Wrapped in myth and distortion, the Battle of Verdun is one of the most enigmatic battles of the Great War, and the controversy continues a century later. Before the battle the Germans believed they had selected one of the strongest points in the French defences in the hope that, if they smashed through it, the French would collapse. But Verdun was actually a hollow shell since its forts were largely disarmed and the trench lines were incomplete. So why did the Germans fail to take Verdun? As well as seeking to answer this fundamental question, the authors of this perceptive new study reconsider other key aspects of the battle - the German deployment of stormtroopers, the use of artillery and aircraft, how the French developed the idea of methodical battle which came to dominate their military thought after the war. They look too at how Verdun brought about a renaissance of fortress engineering that resulted in the creation of the Maginot Line and the other fortifications constructed in Europe before the Second World War. AUTHOR: J.E. Kaufmann is a retired teacher and presently an adjunct professor at Palo Alto Jr.

College and H.W. Kaufmann, PhD, is a retired professor, and they live in the United States. Their most recent books on fortifications are 'The Maginot Line', 'The Atlantic Wall', 'The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Central States' and 'The Forts and Fortifications of Europe 1815-1945: The Neutral States'. SELLING POINTS: * Fresh history of the Battle of Verdun focusing on the role of the fortifications * Graphic and concise account of the tactics and the fighting * Sets the battle in the context of developments in military technology * Written by one of the foremost authorities on nineteenth- and twentieth-century fortifications * A new perspective on one of the most famous battles of the First World War 100 integrated illustrations.