14.Despite a sustained German offensive at Verdun throughout most of 1916 and an Anglo-French offensive at the Somme in the second half of the year, the front remained largely unchanged.
15.The breakdown of the state was signalized in the Treaty of Verdun (843) when the three sons of Louis I, the Pious, divided the territories, the eastern portion going to Louis the German.
16.The closest the Germans ever got to the city of Verdun was a ridge from which they could see the rooftops of the houses and the old church spire of the Verdun Cathedral. They never got any closer.
17.They had lost sight of the strategic importance of Verdun and were now fighting for honor. Neither side could step away without dishonoring themselves and their country, and so the battle descended into what survivors called " Hell on Earth."