Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Latin word attritio means to wear down or rub against. This etymology captures the grinding nature of a strategy that seeks to collapse an opponent through continuous losses in personnel, materiel, and morale.
The French invasion of Russia began in 1812 with Napoleon leading his Grande Armée into hostile territory. Russian forces avoided direct decisive engagements and instead disrupted military logistics to draw invaders deeper inland.
German Chief of Staff Erich von Falkenhayn is often associated with a strategy of deliberate attrition at Verdun in 1916. He reportedly aimed to bleed France white rather than capture the city itself making it a prime example of these tactics.
Approximately 750,000 soldiers were killed over four years during the American Civil War alone reflecting its attritional nature. The latter phase notably included the Overland Campaign, Siege of Vicksburg, and Siege of Petersburg.
The Iran-Iraq War lasted from 1980 to 1988 as a prolonged war of mutual depletion with no decisive breakthrough achieved. This conflict exemplifies how resource depletion can lead to strategic outcomes despite initial disadvantages.