In many ways WWI turned into a stalemate, as both sides stared at each other from their trenches and occasionally sent men over the top to certain slaughter. The Germans tried to break the stalemate at the Battle of Verdun. Their idea was to launch such a vicious attack and continue to attack until the French either ran out of men or looked for peace. The battle lasted from February to July 1916 and cost the lives of over 600,000. In the end, the battle changed nothing but showed the pointlessness of the war.
Historically Speaking 