Verdun News

Today is Remembrance day. A memorial day observed by Commonwealth member states – and often marked by many other countries – it grew out of Armistice Day, which was a tradition until during the Second World War, when the name was changed. The Commonwealth of Nations chose Remembrance Day, while the United States chose Veterans Day.

Armistice Day was so named for the Armistice of Compiègne which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month – November 11, 1918. For many, this marked the end of World War One.

The signing of the Armistice.

The Poppy is a common symbol of Remembrance Day, hence why it’s sometimes also referred to as Poppy Day. It became the symbol of the Royal British Legion, a veterans’ organization. They sell paper Poppy flowers which one can wear on their clothing, in memory of those who’ve fallen. The proceeds will go towards supporting war victims and families who’ve lost a family member during war.

In Verdun & Tannenberg, you’ll be able to commemorate the Armistice as well. There will be 2 minutes of silence when you start up the game, rewarding you with a special Remembrance medal afterwards if you choose to participate.



Furthermore, we have a special poppy emote in our Discord especially for this day. Feel free to share in our Discord if you’re remembering anyone special and how you’re planning to do so.
For the Facebook users, there’s a special Poppy filter that you can use for your profile picture. You can click here to be directed to the filter.

[h2]Lest we forget.[/h2]

[h2]Water and Blood 1914 is over[/h2]
Another campaign, another Entente victory:

Central Powers casualties: 1,933,610
Entente casualties: 1,819,664

[h3]The Entente win with a lead of 113,946.[/h3]

For our next campaign, we might just have to shake things up a bit and offer some kind of reward to see if it's possible for the Central Powers to even come close to winning...

[h2]Movember[/h2]
For those who don't know, Movember is a charity for men's health, which started out in 2003 as two Australian friends growing mustaches to see if they could bring them back into fashion. A year later, inspired by how the mustaches could start conversations, they started a website and made a drive for charity, raising $40,000. By 2006 they were raising millions for charity each year, and it's only grown since then.

Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men.

Read more on the official Movember website.

Of course, the First World War was back when moustaches were still in fashion - take a look at these four below! We're running a poll on Twitter to see who has the greatest moustache...


[h2]Vote now on Twitter![/h2]
[h2]Vote now on Facebook![/h2]

By the way, this vote isn't just for fun - the outcome will influence something with the WW1 Game Series as well, so think carefully before you click! Keep your eyes open, we have more plans for Movember and the WW1 Game Series this month...

[h2]Isonzo Intel Teaser[/h2]
We're still hard at work on Isonzo, and we have plans for a new dev blog soon. Here's a little teaser for what kind of subject you might expect.

[h2]Happy Halloween, soldiers![/h2]
If you look carefully at the menu background, you might spot some spooky details today...



[h2]Steam Halloween Sale[/h2]
Both Verdun and Tannenberg are 60% off in the Steam Halloween Sale! Tempt a friend to enlist for the Western Front, or take a trip to the Eastern Front if you haven't already visited...

https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
[h2]Have a great day![/h2]

This is the Dodengang, or 'Trench of Death', a preserved trench, museum and memorial where many soldiers died during the war. It sits on the banks of the Yser Canal, and was an essential part of the network of trenches and bunkers which prevented the Germans making significant gains across the canal.

[h2]The Battle of the Yser[/h2]
Belgian troops stationed along the Ieperlee canal on October 18, 1914, had their peace shattered by a heavy artillery barrage that heralded the coming of the German Fourth Army. The goal of the Germans was to break through and capture the vital channel ports of Dunkirk and Calais.

Both sides faced brutal artillery fire – the Belgians from the heavy guns of the Fourth Army, the Germans from British warships with howitzers and 152mm naval guns. Alongside Belgian bravery, those guns would see off the first German attack.

HMS Mersey, one of three British monitors which shelled the Germans.

More assaults would follow in the coming days, with German troops eventually gaining a bridgehead over the canal by stealth on October 22. Despite valiant efforts, the Belgians and a force of French marines were taking heavy losses in the important town of Diksmuide, and it didn’t look like they would be able to hang on. The Belgian King Albert I decided it was time for drastic measures, and on October 25 the canal lock gates at Nieuwpoort were opened.

A huge stretch of countryside gradually flooded in the following days, just in time as the Germans broke through Belgian second line positions on October 30. A final attack was planned for the last day of October, but it had to be called off as the flooding continued and threatened to trap the forward German forces. The town of Diksmuide would fall to the Germans 10 days later, but thanks to the flooding the last corner of Belgium would never be captured. It was an impressive performance by the Belgians, who suffered an estimated 20,000 casualties in their defense, but may have been able to inflict even more losses on the Germans.



[h2]Four days left[/h2]
The Water and Blood 1914 campaign is running for another three days, until October 31st. Right now the Entente have a lead of 91,000 casualties - will they manage to increase that to a lead of 100,000 by the end of the campaign?

It's in your hands!

In October 1914, the Belgian army put up a tenacious defense against the German Fourth Army as they attempted to cross the Yser river and Yperlee Canal in order to break through to critical channel ports. They were ultimately successful in halting the German advance, and would continue to hold their ground until the very end of the war. Although 95% of Belgium was German occupied, the country never completely fell.

A postcard showing Belgian troops defending a crossing of the Yser river.

[h2]Water and Blood 1914 Campaign[/h2]
Our latest campaign event will run until October 31, when intentional flooding forced a German withdrawal. Which side will be able to win this battle of attrition?

All casualties in Frontlines and Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses, and the winning side will be whoever suffers the least killed and wounded. Too many First World War battles essentially became meatgrinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns.

Read the Campaign FAQ here!

[h2]Isonzo Dev Blog #6[/h2]
In case you haven’t been following Isonzo on Steam, there has been a new blog talking about the new rifle grenades and a few other weapons. The rifle grenades used in WW1 were early ones, and each nation often came up with very different designs.

You can read the sixth Isonzo Intel here!

#1: Italian Benaglia Rifle Grenade, #2 Austro-Hungarian Zeitzünder Gewehrgranate, 1st Variant.

[h2]Good luck with the campaign soldiers![/h2]