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Why was Charles Mangin known as “the Butcher”?
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Battle of Verdun
French soldiers resting away from the front line at the Battle of Verdun, 1916.
General Charles Mangin was a skilled strategist during the Battle of Verdun, but he earned the nickname "the Butcher" due to his reputation as a spendthrift regarding the lives of his soldiers. His unwavering commitment to pursuing offensive warfare at any cost, regardless of the human toll, led to this grim moniker among his contemporaries.1