Field gun at the city of Verdun memorial statue. © 2015 John M. Shea
"Word of these limited assaults, their success, their meticulous preparation and, most important, the low casualties suffered by the attackers spread like wildfire throughout the French Army. And as it did, some of the poilu's lost confidence in himself and his leaders began slowly to return. Perhaps, he thought (but only perhaps), the pacifists and their papillons might be wrong. Maybe the thing could be done. Not all at once, to be sure, but perhaps the Germans could be beaten."
The offensive of French commander in chief Henri Pétain to recapture lost territory at Verdun opened with a bombardment on August 11, 1917 that lasted until the 20th, with 3,000 guns firing 3,000,000 shells. The infantry assault began on the 20th and went on until the 26th when Pétain had achieved his objective. In ending the French army mutinies, Pétain had promised his army that he would make greater use of artillery and other weapons before any infantry assault, and that his objectives would be clear and limited. His Verdun offensive met these conditions, and demonstrated how successful they could be. His soldiers responded, seeing that every battle need not be a slaughter. Pétain was recapturing territory lost in the German siege of 1916.
Dare Call it Treason by Richard M. Watt, page 245, copyright © 1963 by Richard M. Watt, publisher: Simon and Schuster, publication date: 1963
1917-08-26, 1917, August, Verdun, Verdun memorial field gun
