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Erich von Falkenhayn, in full Erich Georg Anton Sebastian von Falkenhayn, (born November 11, 1861, near Graudenz, West Prussia—died April 8, 1922, near Potsdam, Germany), Prussian minister of war and chief of the imperial German General Staff early in World War I.

Falkenhayn and the Battle of Verdun. Erich von Falkenhayn was strongly criticised for his tactics at the Battle of Verdun. Once the war was over, he defended what he had done by writing an article to explain his decisions. Verdun was one of the most costly battles in World War One in terms of lives lost, with many historians arguing that it ...

The Battle of Verdun, 21 February-15 December 1916, became the longest battle in modern history. It was originally planned by the German Chief of General Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn to secure victory for Germany on the Western Front.

Erich von Falkenhayn (1861-1922) was a Prussian General of the Infantry, Prussian Minister of War (1913-1915) and Chief of Staff (1914-1916). Falkenhayn came from a West-Prussian Junker family, where the military played a dominant role; one of his brothers, Eugen von Falkenhayn (1853-1934) , was also a general.

Erich von Falkenhayn is most associated with the Battle of Verdun in 1916 – one of World War One’s bloodiest battles. Falkenhayn was criticised for his tactics at Verdun and after the war he tried to justify the tactics that he used – that led to the deaths of tens of thousands of German soldiers.