Thank you to THQ Nordic and Last Train Home for sponsoring this video! Support our channel by clicking the link and buying it today: thqn.net/4aPirQE Use Code "UNCENSORED", Sign up for Armchair History TV today! armchairhistory.tv/ Merchandise available at armchairhistory.tv/collections/all Android App: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fourthwall.wla.armchairhistory IOS App: apps.apple.com/us/app/armchair-history-tv/id6471108801 Armchair Historian Video Game: store.steampowered.com/app/1679290/Fire__Maneuver/ Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/armchairhistorian Discord: discord.gg/thearmchairhistorian Twitter: twitter.com/ArmchairHist
“Out of every five men, two have been buried, two have been wounded to some extent, and the fifth is waiting.” A (paraphrased) quote describing the ten-day artillery barrage that opened the Battle of Verdun.
He didn’t sell his own legacy. He was a pragmatist who tried to reduce bloodshed and cooperate under occupation to make life easier for the citizens. Vichy zone was more free and less repressive than the occupied zone. also do you have any idea how many Frenchmen also volunteered for the SS??
"NOOO YOURE A TOTAL SELL OUT AND EVIL CAUSE YOU REFUSED FUTILE RESISTANCE AND DIDNT WANT PARIS TO BE GLASSED LIKE WARSAW!" Petain did the reasonable thing. Pride already lost them the war and he wasn't going to let pride lose them more. He was old and on his way out the door. He'd gladly take the blame of collaboration knowing he only had to wait for Britain to get America in the Western front. Then Liberation came. That's why De Gaulle never truly condemned.
@@rhysnichols8608 18,000 to 22,000 Frenchmen fought voluntarily in the Waffen-SS but you must also know about the Malgré-nous and how 380 000 Alsaciens and Lorrains where forced conscripted into the German army
@@rhysnichols8608 > Cooperate to make life easier for the citizens > Forcibly deport French citizens who happen to be Jewish/Commies/Liberals/anti-Nazis to the Germans WITHOUT BEING ASKED... > Vichy zone is way more free and less repressive than the occupied zone > Ignores the deportation of anyone who does not fit the mold of Petain's National Rebirth ideology.. > Other Axis countries which are way less free than France kept their Jewish citizens alive...
Even today, the Verdun forest bears the scars of the battle, with the ground retaining the shape of shell impact, remnants of fortifications, rusting ammunition and grenades, and nameless graves around every corner. A place well worth visiting.
I visited verdun years ago. Seeing the granade funnels/trenches formed by shells and numerous grenades gave me almost as much as an impact as the miles long gravejard. That was what took me. Just driving for minutes paat hundreds of thousands of graves. Found a grave of a turkish soldier with my family name on it, Yildirim. Although its a common name, as a kid it shocked me.
He was raised as a hero back then because he had better connexions with the Painlevé government than other generals, despite having the same casualty rate as any other.
@@Nivelle_le_Grishe basically resurrected French army after mutiny and insisted on deep defense lines, akin to Hindenburg line which again saved French during the spring offensive.
@@Gunitz89 You mean by collaborating with the Nazis and letting them deport Jews to Concentration camps? I don't think that's saving France bud, the Nazis were never gonna let them actually rule.
Cao Cao too....Sima clan of China too, they started off as advisors of Cao Wei with Sima Yi, but his grandson, Sima Yan, seized power and established the Jin dynasty of China.
Not many words can describe how hellish this battle was, it was a human slaughterhouse, some of the worst that the war had to offer. I’m really glad you’re finally covering more World War One, Griffon! Hoping to see more!
@@-PaperPlane-2060nah, they’re not even comparable. Millions of animals are slaughtered daily for human consumption, the majority of them humanely. Humans slaughtered other humans in the most extreme, cruel way possible. Up to you to decide what’s worse.
@@ExtantPerson it truly is. I would say it is my favourite era of history, but calling a war a favourite doesn’t feel right. I would love to visit sites and memorials and pay my respects
@@-PaperPlane-2060 Vegans can't stop crying all over the place, lmfao. Just because one dented person slaughter animal in the most brutal way =/= everyone does it.
Verdun has to be the most awe-inspiring battle of the war to me. It was so horrific, yet the French resolve never fell. They would not let them pass, and they never did. It's incredibly powerful.
Debout, citoyen ! Entendez-vous dans les champs, les cris de nos féroces soldats. Aux armes, enfants de la patrie, AUX ARMES!!! ILS NE PASSERONT PAS!!!
the Verdun battle left more than a thousand dead per day from February to December but the worst remains that in February 1916 the Germans launched 2 million shells during 2 days. That's 1 shell every 0.08 seconds Verdun was the Stalingrad of ww1
The French fought tooth and nail to defend Verdun, their holy city The spirit of these men proved that, even after centuries of wars and bloodshed, even after the horrors of world war 1 that brought the northern half of the country to ruin The Gallic Rooster still stands
My Great Grand-Uncle François fought at Verdun as part of the French 99th Infantry Regiment. Conscripted in 1916, he saw his baptism by fire in October at the Eix sector of Verdun, arriving as part of a reinforcement wave after his unit got nearly entirely wiped out at Tavannes. He survived Verdun, but was later killed in action on 10 June 1917 at the Chemin des Dames during a French counter-attack. I have his identity tag, military ID booklet, letters, postcards, photos, and his coin pouch which was struck by shrapnel. They were sent back to my family upon his death.
My great great Grandfather Emile took a bullet in the jaw at Verdun. He was operated in a field hospital as all the other ones, and judging by the only picture we have from him, it seems the surgeon was a good one. He still had a massive scar though. Right ear to middle left cheek, but really acceptable. Which is nothing compared to the look he had in his eyes. Pure sorrow, pure horror. He fell into the old absynth. Peace upon your family, the Chemin Des Dames was.. something.
@@kornofulgur Your great great Grandfather Emile was lucky to have survived, though his soul never entirely healed. My Great Grandfather (224th Infantry Regiment) never truly recovered from the war. He was severely wounded by shrapnel to his face which permanently left a large scar on his right cheek and blinded his right eye on 8 September 1918 at the Nanteuil-la-Fosse sector. He was also cited for bravery in combat, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre, Medaille Militaire, and the Legion d'Honneur. I still have his medals and photos. As for my other family members, I had another three who fell in action, all of them in June 1915. Two of them were twins serving in the 31st Battalion of Chasseurs, both killed during the offensive at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette in Artois. Another family member (97th Infantry Regiment) was killed in Souchez. I have their death cards. Another one of my Great Uncles, Albert, 175th Infantry Regiment, served at the Dardanelles and Salonika where he caught his dose of malaria before being transferred back to the Western Front and being wounded at Meurthe-et-Moselle on 22 June 1918. I have all of his military documents, photos, post cards, etc. My family suffered tremendously in this war.
@@kornofulgurdid your grandfather Emile… by any chance, have a friend named Freddie, a captured German medical dog named Walt and during the chemins des dames kill an officer who was purposely butchering his French men by making them walk into machine gun fire for no reason other than to fuel his worthless ambitions?
My arrière-arrière grand père (19 Sept 1898) would live through the Great War. When the IIIe French Republic joined in at 1914 he was already eligible for conscription. In the IIIe Republic you were had to join conscription at a very young age. He did not fight at Verdun but he did still fight.. he also served in the World War 2 but he died in 1971. I’am 15 and I love history because my ancestors have seen what I watch here!
Hahahaha! That’s crazy! Your - assume, correct me if I’m wrong because I don’t speak French - great great grandfather’s birthday was born 1 day after me, but 110 years earlier. Funnily enough, I too am 15!
As a WWI buff thank you for this. Whenever people make fun of the French for always losing and surrendering I alway laugh. Verdun shows how strong the French people actually are and the fact the Germans didn't win the battle is insane. The only reason why some forts feel was just because the French ran out of water.
You look at most of french history you find they are the winners but everyone only remembers one defeat because the defeat was such a embarrassment. they had the worlds largest and well trained army at the time and the best tanks in the world. It was the fault of the commanders not moving forward with the constant changing of warfare.
@@Vrooto you know, even our defeat against Germany should not be that embarassing when you factor in some facts, like the unilateral general retreat of the english forces that left french soldiers to rearguard the evacuation at Dunkirk (barely acknowledged in the movie of the same name btw), or the tremendous losses inflicted to the germans despite being constantly on defensive at best, retreating most of the time.
Nice work. Thanks I'm a Frenchman over 50 and I knew a great-grandfather who fought there. He sometimes told us the songs that the poilus sang before going into battle.
Verdun is such a giant battle for France that at least 2/3 of his army served at Verdun during those 10 months battle. Which mean that a lot of french today had at least one great grand father who fought at Verdun. It’s a battle like few country endured it, we shall never Forget.
Ur opinion on Pétain being a hero doesnt really change if youve been in the trenches of verdun ive heard many stories of ww1 french veterans feel slightly embarassed for Pétain’s actions in ww2 but still hold some slight sympathy for what he did to the men in the trenches
My great-grandfather survived Verdun, I never met the guy, but the stories about him are haunting. He came back as a shell of his former self, having seen all his comrades die in a hail of artillery before his eyes. He wouldn't speak about his experiences till the day he took it with him to his grave after dying from complications from his exposure to chemical agents decades later. It's important to remember that real people suffered and died between the political intrigue and troop movements.
One thing this video didnt go into a ton of detail in is the sheer amount of artillery shells that both the french and Germans used in Verdun. All in all, 60 million artillery shells were used in the battle, with the Germans using 1 million shells in 10 hours during the initial assult. I imagine the sky could scarcely be seen through such an onslaught.
Such a hellish landscape of fire, mud and smoke…. It wasn’t called The Devil’s Anvil with precedence… a good map in my book, tough at times but authentic
There’s one French general that is often overlooked. General Édouard de Curieres de Castelnau. He was Joffre’s right hand man, and the second highest ranking officer in the French army. One of the few in the French ranks to be victorious very early in the war (battle of the trouée de charmes in which he would be nicknamed the « savior of Nancy »), unlike most French generals, Castelnau feared an attack on Verdun and intervened to strengthen the city’s fortifications and putting the 20th Army corps on alert to assure quick reinforcements to the troops in the case of a German offensive. He was actually the one to appoint Petain to the sector of Verdun, which was against the wishes of General Joffre, but he did it anyway. He would lose three of his four sons in the Great War. This guy would live to see the fall of France in 1940 and would join the resistance at 93 years old. He became adamantly furious towards Petain’s Vichy Regime but would unfortunately pass away in 1944, a couple months before d-day.
"THEY SHALL NOT PASS!" and by god, the German's did not pass! regardless of the stats, numbers and other factors that affected both sides of the war, France, in my mind, holds the MVP award for pretty much carrying most of the Entente powers on the western front during the war with the Battle of Verdun being an example.
One thing about the battle of Verdun that fascinates me is (According to what I've read) 60 million shells were fired over the course of the whole battle. I got curious and did the math (I suck at math so its probably wrong) and it totaled to 198,019-198,020 shells fired a day / 8,250-8251 shells fired an hour / 137-138 shells fired a minute / and 2-3 shells being fired every second. thats for the whole battle of Verdun which was only an area of 65 square miles or 170 square kilometers (According to what I've read). Take that with a bit of salt because one, I suck at math and am probably wrong with the numbers I got. and two, Its the internet and roughly half of what I read is most likely inaccurate at best.
I've been to Verdun and the fortified valley area. The entire landscape is completely shaped by all the shelling in that area even as woods and grass have grown over. Villages that existed there before the battle are now stones that mark where the building was. It's a hell of a site
Not related to Verdun but I saw a statistic that said over 3000 shells landed in every square metre of the Ypres salient in WW1. I think over 120 million shells were fired in the 24 square kilometre sized salient from 1914 to 1918. A large percentage of those shells did not explode. Around 10 German shells exploded in the city of Ypres, every minute, for 4 years straight. It was said you can get on a horse and look across the entire city.
@@kingou404 Your lucky sir/ma'am. I want to go around and see all these historical sites I've read about. too broke to do that though. maybe someday I'll get to visit Europe.
I remember playing Valiant Hearts. It was such a sad game, but despite a major lack of FPS mechanics (mostly 2D puzzles), it gave the feeling of World War I through the point of view of various characters that humanized the experience that an FPS has yet to give me.
FINALLY ! An amazing video about ww1 french soldiers, and not only about the british ones with the habitual cliche "oh FraNce JuST SurEnDer". Thank you for uploading this masterpiece
I've seen a French photo from La Mort Homme showing a French soldier standing in what appears to be a trench, and the wall of the trench to the parapet is entirely composed of corpses, to a height that goes over his head.
The Battle of Verdun was such a large part of the conflict it broke many contemporary reccords such as the largest artillery bombardment up until that point, with like it says on the video, over 1 million shells were used.
It's De Castelnau, not Petain who took the initiative to send renforcements on the other bank from night one, probably saving Verdun. He is also the man who stopped the germans on the marne
@@tibsky1396absolutely it’s a shame that Castelnau didn’t received is matechal title for what he did during the war, is Maybe the best french general of there war.
As the drum roll started on that day Heard a hundred miles away A million shells were fired And the green fields turned to grey The bombardment lasted all day long Yet the forts were standing strong Heavily defended Now the trap's been sprung and the battle has begun
I have a few years on you, but as a younger man who educates people about history as well, I"m always humbled by your style and delivery. You're pretty damn knowledgeable for your years. I know you have a team too, but it certainly gives educators a new perspective on how to do it better/being better earlier in their careers
In his memoirs, Falkenhayn stated that in December 1915, he sent the Kaiser a note expressing his appreciation for the strategic situation. The breaking point has been reached in France. It does not require a massive breakthrough, which is in any case unattainable. There are targets within our grasp that, if attained, would force the French General Staff to commit every man they possess. The French forces will bleed to death if they do this. ---Falkenhayn
It is, however, worth pointing out that this note wasn't found anywhere, and directly contradict his stated aims at the time. The plan to "bleed the French force dry" is likely to be a justification thought of after the fact.
It was never his plan and he wrote that to save his ass in the German high command. In reality the Germans were bled just as much and it was a massive tactical and strategic blunder from Falkenheim.
“We have been preparing for a long battle, troops and supplies arriving by train from all over Europe. We are edging forward, sleeper by sleeper, rail by rail. These are our scalpels, cutting into the heart of France. We will open this country up and leave her to bleed. They have given this offensive a codename, Gerricht: Judgement. I know that this will be the battle to settle this terrible war.” - _The introduction to Battlefield 1’s “Devil’s Anvil” operation when playing as the Germans_
"Thou shall go no further, it was said THEY SHALL NOT PASS" Not only a absolute banger but my introduction to my love for WW1. Edit: needles to say I would absolutly love to visit Verdun sometime in future
Excellent video. SORRY FOR CPS BUT THE CAPS ARE WORDS OF APPRECIATION TO HAVE SUCH INCREDIBLE BACKGROUND MUSIC WHICH ENHANSED THE STORY TELLING OF THIS VIDEO. I HAVE NEVER COMPLIMENTED THE MUSIC, BUT IT IS OUTSTANDING! GREAT WORK!!
The Germans counted on the stubbornness of the french civil and military leadership to defend Verdun at all costs. The battle of Verdun was a reckless german attempt to battle the french into attrition.
Last Train Home is a great game; it is a labor of love and worth playing! I became so interested in the story of the Czech Slovak Legionaries that I bought books. Some are based on the diaries of the Legionnaires on their way to the East to escape Russia, and what they did is just incredible, given all the difficulties encountered along the way.
Hey The Armchair Historian, I would like for you to cover the Greco-Turkish War 1919-1922 and go into depth on how Ataturk defeated the Greeks after they almost got to Ankara, I think that one of my favorite historians of all time cover it, since me personally right now is interested in the Turkish War of Independence. Sincerely, Mooseyz.
Hey Griffin, I absolutely love your channel, its super fascinating and very entertaining to boot! Any chance you could do a video about the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadians in 1917? Its a hugely pivotal battle in Canadian history and went a huge way towards forming our national identity and would be so super incredible to myself and every other Canadian interested in WW1 in specific and history in general. Thanks Griffin!
the price of glory is a great read about Verdun I highly suggest it. Also My dad visited Verdun in the late 40s early 50s and they still had the survivors giving the tours of the fort.
Another awesome video, as always, Griffin! I had always wanted a video on the *Battle of Verdun*, and now here it is! One suggestion I would like to make is that I would really appreciate it if you created a video on the *Battle of Passchendaele*.
Amazing video, but please chill with the amount of references and other goofy graphics. Something like 6:16 was very good at illustrating the situation. And uhh, interesting haircut
Fields of Verdun, and the battle has begun Nowhere to run, father and son Fall one by one under the gun Thy will be done (thy will be done), and the judgement has begun Nowhere to run, father and son Fall one by one, fields of Verdun
In june 1940, France (with a much smaller army since the encirclement of the Franco-english army near Dunkirk resulting from the German surprise attack in the Ardennes) was in 1 vs 2 against Germany and Italy with no chance of winning and thus asked for an armistice, like Germany had done in 1918 before the allies could enter Germany.
@@krips22Except France didn’t have the unrest Germany did. It also ignores how Germany was overrunning its supply lines so defeating could be quite easy.
@@emberfist8347 I'll be honest, I don't understand your argumentation (for instance, concerning the supply lines, I don't even know if you're thinking of ww1 and ww2 - which is irrelevant in both cases, as far as I can see). And I don't think you really understand the situation of France in 1940... From a more general view of the situation, France in 1940 (facing a country with almost twice more population!) kinda had still PTSD from ww1 in which it had more soldiers killed in just that one war than the USA in its whole history until now (1776-2024) - while France had far less population - and had not fully recovered then. France was kind of in a negative dynamics since the end of the Napoleonic era, while other European nations were in more positive dynamics (for instance, since deep in the 19th c., France was in demographic winter - that never ended. Example: from 1871 to 1911, while Germany's population increased 60% and the UK's ~52% IIRC, France's only 8.6% and in the 1890s, France actually lost population for a few years, which was unheard of in the world outside of major wars and epidemics. This was just an example to give you an idea of the very different situation of France and its neighbours in that timeframe). Etc...
@@krips22 So you don’t seem to understand history. Germany had overextended itself and if it wasn’t for France’s surrender, France and the UK could have counterattacked and won.
@@emberfist8347 So ww2. I have no idea what you're talking about. You clearly don't master the subject. Germany overstretching in the battle of France in 1940 is a ridiculous statement. And france was in a 1 vs 2 against Germany and Italy while the british army had fled back to England, in june 1940. Get the basics.
The importance of this battle in French history cannot be understated. Not because of its strategic value, length or amount of losses, but because 70% of the French army served here. The rotation of troops in and out of Verdun was a decisive factor for French fighting ability, as a result, most families in France had a relative there at some point, which made it "close to home" for everyone. This was really exploited to great length by propaganda during and after the battle, "Heroes of Verdun" was a title most soldiers could relate to. This also contributed hugely to Pétain's stature as a war hero, most French veterans related personally, having fought under his orders.
My great grandfather fought at Verdun and got shot in his arm. Still have his medals and certificate for surviving the war. God bless you Charles Sabatier and all that you suffered.
Understanding that the French went through a lot at Verdun and a thousand other battles, the Germans launched their Spring 1918 offensive. One objective was Paris. One difference this time was the Americans were now in the fight. At the 2nd Battle of the Marne, the Germans were pushing hard, and French units were withdrawing and encouraging the newly arrived U.S. 3rd Infantry Division to do the same. Division commander Maj. Gen. Joseph Dickman emphatically said, "Nous Resterons La" (in French so the withdrawing flank units understood what he meant: "We’re staying there!”). Similarly, U.S. Marines ordered to withdraw by a French commander at Belleau Wood famously declared in very clear English, "Retreat, hell, we just got here!" 3rd ID became and remains the "Rock of the Marne," and 5th Marines' motto remains "Retreat, Hell!"
It’s because the US troops were fresh and ready for the smoke. Also they added a lot of numerical superiority to the allied powers, allowing units to be rotated more regularly and crucially a much better logistical system. US troops weren’t specially good soldiers compared to the others, it’s just they were fresh and had a lot of supply and logistic affects.
Thank you to THQ Nordic and Last Train Home for sponsoring this video! Support our channel by clicking the link and buying it today: thqn.net/4aPirQE
Use Code "UNCENSORED", Sign up for Armchair History TV today! armchairhistory.tv/
Merchandise available at armchairhistory.tv/collections/all
Android App: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fourthwall.wla.armchairhistory
IOS App: apps.apple.com/us/app/armchair-history-tv/id6471108801
Armchair Historian Video Game: store.steampowered.com/app/1679290/Fire__Maneuver/
Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/armchairhistorian
Discord: discord.gg/thearmchairhistorian
Twitter: twitter.com/ArmchairHist
Finally! ❤
Thanks!
Hey video idea
The mexican American war video
Yooo
Armchair mission impossible : trying to not show he is a nazi 1:57; 2:21; 2:45
“Out of every five men, two have been buried, two have been wounded to some extent, and the fifth is waiting.”
A (paraphrased) quote describing the ten-day artillery barrage that opened the Battle of Verdun.
That Petain guy really saved France. I’m sure he’ll be remembered as a selfless patriot and won’t soil his own legacy in the next war…
Next war...?
He didn’t sell his own legacy. He was a pragmatist who tried to reduce bloodshed and cooperate under occupation to make life easier for the citizens. Vichy zone was more free and less repressive than the occupied zone. also do you have any idea how many Frenchmen also volunteered for the SS??
"NOOO YOURE A TOTAL SELL OUT AND EVIL CAUSE YOU REFUSED FUTILE RESISTANCE AND DIDNT WANT PARIS TO BE GLASSED LIKE WARSAW!"
Petain did the reasonable thing. Pride already lost them the war and he wasn't going to let pride lose them more. He was old and on his way out the door. He'd gladly take the blame of collaboration knowing he only had to wait for Britain to get America in the Western front. Then Liberation came. That's why De Gaulle never truly condemned.
@@rhysnichols8608 18,000 to 22,000 Frenchmen fought voluntarily in the Waffen-SS
but you must also know about the Malgré-nous and how 380 000 Alsaciens and Lorrains where forced conscripted into the German army
@@rhysnichols8608
> Cooperate to make life easier for the citizens
> Forcibly deport French citizens who happen to be Jewish/Commies/Liberals/anti-Nazis to the Germans WITHOUT BEING ASKED...
> Vichy zone is way more free and less repressive than the occupied zone
> Ignores the deportation of anyone who does not fit the mold of Petain's National Rebirth ideology..
> Other Axis countries which are way less free than France kept their Jewish citizens alive...
Even today, the Verdun forest bears the scars of the battle, with the ground retaining the shape of shell impact, remnants of fortifications, rusting ammunition and grenades, and nameless graves around every corner. A place well worth visiting.
Zone Rouge is still a very dangerous place, tons of unexploded ordinance, or worse, gas.
I visited verdun years ago. Seeing the granade funnels/trenches formed by shells and numerous grenades gave me almost as much as an impact as the miles long gravejard. That was what took me. Just driving for minutes paat hundreds of thousands of graves. Found a grave of a turkish soldier with my family name on it, Yildirim. Although its a common name, as a kid it shocked me.
"You either die as a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the vilain"
That sums up Philippe Pétain so damn well...
He was raised as a hero back then because he had better connexions with the Painlevé government than other generals, despite having the same casualty rate as any other.
@@Nivelle_le_Grishe basically resurrected French army after mutiny and insisted on deep defense lines, akin to Hindenburg line which again saved French during the spring offensive.
Villain? he saved France from devastation on ww2
@@Gunitz89 You mean by collaborating with the Nazis and letting them deport Jews to Concentration camps? I don't think that's saving France bud, the Nazis were never gonna let them actually rule.
Cao Cao too....Sima clan of China too, they started off as advisors of Cao Wei with Sima Yi, but his grandson, Sima Yan, seized power and established the Jin dynasty of China.
Not many words can describe how hellish this battle was, it was a human slaughterhouse, some of the worst that the war had to offer. I’m really glad you’re finally covering more World War One, Griffon! Hoping to see more!
WW1 is such a fascinating topic
@@ExtantPersonIndeed
@@-PaperPlane-2060nah, they’re not even comparable. Millions of animals are slaughtered daily for human consumption, the majority of them humanely. Humans slaughtered other humans in the most extreme, cruel way possible. Up to you to decide what’s worse.
@@ExtantPerson it truly is. I would say it is my favourite era of history, but calling a war a favourite doesn’t feel right. I would love to visit sites and memorials and pay my respects
@@-PaperPlane-2060
Vegans can't stop crying all over the place, lmfao. Just because one dented person slaughter animal in the most brutal way =/= everyone does it.
Verdun has to be the most awe-inspiring battle of the war to me. It was so horrific, yet the French resolve never fell. They would not let them pass, and they never did. It's incredibly powerful.
True. Gandalf has nothing on them.
Debout, citoyen ! Entendez-vous dans les champs, les cris de nos féroces soldats. Aux armes, enfants de la patrie, AUX ARMES!!! ILS NE PASSERONT PAS!!!
the Verdun battle left more than a thousand dead per day from February to December
but the worst remains that in February 1916 the Germans launched 2 million shells during 2 days. That's 1 shell every 0.08 seconds
Verdun was the Stalingrad of ww1
The French fought tooth and nail to defend Verdun, their holy city
The spirit of these men proved that, even after centuries of wars and bloodshed, even after the horrors of world war 1 that brought the northern half of the country to ruin
The Gallic Rooster still stands
Merci beaucoup l'ami
Merci! at least this time people actually don’t say we have 8 reverse gears..
And to think despite that soon France won't even be majority French.
@@ThatBugBehindYouIm sorry, are you forgetting the entire biological function of reproduction?
Only for them to be called cowards. I feel so bad for them.
My Great Grand-Uncle François fought at Verdun as part of the French 99th Infantry Regiment. Conscripted in 1916, he saw his baptism by fire in October at the Eix sector of Verdun, arriving as part of a reinforcement wave after his unit got nearly entirely wiped out at Tavannes. He survived Verdun, but was later killed in action on 10 June 1917 at the Chemin des Dames during a French counter-attack. I have his identity tag, military ID booklet, letters, postcards, photos, and his coin pouch which was struck by shrapnel. They were sent back to my family upon his death.
Paix a son ame l'ami.
My great great Grandfather Emile took a bullet in the jaw at Verdun. He was operated in a field hospital as all the other ones, and judging by the only picture we have from him, it seems the surgeon was a good one. He still had a massive scar though. Right ear to middle left cheek, but really acceptable.
Which is nothing compared to the look he had in his eyes. Pure sorrow, pure horror. He fell into the old absynth. Peace upon your family, the Chemin Des Dames was.. something.
@@kornofulgur Your great great Grandfather Emile was lucky to have survived, though his soul never entirely healed. My Great Grandfather (224th Infantry Regiment) never truly recovered from the war. He was severely wounded by shrapnel to his face which permanently left a large scar on his right cheek and blinded his right eye on 8 September 1918 at the Nanteuil-la-Fosse sector. He was also cited for bravery in combat, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre, Medaille Militaire, and the Legion d'Honneur. I still have his medals and photos. As for my other family members, I had another three who fell in action, all of them in June 1915. Two of them were twins serving in the 31st Battalion of Chasseurs, both killed during the offensive at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette in Artois. Another family member (97th Infantry Regiment) was killed in Souchez. I have their death cards. Another one of my Great Uncles, Albert, 175th Infantry Regiment, served at the Dardanelles and Salonika where he caught his dose of malaria before being transferred back to the Western Front and being wounded at Meurthe-et-Moselle on 22 June 1918. I have all of his military documents, photos, post cards, etc. My family suffered tremendously in this war.
Paix à son âme.
@@kornofulgurdid your grandfather Emile… by any chance, have a friend named Freddie, a captured German medical dog named Walt and during the chemins des dames kill an officer who was purposely butchering his French men by making them walk into machine gun fire for no reason other than to fuel his worthless ambitions?
My arrière-arrière grand père (19 Sept 1898) would live through the Great War. When the IIIe French Republic joined in at 1914 he was already eligible for conscription. In the IIIe Republic you were had to join conscription at a very young age. He did not fight at Verdun but he did still fight.. he also served in the World War 2 but he died in 1971. I’am 15 and I love history because my ancestors have seen what I watch here!
Vive le france
Hahahaha! That’s crazy! Your - assume, correct me if I’m wrong because I don’t speak French - great great grandfather’s birthday was born 1 day after me, but 110 years earlier. Funnily enough, I too am 15!
@@AAFBNC Waoh, that’s very cool! I’am born 21 May, lol
@@strasbourgeois1 that’s awesome! I assume you live in France?
@@AAFBNC Yes I do, and you?
As a WWI buff thank you for this. Whenever people make fun of the French for always losing and surrendering I alway laugh. Verdun shows how strong the French people actually are and the fact the Germans didn't win the battle is insane. The only reason why some forts feel was just because the French ran out of water.
You look at most of french history you find they are the winners but everyone only remembers one defeat because the defeat was such a embarrassment. they had the worlds largest and well trained army at the time and the best tanks in the world. It was the fault of the commanders not moving forward with the constant changing of warfare.
@@Vrooto you know, even our defeat against Germany should not be that embarassing when you factor in some facts, like the unilateral general retreat of the english forces that left french soldiers to rearguard the evacuation at Dunkirk (barely acknowledged in the movie of the same name btw), or the tremendous losses inflicted to the germans despite being constantly on defensive at best, retreating most of the time.
@Vrooto they were far from the best trained..
@@mickethegoblin7167Definitely not the best trained but was still large and effective
I seriously hate when people try to say the French are cowards. They have clearly never studied history.
Thank you for making detailed yet simple videos that making learning history easier and fun to watch!
Nice work. Thanks
I'm a Frenchman over 50 and I knew a great-grandfather who fought there.
He sometimes told us the songs that the poilus sang before going into battle.
Verdun is such a giant battle for France that at least 2/3 of his army served at Verdun during those 10 months battle. Which mean that a lot of french today had at least one great grand father who fought at Verdun. It’s a battle like few country endured it, we shall never Forget.
Wow that Philippe Pétain dude was great during this battle I certainly hope he doesn't do anything horrible in the future.
Ur opinion on Pétain being a hero doesnt really change if youve been in the trenches of verdun ive heard many stories of ww1 french veterans feel slightly embarassed for Pétain’s actions in ww2 but still hold some slight sympathy for what he did to the men in the trenches
“I cut my teeth in the trenches of the Somme, you larped your Santa Claus butt through Vietnam!” JRR Tolkien
EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORY
“- and it’s hard to take criticism on clothes from a dude who sends ravens to say hi to his toes”
Man, your fat jokes are worse than your pipe smoke! My show's the hottest thing on HBO!
That quote was from a Budweiser commercial
Who’s he talking to here?
My great-grandfather survived Verdun, I never met the guy, but the stories about him are haunting. He came back as a shell of his former self, having seen all his comrades die in a hail of artillery before his eyes. He wouldn't speak about his experiences till the day he took it with him to his grave after dying from complications from his exposure to chemical agents decades later. It's important to remember that real people suffered and died between the political intrigue and troop movements.
12:25
"bro I want sum coffee"
"We ain't got no fire bro"
"we have a flamethrower."
Fantastic as always!
One thing this video didnt go into a ton of detail in is the sheer amount of artillery shells that both the french and Germans used in Verdun. All in all, 60 million artillery shells were used in the battle, with the Germans using 1 million shells in 10 hours during the initial assult. I imagine the sky could scarcely be seen through such an onslaught.
I feel like bf1’s verdun heights map is possibly the closest rendition of what the opening artillery barrage and then battle looked like
Such a hellish landscape of fire, mud and smoke…. It wasn’t called The Devil’s Anvil with precedence… a good map in my book, tough at times but authentic
@@jackthorton10Definitely my favorite map
so the french fought in the shade huh?
Yes!! More WW1! This means a lot to me because my great great grandfather fought in this battle, as well as all 4 years of the war
There’s one French general that is often overlooked. General Édouard de Curieres de Castelnau. He was Joffre’s right hand man, and the second highest ranking officer in the French army. One of the few in the French ranks to be victorious very early in the war (battle of the trouée de charmes in which he would be nicknamed the « savior of Nancy »), unlike most French generals, Castelnau feared an attack on Verdun and intervened to strengthen the city’s fortifications and putting the 20th Army corps on alert to assure quick reinforcements to the troops in the case of a German offensive. He was actually the one to appoint Petain to the sector of Verdun, which was against the wishes of General Joffre, but he did it anyway. He would lose three of his four sons in the Great War.
This guy would live to see the fall of France in 1940 and would join the resistance at 93 years old. He became adamantly furious towards Petain’s Vichy Regime but would unfortunately pass away in 1944, a couple months before d-day.
AS THE DRUMROLL STARTED ON THAT DAY, HEARD A HUNDRED MILES AWAY!
A MILLION SHELLS WERE FIRED
AND THE GREEN FIELDS TURNED TO GREY
THE BOMBARDMENT LASTED ALL DAY LONG YET THE FORT IS STANDING STRONG!
HEAVILY DEFENDED, NOW THE TRAP HAS BEEN SPRUN AND THE BATTLES BEGUN
@@tianhaoju4634 DECEND INTO DARKNESS, 303 DAYS BELOW THE SUN
@@caradog1081 Fields of Verdun, and the battle has begun, no way to run ,father and son, fall one by one
Thank you for posting this griffin. One of the best historical UA-camrs on this platform imo
This Channel is The Greatest Contribution To the UA-cam History Community
"Soldiers attempting to heat coffee using flamethrowers"
Part of me finds that funny, but part of me can relate
@@JB-pu8ikwtf?
On one side its funny
On the other i wouldnt laugh because god knows i would make the same mistake
"Hans, can we have a coffee heater brought to us from Germany?"
"No, we have coffee heater here."
The coffee heater:
"THEY SHALL NOT PASS!"
and by god, the German's did not pass!
regardless of the stats, numbers and other factors that affected both sides of the war, France, in my mind, holds the MVP award for pretty much carrying most of the Entente powers on the western front during the war with the Battle of Verdun being an example.
If only the French had the same mentality in WW2 mostly due to french high command incompetence
They passed...24 years later!
World War II was lost due to French poltical incompetence.
One thing about the battle of Verdun that fascinates me is (According to what I've read) 60 million shells were fired over the course of the whole battle. I got curious and did the math (I suck at math so its probably wrong) and it totaled to 198,019-198,020 shells fired a day / 8,250-8251 shells fired an hour / 137-138 shells fired a minute / and 2-3 shells being fired every second. thats for the whole battle of Verdun which was only an area of 65 square miles or 170 square kilometers (According to what I've read). Take that with a bit of salt because one, I suck at math and am probably wrong with the numbers I got. and two, Its the internet and roughly half of what I read is most likely inaccurate at best.
Damn!
I've been to Verdun and the fortified valley area.
The entire landscape is completely shaped by all the shelling in that area even as woods and grass have grown over.
Villages that existed there before the battle are now stones that mark where the building was.
It's a hell of a site
Not related to Verdun but I saw a statistic that said over 3000 shells landed in every square metre of the Ypres salient in WW1. I think over 120 million shells were fired in the 24 square kilometre sized salient from 1914 to 1918. A large percentage of those shells did not explode.
Around 10 German shells exploded in the city of Ypres, every minute, for 4 years straight. It was said you can get on a horse and look across the entire city.
wonder how many are left unexploded there?
@@kingou404 Your lucky sir/ma'am. I want to go around and see all these historical sites I've read about. too broke to do that though. maybe someday I'll get to visit Europe.
I remember playing Valiant Hearts. It was such a sad game, but despite a major lack of FPS mechanics (mostly 2D puzzles), it gave the feeling of World War I through the point of view of various characters that humanized the experience that an FPS has yet to give me.
FINALLY ! An amazing video about ww1 french soldiers, and not only about the british ones with the habitual cliche "oh FraNce JuST SurEnDer". Thank you for uploading this masterpiece
𓀐 𓂸
French massacre of North Africa
This video is incaurate they did not surrender right away
@@cylandar Yeah I know I was just talking about the people that assimilate the french resistance in WW1 to the french surrendering in WW2
@@user-op8fg3ny3j And ?
These animations keep getting better. Great work. Absolutely beautiful
The bombardment of Hill 304 was so intense it is now Hill 298.
I've seen a French photo from La Mort Homme showing a French soldier standing in what appears to be a trench, and the wall of the trench to the parapet is entirely composed of corpses, to a height that goes over his head.
1:59 Oh my god valiant hearts refrence
it wont ded
Rest in Peace For the French and German that died 700'000 lives were lost 😢❤
🤖🤖
The Battle of Verdun was such a large part of the conflict it broke many contemporary reccords such as the largest artillery bombardment up until that point, with like it says on the video, over 1 million shells were used.
700,000 casualties
Gory All Heroes in ww1 .R.I.P
Bro can't read, 700k casualties but only 300k deaths
As a Battlefield player, I had so many flashbacks to playing the Verdun operation in BF1
Must have been tough
It's De Castelnau, not Petain who took the initiative to send renforcements on the other bank from night one, probably saving Verdun. He is also the man who stopped the germans on the marne
With both battles: Trouée de Charme, and Grand-Couronnée, he was also largely one of the reason why the Marne's success was possible in 1914.
@@tibsky1396absolutely it’s a shame that Castelnau didn’t received is matechal title for what he did during the war, is Maybe the best french general of there war.
Gotta love the inclusion of that german zeppelin from valiant of hearts 🥰
I love that game it made me cry at the end tho
Oh, I thought that was supposed to be Highfleet XD
There is not that many in-depth videos about this battle on UA-cam. It’s about time. Thanks for making this video.
Nice video, I love your content, thanks for making us these great videos!
So Excited love the battle of verdun and the armchair historian.super interesting done my secondary school RSR on the battle “Ils ne passeront pas !”
I can not explain how great this channel is.
You must
Sometimes it fails miserably with historical fallacies but 80% of the time its very high quality content.
@@dobridjordje agreed
Fields of Verdun, and the battle has begun
no way to run
father and son
fall one by one
under the gun
@@ty-ot1oeThy will be done.
@@ty-ot1oeThy will be done
thy will be done (thy will be done)
And the judgement has begun
Love the valiant hearts reference
good eye!
Glad I'm not the only one who saw it. Just learned Griff has lung cancer, my prayers go to him.
@@spyfan62591NOOOOOOO!!
Glory to the men at Verdun, who were willing to give up their lives for what they believed were interests of the people of their fatherlands.
Bla bla bla
As the drum roll started on that day
Heard a hundred miles away
A million shells were fired
And the green fields turned to grey
The bombardment lasted all day long
Yet the forts were standing strong
Heavily defended
Now the trap's been sprung and the battle has begun
Descend into darkness...
Three hundred three days below the sun,
FIELDS OF VERDUN!!!
@@CarlosGutierrez-hn7bs and the battle has begun!
@@akumaking1
NOWHERE TO RUN
FATHER AND SON
FALL ONE BY ONE
UNDER THE GUN
This proves that the french aren't little cowards but brave men.
I have a few years on you, but as a younger man who educates people about history as well, I"m always humbled by your style and delivery. You're pretty damn knowledgeable for your years. I know you have a team too, but it certainly gives educators a new perspective on how to do it better/being better earlier in their careers
Crazy how Bakhmut took Verdun's "longest battle", history is literally unfolding in front of all of us and we hardly notice
Battle of Avdiivka has been going pretty non-stop since February 2022 and is still in full swing
The battle of Bakhmut has been over since May
@@Aaron-sx7zf I never said it wasnt?
@@grimwaltzman yh come to think of it avdi prolly taken that record by now or soon
While Pavlov's house stood longer than entire france in ww2 💀
Love your style and informative presentation! What a beautiful telling of the story of Verdun.
1:56 omg valiant hearts easter egg
good catch!
In his memoirs, Falkenhayn stated that in December 1915, he sent the Kaiser a note expressing his appreciation for the strategic situation.
The breaking point has been reached in France. It does not require a massive breakthrough, which is in any case unattainable. There are targets within our grasp that, if attained, would force the French General Staff to commit every man they possess. The French forces will bleed to death if they do this.
---Falkenhayn
It's Falkenheim, not Falkenhayn
It is, however, worth pointing out that this note wasn't found anywhere, and directly contradict his stated aims at the time. The plan to "bleed the French force dry" is likely to be a justification thought of after the fact.
@@vulpes7079Uh no it isn’t
no it isnt..@@vulpes7079
It was never his plan and he wrote that to save his ass in the German high command. In reality the Germans were bled just as much and it was a massive tactical and strategic blunder from Falkenheim.
I hate how modern people see French as cowards when they did this and so much more.
14:57 man, that saying took me back to the early yrs of the 2000's with Lord of the Rings where Gandalf the White used that same phrase of wording😄
“We have been preparing for a long battle, troops and supplies arriving by train from all over Europe. We are edging forward, sleeper by sleeper, rail by rail. These are our scalpels, cutting into the heart of France. We will open this country up and leave her to bleed. They have given this offensive a codename, Gerricht: Judgement. I know that this will be the battle to settle this terrible war.” - _The introduction to Battlefield 1’s “Devil’s Anvil” operation when playing as the Germans_
I had been looking for this… good to see it :)
14:57 this phrase later morphed into gandolfs iconic line: you shall not pass. He said this because he was french and wanted to honour their legacy.
Petition to make those cards with ww1 generals ( time 17:18 in the video) into a real thing.
"Thou shall go no further, it was said THEY SHALL NOT PASS"
Not only a absolute banger but my introduction to my love for WW1.
Edit: needles to say I would absolutly love to visit Verdun sometime in future
No. I'm french and the quote is "Ils ne passeront pas" which LITERALLY translates to "they will not (shall not) pass".
As the drum roll started on that day, heard a hundred miles away.
With the spirit of resistance
And the madness of the war.
Can we apprciate that Armchair Historian used the blimp from Valiant Hearts?
@@hebakewolfVon dorf being von dorf
Thank you very much for highlighting French military history :)
Excellent video. SORRY FOR CPS BUT THE CAPS ARE WORDS OF APPRECIATION TO HAVE SUCH INCREDIBLE BACKGROUND MUSIC WHICH ENHANSED THE STORY TELLING OF THIS VIDEO. I HAVE NEVER COMPLIMENTED THE MUSIC, BUT IT IS OUTSTANDING! GREAT WORK!!
lol Soldiers tried to heat coffee with a flamethrower?! That's 100% a thing that Soldiers would do even today
1:55 love the valiant hearts reference
The Germans counted on the stubbornness of the french civil and military leadership to defend Verdun at all costs. The battle of Verdun was a reckless german attempt to battle the french into attrition.
Last Train Home is a great game; it is a labor of love and worth playing! I became so interested in the story of the Czech Slovak Legionaries that I bought books. Some are based on the diaries of the Legionnaires on their way to the East to escape Russia, and what they did is just incredible, given all the difficulties encountered along the way.
Hey The Armchair Historian, I would like for you to cover the Greco-Turkish War 1919-1922 and go into depth on how Ataturk defeated the Greeks after they almost got to Ankara, I think that one of my favorite historians of all time cover it, since me personally right now is interested in the Turkish War of Independence. Sincerely, Mooseyz.
Fields of Verdun!
And the battle has begun!
Nowhere to run
Father and son
Fall one by one under the gun
@2:55 theres a machinegun producing bullets
Hey Griffin, I absolutely love your channel, its super fascinating and very entertaining to boot! Any chance you could do a video about the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadians in 1917? Its a hugely pivotal battle in Canadian history and went a huge way towards forming our national identity and would be so super incredible to myself and every other Canadian interested in WW1 in specific and history in general. Thanks Griffin!
1:58 VON DOOORFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!! love that valiant hearts reference. Great vid as usual. War makes men mad. 😢
the price of glory is a great read about Verdun I highly suggest it. Also My dad visited Verdun in the late 40s early 50s and they still had the survivors giving the tours of the fort.
THATS ONE BADASS BIRD!
Cher Ami would like a word.
Soldier:*accidentally starts a fire trying to heat coffee*
Everyone:😐
*FIELDS OF VERDUN AND THE BATTLE HAS BEGGUN*
Another awesome video, as always, Griffin! I had always wanted a video on the *Battle of Verdun*, and now here it is!
One suggestion I would like to make is that I would really appreciate it if you created a video on the *Battle of Passchendaele*.
Respect to the French in this battle and war overall, they were brutal.
Thank you for sharing this magnificent episode about Verdun battles during WW1 between French and German
Amazing video, but please chill with the amount of references and other goofy graphics.
Something like 6:16 was very good at illustrating the situation.
And uhh, interesting haircut
I love the zeppelin from valiant hearts. Best ww1 game ever. Happy to see you guys putting into the video
Notice how no one is calling the French surrender monkeys ? Because they never were. They’ve always been incredible warriors
Kinda sad to see my country history reduced to losing one war. We can pretty much Apply that for any country on earth.
One of the most amazing places I have ever visited.
I will eat one cheeseburger for every like
Edit: im fat because of this comment :(
L
What does this have to do with the video
Gonna need pics or it didn't happen
I won’t kill one person for every like this comment gets
Shut up
Fields of Verdun, and the battle has begun
Nowhere to run, father and son
Fall one by one under the gun
Thy will be done (thy will be done), and the judgement has begun
Nowhere to run, father and son
Fall one by one, fields of Verdun
another good history video ruined by an overrated band
@@belgianfriedtf you mean bruh
It’s a belgian, I don’t consider them humans anyways
@@Jerry-tg7zx nhaa that's wild
YESSSSSSS!!!! I've been WAITING for more WW1 AH content; let alone a video about Verdun! Great job, y'all!
Thankyou for this I feel like most all WW1 media centers around the British and it's great to see something about the french.
Simply astounding, the American civil war in contrast had 600,000 casualties. This battle matched and exceeded the entire American insurrection.
Astonishing!
Leave it to Petain to never surrender. Surely this will never change!
In june 1940, France (with a much smaller army since the encirclement of the Franco-english army near Dunkirk resulting from the German surprise attack in the Ardennes) was in 1 vs 2 against Germany and Italy with no chance of winning and thus asked for an armistice, like Germany had done in 1918 before the allies could enter Germany.
@@krips22Except France didn’t have the unrest Germany did. It also ignores how Germany was overrunning its supply lines so defeating could be quite easy.
@@emberfist8347 I'll be honest, I don't understand your argumentation (for instance, concerning the supply lines, I don't even know if you're thinking of ww1 and ww2 - which is irrelevant in both cases, as far as I can see).
And I don't think you really understand the situation of France in 1940...
From a more general view of the situation, France in 1940 (facing a country with almost twice more population!) kinda had still PTSD from ww1 in which it had more soldiers killed in just that one war than the USA in its whole history until now (1776-2024) - while France had far less population - and had not fully recovered then.
France was kind of in a negative dynamics since the end of the Napoleonic era, while other European nations were in more positive dynamics (for instance, since deep in the 19th c., France was in demographic winter - that never ended. Example: from 1871 to 1911, while Germany's population increased 60% and the UK's ~52% IIRC, France's only 8.6% and in the 1890s, France actually lost population for a few years, which was unheard of in the world outside of major wars and epidemics.
This was just an example to give you an idea of the very different situation of France and its neighbours in that timeframe).
Etc...
@@krips22 So you don’t seem to understand history. Germany had overextended itself and if it wasn’t for France’s surrender, France and the UK could have counterattacked and won.
@@emberfist8347 So ww2. I have no idea what you're talking about. You clearly don't master the subject. Germany overstretching in the battle of France in 1940 is a ridiculous statement.
And france was in a 1 vs 2 against Germany and Italy while the british army had fled back to England, in june 1940. Get the basics.
1:53 is that a Valiant Hearts reference?
make a video on the estonian war for independence
Bro came with a fitting fresh haircut
Ah yes verdun, WW1 Stalingrad
Hey Griffin! Two things:
One, excellent video as always.
And secondly, that haircut! Nice look for you, man 🤙
My great grand father fought in Verdun, he was a Machine Gunner in the French Army
The importance of this battle in French history cannot be understated. Not because of its strategic value, length or amount of losses, but because 70% of the French army served here. The rotation of troops in and out of Verdun was a decisive factor for French fighting ability, as a result, most families in France had a relative there at some point, which made it "close to home" for everyone.
This was really exploited to great length by propaganda during and after the battle, "Heroes of Verdun" was a title most soldiers could relate to. This also contributed hugely to Pétain's stature as a war hero, most French veterans related personally, having fought under his orders.
Verdun! Personne ne passera!
My great grandfather fought at Verdun and got shot in his arm. Still have his medals and certificate for surviving the war. God bless you Charles Sabatier and all that you suffered.
No fucking way is that the zeppelin from Valiant Hearts??
VON DOOOOORRRRFFFF!!!!!!!!
"It sounds like a million shells exploding at once. How can we not be afraid?" -Battlefield 1
When people think the French are cowards, remember this battle.
You reached Goat status 💯 one favorite battles
Understanding that the French went through a lot at Verdun and a thousand other battles, the Germans launched their Spring 1918 offensive. One objective was Paris. One difference this time was the Americans were now in the fight. At the 2nd Battle of the Marne, the Germans were pushing hard, and French units were withdrawing and encouraging the newly arrived U.S. 3rd Infantry Division to do the same. Division commander Maj. Gen. Joseph Dickman emphatically said, "Nous Resterons La" (in French so the withdrawing flank units understood what he meant: "We’re staying there!”). Similarly, U.S. Marines ordered to withdraw by a French commander at Belleau Wood famously declared in very clear English, "Retreat, hell, we just got here!" 3rd ID became and remains the "Rock of the Marne," and 5th Marines' motto remains "Retreat, Hell!"
It’s because the US troops were fresh and ready for the smoke. Also they added a lot of numerical superiority to the allied powers, allowing units to be rotated more regularly and crucially a much better logistical system. US troops weren’t specially good soldiers compared to the others, it’s just they were fresh and had a lot of supply and logistic affects.