THE SKELETAL REMAINS OF A GERMAN SOLDIER SOMEWHERE ON THE WESTERN FRONT, WITH A FRENCH...

  The skeletal remains of a German soldier somewhere on the Western Front, with a French soldier standing beside, ca. 1917.

Today 107 years ago, on December 18, 1916, the infamous Battle of Verdun came to an end on the Western Front.

In early 1916, the Germans planned a massive assault on the sentimentally significant French fort-protected town of Verdun with the intention of bleeding France to death, and to provoke the British into prematurely attacking on the Somme.

The German 5th Army would attack on the right bank of the Meuse river and capture the high ground, to then inflict heavy casualties in the expected French counter-attacks. They believed the French would sacrifice everything to keep Verdun in French possession.

On February 21, 1916, the Germans launched the biggest artillery bombardment of the war so far on Verdun: ~1 million shells in 10 hours.

Verdun was lightly defended and the German infantry advanced quickly, soon capturing the biggest fort of Verdun, Fort Douaumont on February 25. The entire French 2nd Army was sent to Verdun through a single road coined the "Voie Sacrée"- the Sacred Road.

Due to the massive use of artillery, combined with the thousands of troops on the relatively small battlefield of Verdun, both the French and Germans suffered horrific casualties.

The French called Verdun "the meat grinder". Whole villages were annihilated, and places such as Douaumont, Fort Vaux, Le Mort Homme and Côte 304 would forever be associated with death and destruction. Regiments would after a week on the frontlines suffer a 50% casualty rate.

The German offensive at Verdun was made a second-priority due to the Russian Brusilov Offensive in June and the Anglo-French Somme offensive in July, draining all the German resources.

The French began going on the counter-offensive at Verdun on October 20. They had pushed the Germans back 7.5 km by December 18, officially ending the battle.

In the 303-day-long Battle of Verdun the French had suffered 377,000 casualties and the Germans 337,000 casualties, of whom 162,000 French and 143,000 Germans were killed or missing.

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