Editing Battle of Verdun (section)

===Third phase, 16 April – 1 July===

====April====
[[File:Blaa DSCF9933 Verdun the Worldpump.JPG|thumb|upright=0.8|{{centre|Death works "Verdun the World-blood-pump", German propaganda medal, 1916}}]]
The failure of German attacks in early April by {{lang|de|Angriffsgruppe Ost}}, led Knobelsdorf to take soundings from the 5th Army corps commanders, who unanimously wanted to continue. The German infantry were exposed to continuous artillery fire from the flanks and rear; communications from the rear and reserve positions were equally vulnerable, which caused a constant drain of casualties. Defensive positions were difficult to build, because existing positions were on ground which had been swept clear by German bombardments early in the offensive, leaving German infantry with very little cover. General [[Berthold von Deimling]], commander of XV Corps, also wrote that French heavy artillery and gas bombardments were undermining the morale of the German infantry, which made it necessary to keep going to reach safer defensive positions. Knobelsdorf reported these findings to Falkenhayn on 20 April, adding that if the Germans did not go forward, they must go back to the start line of 21 February.{{sfn|Foley|2007|pp=228–229}}

Knobelsdorf rejected the policy of limited piecemeal attacks tried by Mudra as commander of {{lang|de|Angriffsgruppe Ost}} and advocated a return to wide-front attacks with unlimited objectives, swiftly to reach the line from Ouvrage de Thiaumont to Fleury, Fort Souville and Fort de Tavannes. Falkenhayn was persuaded to agree to the change and by the end of April, {{nowrap|21 divisions,}} most of the OHL reserve, had been sent to Verdun and troops had also been transferred from the Eastern Front. The resort to large, unlimited attacks was costly for both sides but the German advance proceeded only slowly. Rather than causing devastating French casualties by heavy artillery with the infantry in secure defensive positions, which the French were compelled to attack, the Germans inflicted casualties by attacks which provoked French counter-attacks and assumed that the process inflicted five French casualties for two German losses.{{sfn|Foley|2007|pp=230–231}}

In mid-March, Falkenhayn had reminded the 5th Army to use tactics intended to conserve infantry, after the corps commanders had been allowed discretion to choose between the cautious, "step by step" tactics desired by Falkenhayn and maximum efforts, intended to obtain quick results. On the third day of the offensive, the [[6th Division (German Empire)|6th Division]] of the III Corps (General [[Ewald von Lochow]]), had ordered that Herbebois be taken ''regardless of loss'' and the [[5th Division (German Empire)|5th Division]] had attacked [[Wavrille]] to the accompaniment of its band. Falkenhayn urged the 5th Army to use {{lang|de|Stoßtruppen}} (storm units) composed of two infantry squads and one of engineers, armed with automatic weapons, hand grenades, trench mortars and flame-throwers, to advance in front of the main infantry body. The {{lang|de|Stoßtruppen}} would conceal their advance by shrewd use of terrain and capture any blockhouses which remained after the artillery preparation. Strongpoints which could not be taken were to be by-passed and captured by follow-up troops. Falkenhayn ordered that the command of field and heavy artillery units was to be combined, with a commander at each corps headquarters. Common observers and communication systems would ensure that batteries in different places could bring targets under converging fire, which would be allotted systematically to support divisions.{{sfn|Foley|2007|pp=232–233}}

[[File:Bataille de Verdun 1916.jpg|thumb|{{center|French soldiers attacking from their trench}}]]
In mid-April, Falkenhayn ordered that infantry should advance close to the barrage, to exploit the neutralising effect of the shellfire on surviving defenders, because fresh troops at Verdun had not been trained in these methods. Knobelsdorf persisted with attempts to maintain momentum, which was incompatible with casualty conservation by limited attacks, with pauses to consolidate and prepare. Mudra and other commanders who disagreed were sacked. Falkenhayn also intervened to change German defensive tactics, advocating a dispersed defence with the second line to be held as a main line of resistance and jumping-off point for counter-attacks. Machine-guns were to be set up with overlapping fields of fire and infantry given specific areas to defend. When French infantry attacked, they were to be isolated by {{lang|de|Sperrfeuer}} (barrage-fire) on their former front line, to increase French infantry casualties. The changes desired by Falkenhayn had little effect, because the main cause of German casualties was artillery fire, just as it was for the French.{{sfn|Foley|2007|p=234}}

====4–22 May====
From 10 May German operations were limited to local attacks, either in reply to French counter-attacks on 11 April between Douaumont and Vaux and on 17 April between the Meuse and Douaumont, or local attempts to take points of tactical value. At the beginning of May, General Pétain was promoted to the command of {{lang|fr|Groupe d'armées du centre}} (GAC) and General [[Robert Nivelle]] took over the Second Army at Verdun. From 4 to 24 May, German attacks were made on the west bank around Mort-Homme and on 4 May, the north slope of Côte 304 was captured; French counter-attacks from 5 to 6 May were repulsed. The French defenders on the crest of Côte 304 were forced back on 7 May but German infantry were unable to occupy the ridge, because of the intensity of French artillery fire. Cumieres and Caurettes fell on 24 May as a French counter-attack began at Fort Douaumont.{{sfn|Michelin|1919|pp=17–18}}

====22–24 May====
[[File:Verdun and vicinity, May 1916.png|thumb|upright=1.15|{{centre|Front line at Mort-Homme, May 1916}}]]
In May, General Nivelle, who had taken over the Second Army, ordered General [[Charles Mangin]], commander of the 5th Division to plan a counter-attack on Fort Douaumont. The initial plan was for an attack on a {{cvt|3|km|order=flip}} front but several minor German attacks captured the {{lang|fr|Fausse-Côte}} and {{lang|fr|Couleuvre}} ravines on the south-east and west sides of the fort. A further attack took the ridge south of the {{lang|fr|ravin de Couleuvre}}, which gave the Germans better routes for counter-attacks and observation over the French lines to the south and south-west. Mangin proposed a preliminary attack to retake the area of the ravines, to obstruct the routes by which a German counter-attack on the fort could be made. More divisions were necessary but these were refused to preserve the troops needed for the forthcoming offensive on the Somme; Mangin was limited to one division for the attack with one in reserve. Nivelle reduced the attack to an assault on Morchée Trench, Bonnet-d'Evèque, Fontaine Trench, Fort Douaumont, a machine-gun turret and Hongrois Trench, which would require an advance of {{cvt|500|m|yd|order=flip}} on a {{cvt|1150|m|yd|order=flip}} front.{{sfn|Holstein|2010|pp=76–78}}

[[File:Gervais-Courtellemont french anti-aircraft guns 1916 001.jpg|thumb|left|{{centre|French anti-aircraft guns mounted on vehicles during the Battle of Verdun, 1916. [[Autochrome]] colour photograph by [[Jules Gervais-Courtellemont]]}}]]
III Corps was to command the attack by the 5th Division and the 71st Brigade, with support from three balloon companies for artillery observation and a fighter group. The main effort was to be conducted by two battalions of the 129th Infantry Regiment, each with a pioneer company and a machine-gun company attached. The 2nd Battalion was to attack from the south and the 1st Battalion was to move along the west side of the fort to the north end, taking Fontaine Trench and linking with the 6th Company. Two battalions of the 74th Infantry Regiment were to advance along the east and south-east sides of the fort and take a machine-gun turret on a ridge to the east. Flank support was arranged with neighbouring regiments and diversions were planned near Fort Vaux and the {{lang|fr|ravin de Dame}}. Preparations for the attack included the digging of {{cvt|12|km|order=flip}} of trenches and the building of large numbers of depots and stores but little progress was made due to a shortage of pioneers. French troops captured on 13 May, disclosed the plan to the Germans, who responded by subjecting the area to more artillery harassing fire, which also slowed French preparations.{{sfn|Holstein|2010|p=78}}

The French preliminary bombardment by four {{nowrap|370 mm}} mortars and {{nowrap|300 heavy}} guns, began on 17 May and by 21 May, the French artillery commander claimed that the fort had been severely damaged. During the bombardment the German garrison in the fort experienced great strain, as French heavy shells smashed holes in the walls and concrete dust, exhaust fumes from an electricity generator and gas from disinterred corpses polluted the air. Water ran short but until 20 May, the fort remained operational, reports being passed back and reinforcements moving forward until the afternoon, when the Bourges Casemate was isolated and the wireless station in the north-western machine-gun turret burnt down.{{sfn|Guttman|2014|p=9}}

Conditions for the German infantry in the vicinity were far worse and by 18 May, the French destructive bombardment had obliterated many defensive positions, the survivors sheltering in shell-holes and dips of the ground. Communication with the rear was severed and food and water ran out by the time of the French attack on 22 May. The troops of Infantry Regiment 52 in front of Fort Douaumont had been reduced to {{nowrap|37 men}} near Thiaumont Farm and German counter-barrages inflicted similar losses on French troops. On 22 May, French [[Nieuport]] fighters attacked eight [[observation balloons]] and shot down six for the loss of one [[Nieuport 16]]; other French aircraft attacked the 5th Army headquarters at [[Stenay]].{{sfn|Guttman|2014|p=9}} German artillery fire increased and twenty minutes before zero hour, a German bombardment began, which reduced the 129th Infantry Regiment companies to about {{nowrap|45 men}} each.{{sfn|Holstein|2010|pp=79–82}}

[[File:Frech long gun battery overrun at Verdun (alternate view).jpg|thumb|{{centre|French artillery battery ([[De Bange 155 mm cannon|155 L]] or 120 L) overrun by German forces, possibly the 34 Infantry Division at Verdun}}]]
The assault began at {{nowrap|11:50 a. m.}} on 22 May on a {{cvt|1|km|order=flip}} front. On the left flank the 36th Infantry Regiment attack quickly captured Morchée Trench and Bonnet-d'Evèque but suffered many casualties and the regiment could advance no further. The flank guard on the right was pinned down, except for one company which disappeared and in {{lang|fr|Bois Caillette}}, a battalion of the 74th Infantry Regiment was unable to leave its trenches; the other battalion managed to reach its objectives at an ammunition depot, shelter ''DV1'' at the edge of {{lang|fr|Bois Caillette}} and the machine-gun turret east of the fort, where the battalion found its flanks unsupported.{{sfn|Holstein|2010|p=91}}

Despite German small-arms fire, the 129th Infantry Regiment reached the fort in a few minutes and managed to get in through the west and south sides. By nightfall, about half of the fort had been recaptured and next day, the 34th Division was sent to reinforce the French troops in the fort. The attempt to reinforce the fort failed and German reserves managed to cut off the French troops inside and force them to surrender, {{nowrap|1,000 French}} prisoners being taken. After three days, the French had suffered {{nowrap|5,640 casualties}} from the {{nowrap|12,000 men}} in the attack and the Germans suffered {{nowrap|4,500 casualties}} in Infantry Regiment 52, Grenadier Regiment 12 and Leib-Grenadier Regiment 8 of the 5th Division.{{sfn|Holstein|2010|p=91}}

====30 May – 7 June====
{{main|Fort Vaux}}
{{clear}}
{{wide image|Panorama de Verdun, vue prise du Fort de la Chaume, 1917.jpg|1900px|{{center|Verdun battlefield from Fort de la Chaume, looking north–east, 1917}}}}
Later in May 1916, the German attacks shifted from the left bank at Mort-Homme and Côte 304 to the right bank, south of Fort Douaumont. A German attack to reach Fleury Ridge, the last French defensive line began. The attack was intended to capture {{lang|fr|Ouvrage de Thiaumont}}, Fleury, Fort Souville and Fort Vaux at the north-east extremity of the French line, which had been bombarded by {{circa| 8,000 shells}} a day since the beginning of the offensive. After a final assault on 1 June by about {{nowrap|10,000 German}} troops, the top of Fort Vaux was occupied on 2 June. Fighting went on underground until the garrison ran out of water, the {{nowrap|574 survivors}} surrendering on 7 June.{{sfnm|1a1=Schwencke|1y=1925–1930|1p=118|2a1=Holstein|2y=2011|2p=82}} When news of the loss of Fort Vaux reached Verdun, the Line of Panic was occupied and trenches were dug on the edge of the city. On the left bank, the German advanced from the line Côte 304, Mort-Homme and Cumières and threatened the French hold on Chattancourt and Avocourt. Heavy rains slowed the German advance towards Fort Souville, where both sides attacked and counter-attacked for the next two months.{{sfn|Mason|2000|pp=150–159}} The 5th Army suffered {{nowrap|2,742 casualties}} in the vicinity of Fort Vaux from 1 to 10 June, {{nowrap|381 men}} being killed, {{nowrap|2,170 wounded}} and {{nowrap|191 missing;}} French counter-attacks on 8 and 9 June were costly failures.{{sfn|Schwencke|1925–1930|pp=118–124}}

====22–25 June====
[[File:Ground captured by the German 5th Army, Verdun, February to June 1916.png|thumb|{{centre|Ground captured by the German 5th Army at Verdun, February–June 1916}}]]
On 22 June, German artillery fired over {{nowrap|116,000 [[Diphosgene]]}} (Green Cross) gas shells at French artillery positions, which caused over {{nowrap|1,600 casualties}} and silenced many of the French guns.{{sfn|Ousby|2002|p=229}} Next day at {{nowrap|5:00 a.m.,}} the Germans attacked on a {{cvt|5|km|order=flip}} front and drove a {{cvt|3|by|2|km|order=flip}} salient into the French defences. The advance was unopposed until {{nowrap|9:00 a.m.,}} when some French troops were able to fight a rearguard action. The Ouvrage (shelter) de Thiaumont and the Ouvrage de Froidterre at the south end of the plateau were captured and the villages of [[Fleury-devant-Douaumont|Fleury]] and Chapelle Sainte-Fine were overrun. The attack came close to Fort Souville (which had been hit by {{circa| 38,000 shells}} since April) bringing the Germans within {{cvt|5|km|order=flip}} of the Verdun citadel.{{sfn|Ousby|2002|pp=229–231}}

On 23 June 1916, Nivelle ordered,
{{quote|Vous ne les laisserez pas passer, mes camarades ([[They shall not pass|You will not let them pass]], my comrades).{{sfn|Denizot|1996|p=136}}}}

Nivelle had been concerned about declining French morale at Verdun; after his promotion to lead the Second Army in June 1916, {{lang|fr|Défaillance}}, manifestations of indiscipline, occurred in five front line regiments.{{sfn|Pedroncini|1989|pp=150–153}} {{lang|fr|Défaillance}} reappeared in the [[French Army Mutinies (1917)|French army mutinies]] that followed the Nivelle Offensive (April–May 1917).{{sfn|Doughty|2005|pp=361–365}}

Chapelle Sainte-Fine was quickly recaptured by the French and the German advance was halted. The supply of water to the German infantry broke down, the salient was vulnerable to fire from three sides and the attack could not continue without more Diphosgene ammunition. Chapelle Sainte-Fine became the furthest point reached by the Germans during the Verdun offensive. On 24 June the preliminary Anglo-French bombardment began on the Somme.{{sfn|Ousby|2002|pp=229–231}} Fleury changed hands sixteen times from 23 June to 17 August and four French divisions were diverted to Verdun from the Somme. The French artillery recovered sufficiently on 24 June to cut off the German front line from the rear. By 25 June, both sides were exhausted and Knobelsdorf suspended the attack.{{sfn|Mason|2000|pp=183–167}}