the 24th, troops of XXX Corps were compelled to abandon their second line of defense but were buoyed by the arrival of the French XX Corps. That night the decision was made to shift General Philippe Petains Second Army to the Verdun sector. Bad news for the French continued the next day as Fort Douaumont, northeast of the city, was lost to German troops. Taking command at Verdun, Petain reinforced the citys fortifications and laid out new defensive lines. On the final day of the month, French resistance near the village of Douaumont slowed the enemy advance, allowing the citys garrison to be reinforced. Changing Strategies Pushing forward, the Germans began to lose the protection of their own artillery, while coming under fire from French guns on the west bank of the Meuse. Pounding German columns, French artillery badly bled the Germans at Douaumont and ultimately forced them to abandon the frontal assault on Verdun. Changing strategies, the Germans began assaults on the flanks of the city in March. On the west bank of the Meuse, their advance focused on the hills of Le Mort Homme and Cote (Hill) 304. In a series of brutal battles, they succeeded in capturing both. This accomplished, they began assaults east of the city. Focusing their attention on Fort Vaux, the Germans shelled the French fortification around the clock. Storming forward, German troops captured the forts superstructure, but a savage battle continued in its underground tunnels until early June. As the fighting raged, Petain was promoted to lead the Centre Army Group on May 1, while General Robert Nivelle was given command of the front at Verdun. Having secured Fort Vaux, the Germans pushed southwest against Fort Souville. On June 22, they shelled the area with poison diphosgene gas shells before launching a massive assault the next day. French General Philippe PetainGeneral Robert Nivelle30,000 men (Feb. 21, 1916) Germans Erich von FalkenhaynCrown Prince Wilhelm150,000 men (Feb. 21, 1916) Casualties Germany - 336,000-434,000France - 377,000 (161,000 killed, 216,000 wounded) French Moving Ahead Over several days of fighting, the Germans initially had success but met increasing French resistance. While some German troops reached the top of Fort Souville on July 12, they were forced to withdraw by French artillery. The battles around Souville marked farthest German advance during the campaign. With the opening of the Battle of the Somme on July 1, some German troops were withdrawn from Verdun to meet the new threat. With the tide stemmed, Nivelle began planning a counter-offensive for the sector. For his failure, von Falkenhayn was replaced by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg in August. On October 24, Nivelle began attacking the German lines around the city. Making heavy use of artillery, his infantry was able to push the Germans back on the east bank of the river. Forts Douaumont and Vaux were recaptured on October 24 and November 2, respectively, and by December, the Germans had been nearly forced back to their original lines. The hills on the west bank of the Meuse were retaken in a localized offensive in August 1917. Aftermath The Battle of Verdun was one of the longest and bloodiest battles of World War I. A brutal battle of attrition, Verdun cost the French an estimated 161,000 dead, 101,000 missing, and 216,000 wounded. German losses were approximately 142,000 killed and 187,000 wounded. After the war, von Falkenhayn claimed that his intention at Verdun was not to win a decisive battle  but rather to bleed the French white by forcing them to make a stand at a place from which they could not retreat. Recent scholarship has discredited these statements as von Falkenhayn attempting to justify the campaigns failure. The Battle of Verdun has assumed an iconic place in French military history as a symbol of the nations determination to defend its soil at all costs.

Free Essays on Hair

Response to Hair I think Marcia Aldrich’s essay â€Å"Hair† is an interesting interpretation of the different personalities she encounters in her life. She bases her story around her mother’s obsession with her hairstyle. She makes sure to point out that her mother’s weekly appointment to get her hair done is a ritual. I think this is a good representation of the life her mother leads. Maybe since she got married she feels like she doesn’t have control over much anymore and has taken a more submissive position as â€Å"wife.† Therefore she feels that she needs to control the things she can have control over. That’s why she religiously does her own hair and also feels the need to control Marcia’s hair. The oldest sister seems like she is very laid back. She makes the statement, â€Å"it’s immature to never stop thinking about your hair.† I think this is a good indication that her sister feels comfortable with herself and doesn’t worry about looks or needing to have control in her life. It’s ironic because she makes this statement towards her mother. Perhaps this shows the change in women’s attitudes and roles over time. The middle sister shows a less secure side than that of her older sister. She is constantly changing her look. Maybe this is because she was the middle child and she feels like it will help her get more attention and standout from the other two. Marcia is the one who seems to stick out the most of all the women. She never really takes a stand on how she feels about hairstyles. Therefore it is interesting to see how she reacts to the different positions her sisters and mother take on the issue. It isn’t until the end when she meets Rhonda that you see her start to realize that hair doesn’t make the person. You will always be the same person no matter what your hairstyle looks like and I think this is a good point to end the essay with.... Free Essays on Hair Free Essays on Hair Response to Hair I think Marcia Aldrich’s essay â€Å"Hair† is an interesting interpretation of the different personalities she encounters in her life. She bases her story around her mother’s obsession with her hairstyle. She makes sure to point out that her mother’s weekly appointment to get her hair done is a ritual. I think this is a good representation of the life her mother leads. Maybe since she got married she feels like she doesn’t have control over much anymore and has taken a more submissive position as â€Å"wife.† Therefore she feels that she needs to control the things she can have control over. That’s why she religiously does her own hair and also feels the need to control Marcia’s hair. The oldest sister seems like she is very laid back. She makes the statement, â€Å"it’s immature to never stop thinking about your hair.† I think this is a good indication that her sister feels comfortable with herself and doesn’t worry about looks or needing to have control in her life. It’s ironic because she makes this statement towards her mother. Perhaps this shows the change in women’s attitudes and roles over time. The middle sister shows a less secure side than that of her older sister. She is constantly changing her look. Maybe this is because she was the middle child and she feels like it will help her get more attention and standout from the other two. Marcia is the one who seems to stick out the most of all the women. She never really takes a stand on how she feels about hairstyles. Therefore it is interesting to see how she reacts to the different positions her sisters and mother take on the issue. It isn’t until the end when she meets Rhonda that you see her start to realize that hair doesn’t make the person. You will always be the same person no matter what your hairstyle looks like and I think this is a good point to end the essay with....

The Evolution of wall painting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Evolution of wall painting - Essay Example The essay "The Evolution of wall painting" explores the wall painting and the stages of its evolution. In the religious setup, the styles of Frescoes and Mosaics are widely used, narrating the life of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. From them, one can draw a conclusion that, though wall painting changed, it remained the same in different setups. This paper seeks to explore the evolution of wall painting beginning in Paleolithic period to Early Renaissance.During the Paleolithic period, wall painting decoration was either decorated objects or figurines. From about 31, 000 to 12, 000 B.C, there were two main categories of painting, which were either decorated objects or portable pieces. Portable pieces were small figurines, while decorated objects were carved out of stone, clay, and also cave art. Paleolithic art majored itself in different subjects such as animal carvings, hunting scenes, and animals. It was an attempt to gain control over the environment through critical thinking. One can imply that painting was a powerful tool of revealing different ideas and concepts of the society. Wall painting was carried out in different colors, but mostly golden brown was used to reveal the beautiful nature of the painting. The following is an example of a wall painting of the Paleolithic period that depicts animals. The walls were covered with different paintings that revealed different subjects. In most cases, animals were the subject shown through shades of brown, red, black, and yellow.

Jute Material Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jute Material - Coursework Example Due to its resistive nature, the dry jute shows signs of being loaded after 23 milliseconds in the test. As indicated by the graph above the progress that follows soon after is represented by a shoot that is almost linear to the almost 2200 Newton’s mark after which the graph begins a drop, which creates a spike. The drop records a low of slightly above 1500 newton after which more force is applied to the jute where it spikes up to a force of 3300 newton. After which the drop follows. The drop is characterised by spikes resulting from the applied force as depicted in the graph in the twentieth and forty-sixth millisecond gap. The uncharacteristic drops in the loading process indicate a difference in dry jute that is uncharacteristic of the normal loading curve on the solid materials, and it reveals some characteristics of the dry jute.The test time that is recorded by the dry jute on the load increase is approximately 36 milliseconds after which the load is at the peak. The ov erall test records a time of approximately 46 milliseconds. From this, it is evident that the unloading or negative slope part of the graph takes less time compared to that of the loading part. The dry jute graph exhibits some unexpected results. Being a solid material, the graph that was expected on loading should have been characteristically smooth (Rees, 2000, p.123), but in this case, it had recorded instances and occurrence of sharp peaks in both the loading and unloading process.... 21), the fibre loses its elasticity element and enters the permanently deformed state. The fibre lingers shortly in the deformation phase, before suffering a complete breakdown in structure in this state. The breakpoint in the dry jute case is recorded at approximately 20.5 Joules. Wet Jute In construction, Jute is mostly used in its dry form. The presence of fluid in the internal structure of jute affects its mechanical properties as displayed in the graph. The effect of having the fluid in the jute is blown up when the material is put under high deformation forces. The wet jute displays similar properties in the initial test phases as depicted by the graph. The wet jute in this case is raw jute, which has not been pre-processed. It is harvested straight from the farms and used in this experiment. In the first stage of testing, the fibre shows resilience to the impact test forces just as the dry jute. It begins to show signs of deformation slightly before the twenty-third millisecon ds mark. After which it takes on elastic properties as the dry jute, with the graph being more linear-like when compared to the dry jute. The curve leading to permanent deformation in this case tends to arc more and its start point occurs earlier than that of dry jute. The breakpoint of wet jute is recorded at about 17 Joules. However, it takes about 40 milliseconds for the wet jute to get to the breaking point in the graph. Graph 2: Standard force Test time graph By applying standard force on the subjects, it is easy to establish the ultimate and yield stresses on the fibres. The dry and wet jute display different results in the experiment as indicated by Barsom and Rolfe (1999, p. 291). In conducting this experiment, the dry and wet jute

Jute Material Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jute Material - Coursework Example Due to its resistive nature, the dry jute shows signs of being loaded after 23 milliseconds in the test. As indicated by the graph above the progress that follows soon after is represented by a shoot that is almost linear to the almost 2200 Newton’s mark after which the graph begins a drop, which creates a spike. The drop records a low of slightly above 1500 newton after which more force is applied to the jute where it spikes up to a force of 3300 newton. After which the drop follows. The drop is characterised by spikes resulting from the applied force as depicted in the graph in the twentieth and forty-sixth millisecond gap. The uncharacteristic drops in the loading process indicate a difference in dry jute that is uncharacteristic of the normal loading curve on the solid materials, and it reveals some characteristics of the dry jute.The test time that is recorded by the dry jute on the load increase is approximately 36 milliseconds after which the load is at the peak. The ov erall test records a time of approximately 46 milliseconds. From this, it is evident that the unloading or negative slope part of the graph takes less time compared to that of the loading part. The dry jute graph exhibits some unexpected results. Being a solid material, the graph that was expected on loading should have been characteristically smooth (Rees, 2000, p.123), but in this case, it had recorded instances and occurrence of sharp peaks in both the loading and unloading process.... 21), the fibre loses its elasticity element and enters the permanently deformed state. The fibre lingers shortly in the deformation phase, before suffering a complete breakdown in structure in this state. The breakpoint in the dry jute case is recorded at approximately 20.5 Joules. Wet Jute In construction, Jute is mostly used in its dry form. The presence of fluid in the internal structure of jute affects its mechanical properties as displayed in the graph. The effect of having the fluid in the jute is blown up when the material is put under high deformation forces. The wet jute displays similar properties in the initial test phases as depicted by the graph. The wet jute in this case is raw jute, which has not been pre-processed. It is harvested straight from the farms and used in this experiment. In the first stage of testing, the fibre shows resilience to the impact test forces just as the dry jute. It begins to show signs of deformation slightly before the twenty-third millisecon ds mark. After which it takes on elastic properties as the dry jute, with the graph being more linear-like when compared to the dry jute. The curve leading to permanent deformation in this case tends to arc more and its start point occurs earlier than that of dry jute. The breakpoint of wet jute is recorded at about 17 Joules. However, it takes about 40 milliseconds for the wet jute to get to the breaking point in the graph. Graph 2: Standard force Test time graph By applying standard force on the subjects, it is easy to establish the ultimate and yield stresses on the fibres. The dry and wet jute display different results in the experiment as indicated by Barsom and Rolfe (1999, p. 291). In conducting this experiment, the dry and wet jute

Jute Material Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jute Material - Coursework Example Due to its resistive nature, the dry jute shows signs of being loaded after 23 milliseconds in the test. As indicated by the graph above the progress that follows soon after is represented by a shoot that is almost linear to the almost 2200 Newton’s mark after which the graph begins a drop, which creates a spike. The drop records a low of slightly above 1500 newton after which more force is applied to the jute where it spikes up to a force of 3300 newton. After which the drop follows. The drop is characterised by spikes resulting from the applied force as depicted in the graph in the twentieth and forty-sixth millisecond gap. The uncharacteristic drops in the loading process indicate a difference in dry jute that is uncharacteristic of the normal loading curve on the solid materials, and it reveals some characteristics of the dry jute.The test time that is recorded by the dry jute on the load increase is approximately 36 milliseconds after which the load is at the peak. The ov erall test records a time of approximately 46 milliseconds. From this, it is evident that the unloading or negative slope part of the graph takes less time compared to that of the loading part. The dry jute graph exhibits some unexpected results. Being a solid material, the graph that was expected on loading should have been characteristically smooth (Rees, 2000, p.123), but in this case, it had recorded instances and occurrence of sharp peaks in both the loading and unloading process.... 21), the fibre loses its elasticity element and enters the permanently deformed state. The fibre lingers shortly in the deformation phase, before suffering a complete breakdown in structure in this state. The breakpoint in the dry jute case is recorded at approximately 20.5 Joules. Wet Jute In construction, Jute is mostly used in its dry form. The presence of fluid in the internal structure of jute affects its mechanical properties as displayed in the graph. The effect of having the fluid in the jute is blown up when the material is put under high deformation forces. The wet jute displays similar properties in the initial test phases as depicted by the graph. The wet jute in this case is raw jute, which has not been pre-processed. It is harvested straight from the farms and used in this experiment. In the first stage of testing, the fibre shows resilience to the impact test forces just as the dry jute. It begins to show signs of deformation slightly before the twenty-third millisecon ds mark. After which it takes on elastic properties as the dry jute, with the graph being more linear-like when compared to the dry jute. The curve leading to permanent deformation in this case tends to arc more and its start point occurs earlier than that of dry jute. The breakpoint of wet jute is recorded at about 17 Joules. However, it takes about 40 milliseconds for the wet jute to get to the breaking point in the graph. Graph 2: Standard force Test time graph By applying standard force on the subjects, it is easy to establish the ultimate and yield stresses on the fibres. The dry and wet jute display different results in the experiment as indicated by Barsom and Rolfe (1999, p. 291). In conducting this experiment, the dry and wet jute

Noblest Roman of All Essay Example for Free

Noblest Roman of All Essay The noblest Roman of them all, according to Marc Antony, was Brutus one of the conspirators who stabbed Caesar to death. The note of regret here is ironic, to say the least, because Antony raised the army which has destroyed Brutus. Thats what brings me to say Marcus Antonius is in fact the actual Noblest Roman of them all. Brutus and his group of conspirators brutally murdered Caesar, whom Antony was very loyal to. Yet after the conspirators were killed Antony praised Brutus, not curse him as others expected him to. He believed of all the conspirators, only Brutus thought of the common good, and had honest intentions toward the general populace. The rest merely envied Caesars greatness; Brutus thought it a real threat to the Republic. He recognized Brutus as an honest man who was blinded by others with bad intentions. And in my opinion it takes a noble man to recognize another noble man. Marc Antony was not a man of many weaknesses but, if you had to pin one on him, it would have to be that his name wasnt as prestigious as some of his predecessors. Marcus Brutus was a very popular man, because, he was basically Caesars right hand man. Some would argue that No one would know Caesar better than Brutus, but that didnt stop Antony. Even though he wasnt as popular as Marcus Brutus, he somehow swayed the crowd in his favor. One of Marc Antonys greater strengths was his oratory skills. He was a great orator and he used that to his advantage. He had a penchant for superlatives. The noblest Roman of them all directly echoed The most unkindest cut of all . In effect, he paints Brutus, at different times, both as a villain and as a superlative Roman. In both cases, Antony is aware of the rhetorical necessities of the situation. Marc Antony was the noblest roman of all because he risked his life for an already dead man but he approached the beast without flinching. He put aside his fears to stand up for justice. He even paid his respect to one of the conspirators Brutus because even though he commited a heinous crime, Brutus was just confused, and Antony had enough wisdom to realize