As part of an on-going series of lectures intended to educate the public about World War I during its 100-year commemoration, Dr. Richard Faulkner, a professor of history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, will present “Verdun: The Bleeding of Nations” in the J.C. Nichols Auditorium of the National World War I Museum in Kansas City on Dec. 14 from 6:30-8 p.m.
Attendance is free with an RSVP. – Click here to register for free.
Dr. Richard Faulkner delivers his lecture on the Battle of Verdun in March 2016 at Fort Leavenworth.
Dr. Faulkner will lead a discussion on the Battle of Verdun, the longest and one of the bloodiest battles of the Great War. When the battle ground to a halt after nearly ten months of fighting, the total casualties for the French and Germans exceeded 700,000 men. In launching the battle, the German Chief of Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn, fully acknowledged the ugly attritional realities of the World War I battlefield and hoped to turn these actualities to his purpose. By planning a battle that would force the French to bleed away their manpower, Falkenhayn hoped to change the direction and outcome of the war. Faulkner’s lecture will examine the genesis and course of the campaign and will also examine how bad assumptions, underestimating the enemy and the difficulty in operationalizing strategic concepts led to one of the most brutal and tragic battles in modern history.
Dr. Richard S. Faulkner is a Supervisory Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He holds a Ph.D. in American History from Kansas State University and a master’s in American History from the University of Georgia. Faulkner served in the U.S. Army for 23 years as an armor officer and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2006. His assignments in the Army included commanding a tank company in combat during operation Desert Storm and teaching American History at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His book, The School of Hard Knocks: Combat Leadership in the American Expeditionary Forces, was awarded the Society for Military History’s Distinguished Book Prize for the best work in American military history in 2013.
Dr. Faulkner previously delivered this lecture in March 2016 as part of the CGSC Foundation and CGSC Department of Military History General of the Armies John J. Pershing Great War Centennial Series, a lecture series intended to foster understanding of this world-changing conflict during its 100-year commemoration.
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This was an excellent presentation. Thanks for making this happen.
Dr. Faulkner. I saw your presentation about WW-I and Trench Warfare. Absolutely Brilliant.
Just Brilliant
I would like to give a CD of my conversation with my father Arthur Keller, a Marine in WW I who was in most of the battles, to Dr. Faulkner. How do I obtain his email?
Ms Keller- You should have received an email from Dr. Faulkner. We sent him your comment.– CGSCF Web Admin
We just acquired the rare, 1-sheet poster for Pershing’s Crusaders. This is the same as the artwork that appeared on Professor Faulkner’s book.
If you would like more information, please contact us.
Best regards, Robert Chisholm
I’ve just finished writing a 530-page book about the US Army Balloon Service in World War One. I would like to send a complimentary copy to Prof. Faulkner. Please ask him if he would like to receive a copy. Thanks.
Just saw Dr. Faulkner on CSPAN.
Wonderful presentation.
If I had his email address I would send him some photos that he might find useful.
I’m so grateful that our military is being taught the painful lessons of our past.
This is one of the most encouraging presentations I’ve seen.
And ordered his books on Amazon.