DICE has revealed some images for the first Battlefield 1 expansion called "They Shall Not Pass." As revealed by an earlier image of the game, DICE is bringing in the French Army along with new multiplayer maps, weapons, and games. Here are five more interesting trivia about the background of the expansion.
The longest single battle of World War I
EA said that the expansion will feature the Battle of Verdun, which was the longest single battle fought during World War I, which took almost one year. The battle started on February 21, 1916 and ended on December 16, 1916.
The greatest artillery duel in history
The beginning of the Battle of Verdun called the Devil's Anvil was considered by many historians as the greatest artillery battle in history with more than 2.5 million shells consumed after five days of uninterrupted battle. This transformed the pristine landscape into an expanse of muddy craters and shattered villages. When the battle ended, a total of 40 million artillery shells were consumed.
The Germans introduced a terrifying new weapon
The French were able to survive the heavy bombardment by the Germans. However, the Germans took advantage of the French's weakened position and started to launch an infantry attack using guns and their terrifying new weapon - flamethrowers.
It created one of the biggest wildfires
The exchange of heavy artillery between the two sides created a massive forest fire. Soldiers from both sides retold their own accounts saying the fire could be seen even from far away. Because of that, most of the villages and surrounding areas were razed to the ground.
It started another battle
To ease up the German assault on the French, the British launched the Battle of the Somme in July 1916 lasting until November 1916. It also symbolized the futility of trench warfare with around 2 million casualties from all sides.
