Falkenhayn eventually halted the offensive in July.īut in August, with Germany and Austria-Hungary facing synchronised Allied summer offensives, Falkenhayn tendered his resignation. Some commanders, such as the Kaiser's son, Crown Prince Wilhelm, wanted attacks to cease, while others encouraged Falkenhayn to reapply pressure. Without a clear strategy, there was confusion about how to conduct the offensive.Īs the conflict wore on, division within the top ranks of the German army became apparent. General Falkenhayn was notoriously secretive and shared very little with his staff about his strategy or aims for the battle.Īs a result, German commanders had different objectives, ranging from capturing the town of Verdun to destroying the French army. Germany accumulated huge losses and gained little territory, leading it to throw more and more men into the conflict: Verdun soon became a battle of prestige for the Germans, as well as the French. He used many more divisions than planned. ![]() The two campaigns together should have brought France and Britain to terms.īut Falkenhayn's plan for an attack that would economise on German resources failed to work out as he had expected. Falkenhayn hoped to combine the Verdun offensive with a U-Boat offensive against British shipping. He planned to use a relatively small number of men to capture the high ground to the north of Verdun and then to inflict enormous casualties on the French using his superior German artillery to halt their counter-attacks. Britain was Germany’s most formidable military foe, but remained out of reach across the Channel. Britain via Verdunįalkenhayn was convinced by 1916 that the war could only be won on the Western Front. He hoped that France would “throw in every man they have” to defend it, draining its army of resources. In addition, he teaches at Framingham State University and Colby College.Įpstein is a member of the American Meteorological Society.General Erich von Falkenhayn, the Chief of the General Staff and Germany’s principal strategist, targeted the French town of Verdun because of its position on the Allied line and its sentimental value to the French people. Since 2015, he has been working as a meteorologist for Boston NPR's WBUR-FM, providing daily weather forecasts and discussions.Įpstein has also contributed weather-related articles to various online publications including Boston Globe and Portland Press-Herald. In September 2014, he joined CBS's WBZ-TV in Boston. ![]() He posts gardening-related informational videos on his YouTube channel Growing Wisdom. In 2008 he published his first book Gardens of New England, with Twin Lights Publishing. In 2006, he founded, an online video website for homeowner-gardeners and landscape professionals. In 2001, he founded a landscape design and install company named Bloomscapes. In the years 1994-2001, he also worked in product management for Boston-based Thomson Financial. He worked with WCVB for 16 years, until August 2008. In 1992, he became a Meteorologist for Boston's WCVB-TV, the local American Broadcasting Company (ABC) affiliate in Boston. Epstein began his career in Burlington, Vermont, working for WVNY, an ABC-affiliated television station serving Northern Vermont's Champlain Valley and Upstate New York's North Country, including Plattsburgh.
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