Entitled: A machine gun emplacement in the old Verdun trenches. Sketch of soldiers aiming a machine gun through a bunker window in World War I. Verdun was the site of a major battle of the First World War. One of the costliest battles of the war, Verdun exemplified the policy of a "war of attrition" pursued by both sides, which led to an enormous loss of life. Germany, hoping to wear France down and inflict large numbers of casualties, assaulted the fortified town of Verdun, which blocked the German forces' path to Paris. The battle lasted 11 months and ended without a clear victor, despite the deaths of more than 650,000 soldiers.