Why did former warfare so focused on capturing fortifications persist till modern times?
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Fortresses took a value out of military importance (in modern times) because sentimental value. The classic example was Stalingrad in World War II.
In the case of Santa Anna and the Alamo, it was pique as much as anything else. It had earlier been a fortress and base for the Mexican army. It had been captured, with 1500 defenders under Santa Anna's brother in law by 300 Texans under a crusty former junior officer named Ben Milam, who recruited these Texas rebels by beating the drum, and yelling 'who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio?" The dreaded "no prisoners' posture was a revenge for the humiliation.
In the case of Verdun, Germany's General von Falkenhayn noted correctly that the Allies had a large preponderance of resources and manpower vs. Germany. Instead of drawing the logical conclusion that Germany should fight a war of decision, the German general proposed to "attrite" the Allies and force them into a negotiated peace. So he attacked the fortress of Verdun because it had sentimental value to France from past wars. His strategy at first succceeded, u then he kept expanding the effort, so what originally started as a two to one rate of French to German casualties fell to five to four.
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Source: stackoverflow.com
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