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Discovery Channel - Under Siege (DC) (2004) Part 4 Verdun 1916 The Mill on the Meuse
Under Siege looks of sieges in history and the nature and evolution of combat across the centuries. In ancient world siege warfare was the most brutal form of war. Typically involving whole urban societies, siege warfare often ended in the sack of a city and the massacre or enslavement of entire populations. In Medieval Europe, siege tactics were a crucial part of warfare, especially from the 11th century CE when castles became more widespread in Europe and sieges outnumbered pitched battles. Castles and fortified cities offered protection to both the local population and armed forces and presented an array of defensive features which, in turn, led to innovations in weapons, siege engine technology, and strategies. There are many significant sieges in military history, and also a few standouts worthy of mention, because the battle, the outcome or the aftermath were so consequential. Few topics in the history of human conflict capture the popular imagination more than the drama of siege warfare. Whether it is a city, a town, a battalion or a regiment, the blood is stirred by stories of those that have stood behind walls and barricades in a last stand against their attackers. So what makes those under siege battle on when to do so often had little logic? Who were the leaders who rallied their troops or their fellow citizens? What drives man and women to acts of extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice? Why had victory sometimes been won when bloody failure looks absolutely certain?
Part 4 Verdun 1916 The Mill on the Meuse
This was the hellish, protracted siege known to many as 'The Mincer'. The fanatical French defense of the three forts cost hundreds of thousands of lives and was in part the reason the battle of the Somme was fought during the same year. The battle ebbed and flowed throughout the year and the forts were captured and recaptured many times before finally the fighting eased in December 1916. Toward the end of the battle almost 700,000 French and German troops had been killed or wounded, trying to take or defend the city.
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