Almost 90 years since its conclusion, the battle of Verdun is still little understood. German Strategy and the Path to Verdun is a detailed examination of this seminal battle based on research conducted in archives long thought lost. Material returned to Germany from the former Soviet Union has allowed for a reinterpretation of Erich von Falkenhayn's overall strategy for the war and of the development of German operational and tactical concepts to fit this new strategy of attrition. By taking a long view of the development of German military ideas from the end of the Franco-German War in 1871, German Strategy and the Path to Verdun also gives much-needed context to Falkenhayn's ideas and the course of one of the greatest battles of attrition the world has ever known.
List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Table of ranks; Maps; Introduction; 1. The Volkskreig in German military thought; 2. The (re)birth of Ermattungsstrategie; 3. The short-war belief; 4. The rise of Stellungskrieg; 5. Competing strategic visions; 6. Attack in the east; 7. Defence in the west; 8. Verdun: the plan; 9. Verdun: the execution; 10. Verdun: the failure; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.
