Remembering the horror of the Battle of Verdun in France

German and French leaders underlined the importance of co-operation as they marked the centenary of the WWI battle, writes Sylvie Corbett.

France’s president and Germany’s chancellor want their countries’ improbable friendship to be a source of hope for today’s fractured Europe as they commemorated the centenary of the longest battle of World War I.

In solemn ceremonies yesterday in the forests of eastern France, Francois Hollande of France and Angela Merkel of Germany marked 100 years since the 10-month Battle of Verdun, which killed 163,000 French and 143,000 German soldiers and wounded hundreds of thousands of others.