Lego WW1 - The Battle Of Verdun - stop motion

The Battle of Verdun was the longest and one of the bloodiest battles of World War 1.
It was fought between the Germans and the French around the city of Verdun, in eastern France.

The city of Verdun was both strategically and culturally significant to the French.
The German high command knew that it would be a crushing blow to the French morale if they were to capture it.

On February 21st, 1916, the attack began.
The Germans opened fire with hundreds of artillery guns to bombard the enemy line. They then attacked with huge waves of infantry, which easily overran the destroyed French positions.

Within a few days, they had captured Fort Douaumont, one of France's largest fortresses.
The twenty-year-old fort was no match for this new type of warfare and was quickly destroyed by the German's massive guns.

Eventually, the French were able to reinforce their positions, halting the German advance.
Both sides constantly pounded each other with massive artillery barrages, which made infantry attacks extremely costly.
This also turned the surrounding landscape to mud, which further impeded infantry advances.

For the next few months, the two armies would attack and counter-attack each other, without either side gaining the upper hand.

On July 1st, 1916, the British began the Somme Offensive.
In order to focus on this new threat, the Germans had to revert troops and supplies away from Verdun, relieving the French.

Shortly thereafter the Germans called off their attacks at Verdun.
The French began counter-attacking, and by December 18, over 9 months since the battle began, they had retaken most of the ground they had lost.

Some of the worst fighting conditions during World War 1 were seen in this battle, leading to the deaths of around 300,000 men, with many more being wounded or captured.
The Battle of Verdun showed the strength and determination of the French, and revealed to the world the chaos and destructiveness of modern war.

[benjamindover]

Let's be honest, this is what we all saw in our minds when we played with Lego as kids.

[robfromjersey]

"And the battle's just begun, nowhere to run, father and son fall one by one..."

[maverickloggins]

The attention to detail is insane, even having the Chauchat jam and the clip thing slide through the Hotchkiss gun. Not to mention the French and the Germans having accurate rifles. Crazy

[jessicama]

This will forever be an important part of Lego WW1 History and will be honored. This will forever be an legendary masterpiece.

[JDBrickProductions]

I finally finished, hope you enjoy it!

[ShmootheJoo]

Even something as kind and lighthearted as a children's toy can't begin to mask the brutality of this war.

[BeyondtheBrick]

Another fantastic animation. Great work!

[RandomOilersFan]

6:15 when the best German soldier and the best French soldier were fighting the fact that they both died proves that there truly is no winner in war

[amonamarth]

I cant even imagine how terrifying it must have been to wait for a signal, then charge the enemy lines. The tension must have been horrific.

[cheydinal]

This lego clip is more intense than most "action" scenes in cinemas

[AvoidTheCadaver]

The most insane thing about Verdun, Somme and Passchendaele was that the one of the main objectives was to literally grind German manpower down. French and British forces numbered roughly the same as the German army but the British could count on the arrival of commonwealth forces from their Dominion territories, so there was a near constant stream of soldiers arriving the reinforce the allies but for the Germans they only had the unreliable Austro-Hungarian and ottoman forces which weren't even in the same theater. Somme and Verdun were literal meat grinders

[gibsoncook]

Let’s all stop to appreciate how long this would’ve taken him to make these! They’re incredible!

[JimmyJonJillakers]

That was some of the most convincing melee combat I've ever seen in stop-motion

[wolfgangfalck]

I just can't imagine the number of hours one would have to work for this brilliant stop motion movie. I just hope you earn some money with it. The amount of detail and little mini movements between shots is unbelievable. Kudos to you and your crew.

[dapperfield]

Damn that French machine gunner going in with a bayonet to cover the retreat of his comrades was both badass and heroic. The expressionless face showing determination to save others was strong enough that being hit with a club and 2 shots merely fazed him.

[partiallyfrozen]

Im a little late, but the way you ended this was spectacular and hugely symbolic. I absolutely loved the character development of the final 2 soldiers. The way it ended sent an incredibly powerful message about futility and told an incredible story. Well done.

[DevDeStefano]

I really appreciate the fact that you put some context after the animation was done. These animations are always so interesting to watch, but understanding the grim and dark history of it can only provide more context to such an important topic.

[BruneSixtine]

For the first time in history during this battle the French introduced a mecanized supply line with thousands of trucks.
Along the 72 km of the "Voie Sacrée" (Sacred Way), transport vehicles were on the move day and night ferrying troops, armaments, and supplies to the Verdun battlefield.
During the initial crisis of 21 February to 22 March, 600 trucks per day had already delivered 48, 000 tons of ammunition, 6, 400 tons of other material and 263, 000 men to the battlefield.
Beginning on February 21, all horse drawn traffic and troop movements on foot had been ordered off the road leaving it open for truck and motor car traffic only.
After March 1916, one truck passed every 14 seconds, submitting the road to considerable wear and tear. Quarries had to be opened nearby to supply the road with crushed stone. Over the course of ten months, 16 labour battalions worked to keep the road in good shape and order. A special unit responsible for controlling traffic and servicing the vehicles numbered 300 officers and 8, 500 men. The rolling stock was made up of 3500 Berliet and Renault trucks plus 800 ambulances, the latter often being Ford Model T's. Thirty breakdown trucks remained on the road at all times with repair crews stationed besides them. Any disabled vehicle was immediately moved to the roadside so as not to interrupt the flow of traffic.

[miguel.sa_]

when the two heroes of each side, the german officer that cut the barbed wire and the french guy with the chauchat were fighting, i saw the greatest duel of all time.

[austinbrady]

This is what i wanted to make as a kid. Not only is the lego stop motion impressive but the use of cinematography principles and storytelling is so good.