The
Battle of Verdun was a major action in
World War I that started on
February 21,
1916 and resulted in more than 250,000 deaths. The
French army was subsequently plagued not with desertions, but rather with a general refusal to march face-first into the teeth of the
Germans' impregnable positions. French troops remained in their
trenches, willing to fight only in a defensive capacity.
See also: Verdun