This new and enthralling study is the first detailed work in English of
a largely unknown period of the Battle of Verdun. It considers the
background to the battle and casts light on the first three critical
months of fighting there. It explains the decision to change the
original German plan for the Verdun offensive and extend the action to
the Left Bank of the River Meuse.
Using only original French and German sources the author describes the
fighting on the Left Bank and follows the German offensive as it slowly
pushed forward, taking three terrible months to reach its objectives,
the two hills known as Cote 304 and the Mort-Homme, or Dead Man. The
reasons why the German offensive did not go as planned, and the problems
that they had to overcome in order to reach their objectives, are fully
explained. The French defense of the Left Bank hills, described by
Germans themselves as outstanding, is also covered in great detail.
Having spent twenty years walking the battlefield of Verdun, the author
is able to describe the events in detail on the basis of a unique and
intimate knowledge of the ground. The French defenses, described by the
Germans as outstanding, are thoroughly explained. The book contains over
150 photographs, most of which have never been published before and
which show the startling traces that remain of the longest battle of the
First World War. The three walking tours take visitors through areas of
the Left Bank that few visitors will ever visit.
