Chapter II: Part 2

This fine spacious building was erected in 1725–1755 from the plans of _Robert de Cotte_. It has two terraces and a garden, with a view over the whole town. Under the First Empire it was a senatorial palace.

At the time of the separation of the Church from the State it was turned into a =museum=. The latter contains a fine collection of medals and coins, also numerous fragments of the ancient Abbey of St. Vanne, which was inside the Citadel. These fragments include the remains of a Pagan altar, a Corinthian capital with Barbarian ornamentation, and an ivory comb with inscriptions, said to have been given by Emperor St. Henri to the Abbot of St. Vanne in 1024.

On the left: Aisle of the Cathedral (_see p. 47_) and the Transept with ruined roof. In the background: The East Gallery of the Cloister]

The Cloister (_Hist. Mon._ 13th and 14th centuries)

_The door of Margueritte College and the courtyard of the Bishop’s Palace lead to the Cloister (see photos, pp. 43 and 49)._

Although Gothic in structure, parts of the carved decorative work announced the coming Renaissance (helmeted warriors and antique personages crowned with laurels).

Some of the keystones of the vaulting, representing bloated, bearded faces, are said to be caricatures of the canons of the Cathedral, made by the workmen who built the cloister, to revenge themselves for the Church’s stinginess.

The arrangement of the blind windows against the walls is very rarely met with]

In the background: the East Gallery. On the right the Seminary and South Gallery in ruins. In the town is seen St. Saviour’s Church against the green background of the fortifications]

The heavy Seminary buildings, erected on two of the galleries, are 19th century. They were almost entirely destroyed by the bombardments.

Its present state is shown in the above photograph]

_On leaving the Cathedral, the tourist arrives almost immediately at the small Place Châtel, the highest point of the town. Take, the Rue Châtel to the_ =Châtel Gate=.

From the ancient “Fermeté” rampart, only this machicolated gate (formerly called “Champenoise”) is visible near the small “Place Châtel.”

_On leaving the Châtel Gate, go down the Rue des Hauts Fins to the corner of the_ Rue Montgaud: Blockhouse for four machine-guns to defend the town.

Cross the Esplanade de la Roche to the =Citadelle=.

THE CITADELLE

From the Esplanade de la Roche, the arrangement of which dates from 1780–1783, there is a fine view of the Meuse valley and the prairies known as =Pré-l’Evêque=.

The entrance to the =Citadelle= opens on the Esplanade de la Roche, while the Citadelle proper occupies the site of the ancient =Abbey= and =Church of St. Vanne=, erected in the Merovingian Period and 15th century on the hill where, in the days of Clovis, the Dragon with poisoned breath was said to live. According to the legend St. Vanne first tamed the dragon, then led it to the River Meuse, where it was drowned.

(_Photographed in 1917_)]

The first Citadelle was begun in 1552, continued under Henri IV. by Errard, and finished in 1630 under Governor Marillac. The second was the work of Vauban (1670–1682). The church of St. Vanne was included and preserved in both citadelles, but was later pulled down (1831–1835) by order of the Military Authorities. The old Gothic cloister was spared and turned into barracks in 1835. It was destroyed by the German bombardment during the siege of 1870. Of the Abbey, only a square Roman Tower of the 11th century remains (_see photo below_).

(_Entrance to the town by the G. C. 34, continued by the Rue de Rû. See coloured plan between pp. 30 and 31._)]

The Citadel during the War

During the late War, the Citadelle was often a target for the German heavy guns, but its deep underground vaults provided secure shelter for the population before the general evacuation, as also for the public services and reinforcements. Most of the regiments which took part in the battles of 1916 passed through the Citadelle.

It was in one of the casemates that the President of France, M. Poincaré, handed to the Municipal Authorities of Verdun, on September 13th, 1916, the decorations conferred on that City by the Chiefs of State of the Allied countries (_see p. 30_).

_On leaving the Citadelle, turn to the right immediately after the entrance and follow the glacis which passes underneath the terraces of the Bishop’s Palace. After a sharp turning near the Manutention, the tourist arrives at the_ =Rue de Rû=.

_Take the latter as far as the_ =Rue des Gros-Degrés=, one of the most picturesque streets of Old Verdun, which also suffered greatly from the German bombardment. It is composed of eighty steps, divided into seven unequal flights, with a hand-rail erected in 1595. _The photograph opposite was taken from the bottom of the stairs._

_Take on the right the Rue du Pont des Augustins and cross the curious canal_ of the same name (_photo below_) to visit the Lower Town, which is crowded with picturesque old streets and narrow bridges over the winding canals.

_Return to the_ =Place Mazel=.

_If the tourist has time, he may go from here to the_ =St. Victor Gate=, _situated at the exit of Verdun, in the direction of Metz, Nancy, Toul, and Commercy (see p. 56, and plan between pp. 30 and 31)_.

From the Place Mazel to St. Victor’s Gate

(_See plan between pp. 30 and 31_)

_Cross the St. Croix bridge, take the Rue de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, then the Rue St. Sauveur, in which is the_ =Hospice St. Catherine=.

The =Hospice St. Catherine= was the birthplace of Bishop St. Airy. According to tradition the Bishop, on receiving a visit from Childebert II., caused his last barrel of wine to be brought in. Giving thanks, he was miraculously able to satisfy the deep-drinking Franks for several days. (_This legend is probably connected with the planting of the vineyards in the region of Verdun._)

_Opposite the Church of St. Catherine is the_ colonaded front of the former =Congrégation Notre-Dame Monastery=, now a school.

_Further on are the_ =Church of St. Victor=, Rustic-Gothic in style, _and the_ =Gate= of the same name (_photo above_).

_Stairs on the right of St. Victor’s Gate lead to the_ Citadelle Curtain 16, whence there is a fine view of the city.

VISIT TO THE BATTLEFIELD

The following Itinerary is divided into two parts:

1. The right bank of the Meuse, including the forts (Tavannes, Souville, Vaux and Douaumont). _See pp. 57–87._

2. The left bank of the Meuse, including Cumières, Mort-Homme, Hill 304 and Avocourt. _See pp. 88–111._

1st ITINERARY: THE RIGHT BANK OF THE MEUSE AND THE FORTS

I.—From Verdun to Tavannes Fort

_Leave Verdun by the Chaussée Gate, cross the Meuse and the fortified enclosure, and take the Rue d’Etain_ (R. N. 18) _on the left. Go up the Faubourg Pavé._ This road, used by the relief troops in the Vaux-Douaumont sector, was heavily and continually shelled until Verdun was finally cleared in December, 1916.

_At the side of the Municipal Cemetery_ (_on the left_) is a Military Cemetery containing more than 5,000 graves (_photo, p. 58_).

_Follow_ N. 18 _for about six kilometers, then turn to the left into the road leading to_ =Tavannes Fort=, _situated about a kilometer from the main road_.

=Tavannes Fort= dominates the ground behind the Vaux-Souville line and the Etain-Verdun road. The Germans, in their effort to reach Souville, sought by frequent bombardments to destroy the fort which resisted stubbornly, but on May 7th a 17-inch shell destroyed one of the arches and caused serious damage.

Near the fort, on the Verdun-Etain railway, is the long =Tavannes Tunnel=.

Although the entrances were constantly shelled by enemy artillery, it was used as a shelter for the reserves of the Vaux-Souville sector and as a munitions depot. Bunks were fitted up in three superimposed rows, 300 to 450 feet in length, and separated by spaces, where numerous other troops slept as they could on the ground. Despite the ventilating shafts, the air remained foul, owing to the perspiration of the men and the rudimentary sanitary arrangements. To complete the misery of the men, a grenade depot blew up on the night of September 4th, causing many victims.

II.—From Tavannes Fort to Vaux Fort

_Return to the road by which the fort was reached_ (I.C.2) _and turn into it on the right. About 300 yards further on, at the fork (see photo above), take the right-hand road (the other leads to Souville Fort)._ On the left is the ravine which precedes the entrance to Tavannes Tunnel. At first the road rises, then dips down to Bourvaux Ravine. (_On the right the road to_ Bourvaux Battery _is visible_.) The road zig-zags, then scales Hill 349, leading to Vaux Fort, after crossing through the woods of La Laufée and Chenois, of which only a few broken, branchless trunks remain.

=Chenois and Laufée Woods and the Damloup Battery.=—Before and after the fall of Vaux Fort, these positions were often attacked by the Germans, especially in June, July and September, 1916.

From June 2nd to 4th the Damloup battery and its approaches, defended by units of the 142nd and 52nd Line Regiments, repulsed sharp German attacks and prevented the enemy from debouching from Damloup. The defence of the battery lasted till July 2nd, the defenders, in constantly diminishing numbers, being attacked and bombarded without intermission. On July 3rd a German attack, preceded by an intense bombardment, resulted in the capture at about 1 p.m. of the greater part of the battery, but the remnant of a French company held its ground in the southern part of the work. At 3 p.m. only fifty men of the company were left; at 8 p.m. twenty, but still they hung on until an hour later they were reinforced by another company, which succeeded in crossing the barrage. At two o’clock next morning the French repulsed the enemy at the point of the bayonet and recaptured the entire battery.

After losing it on July 12th, the French retook the battery in a bayonet charge on October 24th, while General Lardemelle’s division recaptured Chenois Wood (_see p. 19_).

=Vaux Fort.=—Built of masonry about the year 1880, afterwards of concrete, and finally of reinforced concrete, the fort was only completed in 1911. Smaller and less powerful than Douaumont Fort, it dominates the plateau to the south of Vaux Ravine and the reverse side of Douaumont Plateau. Therein lies its importance. On March 9th Germany announced triumphantly to the world that the VIth and XIXth reserve regiments of Posen had “taken by assault the armoured Fort of Vaux, as well as numerous neighbouring fortifications.”

This communiqué was untrue. Two battalions of the XIXth regiment of Posen had in reality gained a footing on Vaux Hill on March 9th, but they were mown down at close range by French fire. As a matter of fact, three months of uninterrupted costly effort were necessary before the Germans were able to enter Vaux Fort.

On March 10th and 11th, in four column formation, they attacked the slopes leading to the fort. Literally mowed down, regiment after regiment left heaps of dead and wounded in front of the French wire entanglements; 60 per cent. of the enemy effectives engaged melted away in these two sanguinary days. After a terrific artillery preparation—five times on March 16th and six times on March 18th—they again swarmed up the slopes of the fort only to be thrown back with heavy loss. On April 2nd the enemy sustained another check, but during the night of June 2nd they reached the northern moat. While, on June 4th and 5th, six of their divisions attempted unsuccessfully to outflank the fort on the north by Fumin and on the south by Chenois Wood, the battle continued to rage on the fort itself and in front of the southern side.

From March to June 2nd, the fort and its surroundings received no less than 8,000 large calibre shells daily. Only one entrance was left, _i.e._ the north-west postern, which enemy artillery fire rendered unserviceable. The commander of the fort (Raynal) and his men were imprisoned in the underground chambers of the fort, being no longer able to hold their ground outside. To economise food and water, the surplus contingents were ordered to leave the fort. On the night of the 4th a first detachment made its escape under the direction of Aspirant Buffet, who returned to the fort the next evening with orders. The same night 100 more men managed to get away. Carrier pigeons and optical signals now furnished the only means of communication with the French lines. On the 4th, the last pigeon was released. On the morning of the 5th, thanks to two signalmen who volunteered to change a signal post which the Commandant had difficulty in observing, communications were maintained. The same night the Commandant sent his last message that could be read in its entirety, and which ended: “We have reached the limit, officers and soldiers have done their duty. Long live France!” Nevertheless, the fort continued to hold out and refused to surrender. On the night of the 6th reinforcements tried to relieve it and reached the moat of the counter-scarp, but after losing nearly all their officers they were compelled to fall back. The Germans gained a footing in the ruins of the superstructure, and eventually succeeded in driving the French out of the casemates by lowering baskets of grenades with retarded fuses and by using liquid fire and poison gas. Driven back into the underground passages, the French continued the fight with grenades and bayonets. The 2nd regiment of Zouaves and the Colonial regiment of Morocco made a last effort on the morning of the 8th to relieve the garrison. They reached the approaches of the fort, from which clouds of thick black smoke, caused by a violent explosion in one of the casemates, were pouring. Exposed to the fire of the enemy machine-guns installed in the superstructure of the fort and attacked by constantly increasing reinforcements, they were unable to hold their ground.

The Fort is on the left at the back]

When, on the night of June 8th, after seven days and nights of continual fighting, the heroic defenders of the fort were at last overpowered, the unwounded among them had not tasted a drop of water for two days.

Five months later (November 2nd) the Germans were driven out of the fort, which they hurriedly evacuated (_see pp. 63–64_).

III.—From Vaux Fort to Souville Fort

_On leaving Vaux Fort return along the same road to the fork (photo, p. 60) and turn to the right. About one kilometer from the fork, on the left, the escarpments of_ =Souville Fort= border the road. _Go to the fort on foot (about 200 yards from the road)._

=Souville Fort=, which stands as high as that of Douaumont, commands the background of the Douaumont—Vaux line. After taking this line, the enemy, from June 15th to 22nd, undertook the destruction of the fort. On the 23rd the entire CIIIrd German Division attacked, but was repulsed with very heavy losses in front of the French second line trenches. The attack was renewed by two divisions on July 11th and 12th, but failed to reach the moats of the fort.

Froid-Terre Redoubt

Froide-Terre Hill

Road to Douaumont

Thiaumont Redoubt

Road to Douaumont

Douaumont Fort

Hardaumont Wood

Vaux Ravine

Hill 349

Chapitre Wood

Vaux Fort

PANORAMA SEEN FROM THE CROSS-ROADS AT THE CHAPEL OF ST. FINE (_entirely destroyed_).]

The “+” on the sketch-map above shows the spot from where the panorama should be viewed. The car in the photo came from Souville Fort, turning to the right towards Vaux Village.

_After visiting the village return to the cross-roads and take the road on the right to Douaumont, seen on the left half of the above panorama (p. 66). The bombardments have left no trace of St. Fine Chapel._

IV.—From Souville Fort to Vaux Village and Pond

_After visiting Souville Fort return to the cross-ways at St. Fine Chapel, seen in the above photo._

It was the ruins of this chapel that the enemy reached on July 12th, 1916, and that the 2nd regiment of Zouaves, at the order of General Mangin, recaptured in order to relieve Souville Fort.

_At the cross-roads, take the_ I. C. 12 _on the right to Vaux village. The road dips down into a gorge between the woods of Le Chapitre and Fumin._

=Chapitre and Fumin Woods.=—To the west and east of the road leading to Vaux village, these two woods cover the flanks of the plateau which dominates Vaux Ravine and supports Vaux Fort. It was there that the Germans sought to outflank the fort on the west to reach Souville, but they were held in check during May. From June, 1916, these woods were subjected to bombardments of incredible intensity. A powerful German attack on June 23rd failed, but another on July 12th enabled the Germans to get a footing in Fumin Wood. In August and September frequent enemy attacks gave them temporary local gains. On October 24th and 25th, and again at the end of the month, French counter-attacks captured the enemy strongholds and cleared the woods completely.

The defence of the “R” outworks by the 101st line regiment was intimately connected with the attacks on Fumin Wood and Vaux Fort. These outworks were at the foot of the slopes of Fumin Wood, about half-way between the village and fort of Vaux. Bombarded by heavy guns on June 1st and 2nd, it was unsuccessfully attacked by the enemy at 8 p.m. on the evening of the 2nd. Twice on the 3rd and once on the 4th the French, reinforced by a few units, although deprived of water and subjected to machine-gun fire on the flank, repulsed new German attacks. A company of the 298th which, on the night of the 5th, relieved that of the 101st (reduced to 39 men), held out three days more under increasingly difficult conditions, and was only overpowered on the night of the 8th after the capture of the fort of Vaux. These positions were recaptured during the French offensive of October 2nd. 1916. The works known as the “Petit Dépôt,” “Fulda Boyau,” and “Sablière,” bristling with machine-guns and scarcely touched by the French artillery preparation, offered a stubborn resistance, and were only captured by the 74th Division in the evening after a whole day of exceedingly hard fighting.

=Vaux-les-Damloup.=—From March 8th the Germans sought to enter this village from the Woevre. The 1st battalion of their XIXth regiment of Reserves, believing it to be empty, was well-nigh exterminated. On the 10th, after a nine-hour night bombardment with torpedoes, units of the XVth and XVIIIth C.A. attacked the village. Although numbering more than six to one, it was only after four successive attacks that they gained a footing in the ruins of a block of houses behind the church. Soon after they advanced as far as the ruins of the church. Five times they sought to debouch, but were each time literally mowed down by the fire of the French machine-guns and mountain batteries. After two costly checks on March 16th and 18th the Germans again attacked on the evening of the 30th, but it was only three days later and at the cost of very heavy casualties that they were able to take and keep the village.

The road comes to an end at Vaux Pond. The village extended beyond the wooden foot-bridge seen in the photo. No trace of it is left, and the tourist will look in vain for any indication in the desolate waste around him of this erstwhile picturesque and flourishing village. It has literally been wiped out.

_Turn the car round 100 yards from the pond, at the place where a narrow-gauge rail-track formerly ran (see photo below)._

V.—From Vaux Village to Douaumont Fort

After turning the car round at Vaux Pond, return by the same road to the cross-ways at St. Fine Chapel (_see pp. 66 and 67_), continue another fifty yards, then take on the right the road to Douaumont.

About 500 yards farther on is the site of what was the village of =Fleury-devant-Douaumont=.

From June 21st to September 30th, 1916, the village was often disputed. After violently bombarding it from June 21st to 23rd, four German Alpine regiments carried it, pushing forward to the south of the Fleury-Vaux railway where the French 75’s checked them with very heavy loss. On the 24th–25th the French reoccupied the eastern part of the village. On the 27th two battalions of the French 241st line regiment entered Fleury, but were soon driven out, after which they clung to the southern and western parts. The enemy bombardment of July 9th–10th levelled the village. On the 11th, picked German troops attacked and outflanked it on the south. French counter-attacks succeeded on the following days in driving the Germans back somewhat, 800 prisoners being taken in ten days. On August 2nd–3rd the village was reoccupied and 1,350 more prisoners taken. It was lost, then partly retaken on August 5th at the point of the bayonet. Two weeks of constant grenade fighting, from hole to hole, by battalions of Alpine Chasseurs from Alsace, carried all that remained of the trenches adjoining the positions “Trois Arbres” and “Montbrison.” On August 17th the Moroccan Colonial Regiment finished the conquest of the village with their usual dash.

_In the ruins of Fleury, on the right, there is a road which, after passing through Caillette Wood, comes to an end about 400 yards from_ =Douaumont Fort=. _The latter can be reached from here on foot._

_One kilometer after the ruins of Fleury the road divides. Take the right-hand one, the other leads to Bras by the northern slopes of Froide-Terre Hill._

The uphill road follows the ridge, at the end of which is Douaumont Fort, then passes south of =Thiaumont Redoubt=.

=Thiaumont Redoubt=, S.W. of Douaumont Fort, dominating Froide-Terre Hill and the Bras road to the W., and the Fleury road to the S., formed the left extremity of the last but one line of resistance which passed in front of Verdun, _via_ the village of Fleury and the forts of Souville and Tavannes. For five months (May–September, 1916), which saw some of the hardest fighting in the battle of Verdun, the Germans wore themselves down against this line. Neither the repeated furious attacks, nor poison gas, nor the incredibly intense bombardments could break the resistance of the French, who clung desperately to their positions.

_A little further on the road passes the site of_ =Thiaumont Farm=, _all traces of which were swept away by the battle_.

=Thiaumont Farm=, captured on June 1st, was reconquered on the 2nd. The enemy occupied the ruins on the 9th, after their big attack of the previous day. On the 12th, 13th, 15th and 17th they sustained four serious checks in front of the defences. Exasperated at the French resistance, they deluged the positions and those of Froide-Terre, on the 21st, with poison gas and more than 100,000 shells. At 6 o’clock on the morning of the 23rd five Bavarian regiments attacked, but although they reached the defences of Froide-Terre, they were unable to hold them. However, those of Thiaumont remained in their hands. In a magnificent attack on June 30th, and despite enemy cross-fire, the French 248th line regiment reoccupied Thiaumont at noon, lost it at four o’clock, but recaptured it again the next day and kept it until relieved, in spite of furious German counter-attacks. From July 4th to 9th Thiaumont was retaken and lost four times by the Germans, but a fifth attack enabled them to hold it. Fighting around the defences was continual during the rest of the month. From August 1st to 4th the French 96th line regiment, supported by the 122nd, reconquered Thiaumont and its approaches. From the 4th to the 8th it was defended by the 81st, but on the evening of the 8th, after losing and retaking it, they were driven out by a powerful German attack. Since June 23rd Thiaumont had changed hands sixteen times.

The Central Shelter having been pierced by a shell on May 6th, the Redoubt was afterwards only used as an Artillery Observation-Post. The Entrance Trench in the foreground was each day levelled by enemy shells, only to be re-made during the night.]

From the middle of August the French command changed their tactics. Abandoning the costly direct attacks, the redoubt was gradually encircled. On October 24th Moroccan Colonial troops, Zouaves and Tirailleurs, in a dashing grenade and bayonet attack, recaptured Douaumont, the Farm and Redoubt of Thiaumont and the Dame and neighbouring ravines.

BARBED-WIRE ENTANGLEMENT IN FRONT OF THE FRENCH LINE]

=a= [fan-shape sign] The upper photo on p. 78, =Dame Ravine=, was taken from here.

=b= [fan-shape sign] The lower photo on p. 80, =Helly Ravine=, was taken from here.]

_Leave the car at Thiaumont Farm and go on foot to Douaumont Fort, following the temporary narrow-gauge line for about 1,300 yards. These rails follow the old road which was entirely destroyed._

DOUAUMONT FORT

(_See photo, p. 29._)

This modern stronghold, which the Crown Prince called “the N.E. angular pillar of the permanent fortifications of Verdun,” occupies at Hill 388 the culminating point of the hard limestone plateau which forms the region of Verdun. Lying between Bras Ravine (which descends towards the W. and the Meuse) and Vaux or Bazil Ravine (extending towards the E. and the Woevre), the fort dominates the entire region. As the key of the battlefield it was fiercely disputed.

Before the battle of 1916 it was only bombarded twice by the German artillery. Of the 250 shells fired at it early in November, 1914, 170 reached the mark without, however, causing serious damage. The few 8-inch shells received on March 29th, 1915, did no damage whatever.

On February 25th, 1916, almost at the beginning of the battle, units of the German XXIVth Infantry Regiment (IIIrd Brandenburgers), wearing French Zouave uniforms, surprised and occupied the fort. On the morning of the 26th the French 153rd D.I. (20th C.) counter-attacked fiercely five times, advancing their line beyond the fort and surrounding the enemy on three sides. Thanks, however, to a communicating trench connecting up with their lines, the enemy were able to keep their ground. From the 26th to the 29th they furiously attacked the approaches of the fort without being able to surround it. A redoubt, 200 yards E. of the fort, was alternately lost and recaptured three times on the 26th. From March 8th to May 19th the fighting continued with varying fortune.

From the 19th to the 22nd French heavy guns bombarded the fort, the explosion of a shell on the 20th causing hundreds of victims. To hamper the enemy Intelligence Service six of their observation balloons were destroyed by a French flying squadron on the morning of the 22nd. At 11.50 the 10th Brigade (5th D.I.) attacked the fort and its approaches. At noon the 129th line regiment occupied the N. and N.W. corners of the fort. The 74th regiment was unable to take the N.E. corner, but the 36th succeeded in capturing all the trenches west of the Fort. During the night and all the next day the enemy intensified their bombardment and increased the number of their counter-attacks, without breaking through the defences of the 10th Brigade, which maintained all its gains until relieved on the night of the 23rd. Exasperated at this check, the Germans, on the 24th, engaged no less than an army corps of reinforcements and retook the fort.

French Infantry and Sappers in a trench hurriedly made around an outwork of masonry still held by the enemy with machine-guns.]

Five months later (October 24th) they lost it again after a heavy bombardment and attack, during which a French 16-inch shell pierced the superstructure of the fort and started a fire. A dense fog overhung the fort when, at 11.40 a.m., the signal for the attack, directed by General Mangin, was given. When, at about 2.30 p.m. the fog lifted, French observers perceived the Moroccan Colonials of the Nicolaï battalion scaling the ruins of the fort. On arriving there, the latter found units of the 321st line regiment which, operating _in liaison_ on their right, had preceded them and already hoisted the French flag on the ruins of the fort. Two sappers of the 19-2 Co. of Engineers slipped into the basement of the fort, and with the aid of four Colonials captured twenty-four German soldiers, four officers, two guns and three machine-guns in one of the counter-scarp shelters. Other enemy soldiers in one of the casemates surrendered, with the German commander of the fort, on the night of the 24th. The next morning the entire fort, together with a great quantity of arms, munitions and foodstuffs, was in the hands of the French. Four enemy counter-attacks on the 26th failed to retake it.

On the night of the 24th a sergeant of the 4th Zouaves captured, unaided, a German company and six officers. Returning from revictualling duty, he was taken prisoner by some Germans occupying a shelter near the fort Coolly informing them that Douaumont and Damloup Battery had fallen, he called on them to surrender. The attitude of the sergeant was so convincing that after some hesitation they laid down their arms and were brought into the French lines.

Douaumont was entirely cleared on December 15th by the 37th D.I., which fought a hard battle in the woods before the village. Having learned the time of the attack, the Germans were on their guard, but after a furious combat the 2nd Tirailleurs drove back the VIth Prussian Grenadiers and crossed Helly Ravine (_photo, p. 80_).

=Hardaumont= and =Caillette Woods= and =Douaumont Village= _may be visited, on foot from the fort of Douaumont_.

The plateau E. and S.E. of Douaumont Fort ends in wooded slopes, which overhang Vaux (Basil) Ravine. That furthest to the E. contains Hardaumont Wood, while on the most western slope is Caillette Wood. The Germans who, on March 8th and 9th, had taken Hardaumont Redoubt, only entered Caillette Wood on April 2nd, after four days’ attacks with asphyxiating gas and liquid fire. Despite a night march of eleven miles, the 74th line regiment (5th D.I.) attacked the enemy vigorously on the morning of April 3rd. On April 3rd, 4th and 5th the French retook the wood, bit by bit. On the 15th three battalions of the 36th line regiment and units of the 120th threw back the enemy between Caillette and Fausse-Côte ravines, while on the 19th the 81st Brigade enlarged these gains. From the 24th to the 26th the Germans tried in vain to advance. On June 1st they engaged two and a half divisions before they were able to occupy the greater part of Caillette Wood. Moreover, their success was only temporary, for on October 24th the French Division of General Passaga (“La Gauloise”) drove them definitely out of Caillette Wood and partly from that of Hardaumont. Nearly two enemy divisions were put out of action and seventeen field guns, twenty-five heavy guns, including two of long range, and numerous trench mortars were captured. The reconquest of Hardaumont Wood was completed on December 15th by the same division which captured “Lorient” and Hardaumont Redoubts.

* * * * *

=Douaumont Village=, situated below and 500 yards to the W. of the fort, was almost encircled on the evening of February 25th, but Zouaves and Tirailleurs extricated it. From the 25th to the 28th the Vth German D.I. made five furious attacks, but were unable to break down the resistance of the 95th line regiment and units of the 153rd D.I. which were defending the village. On March 2nd, after a preliminary bombardment which destroyed the village and isolated the battalion holding it, the CXIIIth German D.I., wearing French helmets, attacked at 1.15 p.m. on the N. and E. The French machine-gunners soon discovered the trick, however, and mowed them down. After a second bombardment the enemy again attacked, overwhelming the defenders, one company of whom resisted to the last man.

The remains of the French battalion took their stand fifty yards S.W. of the village and prevented the enemy from debouching. On the 3rd two battalions of the 172nd and 174th line regiments retook the village at the point of the bayonet. During the night the Germans counter-attacked twice unsuccessfully with heavy loss, 800 dead being counted in front of one of the French trenches. On the 4th a third and more powerful counter-attack succeeded in driving the French from the village, but broke down against new positions 200 yards to the south. The French were compelled to fall back in May and June, but returned victorious to the ruined village on October 24th.

The road from Thiaumont to Bras follows it, ending at Haudromont Quarries (_see Itinerary, p. 57_). The tree-stumps in the foreground formed part of Chauffour Wood.]

VI.—From Douaumont Fort to Bras and Samogneux

_A down-hill road leads direct from Douaumont Village to Thiaumont Farm, where the tourist will take his car again._

_Follow the road, which turns to the left and passes through Dame Ravine._ On all sides the chaotic waste testifies to the terrible hammering which this region received from the guns (_see photo, p. 78, and map, p. 73_).

_The tourist leaves_ =Chauffour Wood= _on his right_ (_photos, p. 78_).

This wood extends to the north of the road and approaches to within a few hundred yards of Douaumont on the west. The CVth German Infantry was cut to pieces here on the morning of February 26th, 1916, and on March 2nd the XXIst German Division suffered a similar fate there. During a powerful attack around Douaumont on April 16th the Germans occupied a small salient S. of the wood, but were soon after partially driven out, while on December 17th the wood was entirely cleared of them by the Zouaves and Tirailleurs of the 38th D.I. The enemy’s efforts to retake it and Albain Wood to the S.W. were unsuccessful.

_Continue to descend_; =Haudromont Quarries= _will be reached shortly afterwards_.

Around these positions, which dominate the ravine debouching at the stream near Bras, furious indecisive fighting took place, more especially on March 18th, April 22nd and May 8th, 9th, 10th, 22nd, 26th and 27th, 1916. They were finally taken on October 24th by the French 11th line regiment.

Fighting was very bitter around the quarries, which form a rough oblong 200 to 300 yards long, fifty to sixty yards wide, visible from afar on account of their white colour. The enemy had cut galleries, casemates and shelters in the chalky soil, the whole forming a redoubtable position. After encircling the quarries, the French captured them with grenades.

_At the bottom of the hill, opposite and below_ =Haudromont Quarries=, _tourists desirous of visiting_ =Helly Ravine= (_see photo below, and map, p. 73_), which was the scene of terrible fighting during the offensive of December, 1916 (_pp. 20–21_), _should turn to the right for about 300 yards_.

_Return to the starting-point and continue straight along the_ =Bras Road=.

_On the right the tourist comes to the uphill road to_ =Louvemont=, _which crosses the southern slopes of Poivre Hill. This road is impracticable for carriages beyond Louvemont._

(Farthest point accessible to motor-cars in May, 1919)]

Louvemont and Poivre Hill

At 2.20 p.m. on February 24th, strong enemy forces debouched between =Louvemont= and =Hill 347=. During the night the first French reinforcements, belonging to the 20th C.A., repulsed them. On the 25th, the enemy, in dense formation, outflanked the village on the W. and E. They were checked several times by units of the 37th D.I. and artillery fire, but succeeded in entering the village at 3 p.m., after having practically levelled it by shell fire.

Zouaves, who were still clinging to the outskirts, ran short of ammunition, but on being reinforced by a battalion of Tirailleurs with 50,000 cartridges, continued with the latter to defend the S.E. approaches of the village until the morrow.

Owing to their heavy losses, the French 37th D.I. was compelled to fall back, but the fire from a hundred 75 mm. guns concentrated at Froide-Terre held the Germans in check and prevented their debouching from the village. The French 39th D.I. promptly took up positions in front of the 37th, between Poivre Hill and the Meuse, and barred the road to Bras. Louvemont and its approaches were brilliantly retaken during the French offensive of December 15th, 1916. While a brigade of the 126th D.I. captured Hill 342 in several rushes, the 4th Moroccan Brigade of the 38th D.I., in a running attack, carried the first and second enemy lines, Louvemont and Hill 347, as well as a fortified cavern known as the camp du Henrias, before which one of the victors of Douaumont, Major Nicolaï, was killed.

On August 20th, 1917, four successive lines of trenches were taken by the French 165th D.I., in an attack to the north of Louvemont.

_On leaving Louvemont, return by the same way to the Bras Road and take it on the right. Bras village is reached shortly afterwards, where the Itinerary follows the Meuse Valley and_ N. 64.

=Bras.=—The Prussians camped here in 1792, during the occupation of Verdun.

In 1916 the Germans could not capture it, although they took Poivre Hill which dominates the village to the N.

After several checks (_e.g._ February 25th and March 9th) they occupied Poivre Hill and Vacherauville, but were unable to dislodge the French from the woods to the S.E.

From March, they organised a network of barbed-wire entanglements, concrete galleries, redoubts, shelters, etc., on the hill, converting it into a kind of fortress, but on December 15th the village and hill were rushed by the 112th line regiment in three-column formation, covered on the left by a fourth column and supported by auto-cannon. Veritable bastion, overlooking the Beaumont road and flanking the entire German line, the village could only be captured by surprise, and the latter was complete. German officers were taken in their shelters while dressing. The attack had not been expected before noon or later than 2 p.m. The village was conquered in ten minutes, and Poivre Hill in seven minutes, in a single rush.

(_Photographed in April, 1917_)]

_From Bras continue northwards to_ Vacherauville and Samogneux, where the first German attacks at the beginning of the battle of Verdun took place, (_see Itinerary p. 57._)

=Vacherauville=, entirely destroyed, _is reached soon afterwards. Leave on the right the road to Beaumont and take, a little further on, that leading to Champneuville, which brings the tourist to the top of_ =Talou Hill=, _from where the panoramic view on pp. 86 and 87 was taken_.

Situated in a long bend of the Meuse, =Talou Hill= gradually slopes down to the water’s edge. On February 25th the enemy reached this hill which, caught between the fire from both banks, became equally untenable for the French and Germans, and from February 27th was considered as a neutral zone. It was retaken by the French in their offensive of August 20th, 1917, at the same time as the villages of Neuville, Champneuville and Champ.

=Samogneux= _may be reached from Talou Hill, either by continuing, via Champneuville (see outline map, p. 87), or by returning to the_ R. N. 64.

Subjected to an infernal shell-fire on February 22nd and 23rd =Samogneux= had to be abandoned by the French on the evening of the latter date. It was retaken by the 126th D. I. on August 21st, during the French offensive of August, 1917, _i.e._ two days in advance of the scheduled date (_see p. 23_).

The village was entirely levelled.]

E. of Samogneux and dominating the road from Vacherauville to Beaumont rises =Hill 344=, which, together with Samogneux and Beaumont, fell into the hands of the enemy in 1916. It was retaken during the French offensive of August 20th, 1917, by regiments belonging to the 123rd and 126th D.I. These were almost immediately relieved by the 14th D.I., which for three weeks withstood violent enemy counter-attacks without flinching. On September 9th, in particular, it repulsed an attack by several German divisions which had orders to retake Hill 344 at all costs.

_Return to Bras by the same road._

VII.—From Bras to Verdun

_From Bras take N 64 towards_ =Verdun=. _The road winds across the western slopes of_ =Belleville Fort=. _At the top of the hill, take the road on the left (leaving the down-hill road to Verdun)._

_The road (IC 2) passes by_ =Belleville Fort= _and along the top of the hill, which formed the last permanent line of resistance, from, N.E. of Verdun to_ =St. Michel Fort=.

_From_ =St. Michel Fort= _there is a fine run down_ =St. Michel Hill= _to Verdun which enter by the_ =Rue d’Elain= _and_ =Chaussée Gate=.

Chattancourt-Esnes Road

Hill 304

Chattancourt Village

Mort-Homme

Champ Village

Oie Hill

Cumières Hill

Montfaucon]

End of Oie Hill

River Meuse

Heights of Sivry-on-the-Meuse

Consonvoye

Brabant

Verdun—Consonvoye Road

Samogneux

PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE MEUSE VALLEY SEEN FROM THE TOP OF TALOU HILL.]

(_Consider the four parts from left to right, across both pages; the top half fits on to the left of the bottom half._)

2nd ITINERARY: THE LEFT BANK OF THE MEUSE

including Cumières, Oie Hill, Mort-Homme, Montfaucon, Hill 304, and
Avocourt (_see description, pp. 90–111_)

I.—From Verdun to Charny

_Leave Verdun by the Porte de France; after the railway bridge go straight along_ G. C. 38 _(see plan between pp. 30–31.) Cross the Faubourg de Jardin-Fontaine, then Thierville village. Facing it is_ MARRE FORT. _At the foot of the hill on which the fort stands, turn to the right. Leaving on the left the ruined_ farm of Willers-les-Moines, _the road climbs up the small_ Hill 243, _below which is the_ strongly fortified =Charny Redoubt=.

On the other side of the level-crossing is =Charny=. It was at Charny that the Germans crossed the Meuse in 1870. Incidentally, they shot the former notary, M. Violard, under the pretext that he had aided an attack by the francs-tireurs of Verdun. In 1916, the village was frequently bombarded by the enemy, particularly on March 31st.

On the horizon: Poivre Hill]

Beyond the Church take the road on the right to Cumières. That on the left, leading to Bourrus Woods, is impracticable for cars.]

II.—From Charny to Cumières

_Return to the level crossing, then turn to the right on leaving Charny. The road skirts the northern slopes of the hills on which stands the_ modern forts of =Vacherauville=, =Marre= and =Bourrus Woods=.

_Cross through Marre village, in ruins. Beyond the ruined church follow the right-hand road (photo above) to_ =Cumières=. _Half-way between Marre and Cumières are (on the right) the station of_ =Chattancourt=, _(on the left) the road leading to that village_.

Attacked on March 14th and destroyed by shell-fire on April 25th, =Cumières= was only captured by the Germans on the night of May 23rd. Three days later the French retook the eastern portion after a desperate combat. On May 29th and 30th, after two days of continual bombardment, they were momentarily driven back towards Chattancourt, but a vigorous counter-attack brought them back to the southern outskirts of the village. Caurettes Wood, to the S.W. of Cumières, remained, however, in the enemy’s hands.

Oie Hill

Samogneux

River Meuse

National Road No. 64

Poivre Hill

Talou Hill

Champneuville

Road from Champneuville to Vacherauville

Froide-Terre Hill

Champ Village

Vacherauville Fort

PANORAMIC VIEW OF THE RIGHT BANK OF THE MEUSE SEEN FROM OIE HILL (_see_ Outline Map below).]

On August 20th, 1917, Cumières village and wood were retaken by a regiment of the Légion Étrangère, who attacked singing the famous popular song “La Madelon.”

_From_ =Cumières= _continue straight ahead to Oie Hill, from where the above panoramic view was taken_.

On the horizon: The slopes of Mort-Homme.]

III.—From Cumières to Chattancourt and Mort-Homme

_On leaving Cumières return to the Station of Chattancourt, and take on the right the road to_ =Chattancourt=, which is about 800 yards further on. This village was completely levelled (_photo below_).

Nothing remains of the houses and trees. The road seen in the above photo leads to Mort-Homme.]

_From Chattancourt the positions of_ =Mort-Homme= _may be visited by the road to Béthincourt (the lower photograph on p. 94 shows the beginning of this road)_.

_Motor-cars can go as far as the top of_ =Hill 295= _or_ =Mort-Homme=, _where it is necessary to turn the car round and return to Chattancourt, as the road is cut near Béthincourt by the Forges stream, which has entirely flooded the lower part of the village_.

=Mort-Homme.=—Like Hill 304, Mort-Homme was one of the most fiercely disputed positions on the left bank. It consists of twin hills: No. 265 (of which the Béthincourt-Cumières road skirts the summit) and No. 295 (the Mort-Homme proper, round which the road winds on the N.E.), and formed an excellent observation-post and artillery position in front of the real line of resistance.

On March 5th, 1916, the German offensive, which, until then, had been confined to the right bank of the river, developed with great violence on the left flank, progressing in six days to the slopes of Mort-Homme.

On the 14th, after a five-hours bombardment with shells of every kind and size, sometimes at the rate of 120 a minute, the enemy’s Infantry attack on Mort-Homme began. The Germans took and kept Hill 265, but the French Infantry and Zouaves, after a magnificent defence, held their ground on Hill 295—the key to the entire position—and in night counter-attacks drove back the assailants to the N.W. counter-slopes.

From March 15th to the end of December, 1916, the Germans launched at least fifteen particularly violent attacks against Hill 295, sacrificing countless men and huge quantities of munitions. On March 16th, 17th and 31st, and April 9th and 10th, French Chasseurs and Infantry repulsed the enemy in terrible hand-to-hand fighting. On April 22nd, 23rd and 24th the French 40th D.I., by its resistance and brilliant counter-attacks, broke up as many as three enemy attacks in one day, and re-established the French front as it was on April 5th. Further German attacks on Hill 295 followed on May 7th, 20th and 22nd, June 29th, July 12th and December 28th. Their furious offensive of May 20th alone brought them momentarily on the S.W. crest of Hill 295 and as far as the French second-line trenches, which were retaken on June 15th.

At that time the sector of Mort-Homme and Hill 304 was commanded by General de Maud’huy, whose courage and coolness are legendary in the army. The exploits of the French troops at Mort-Homme during the difficult period of 1916 were countless. One of the most brilliant was accomplished on April 9th by the 11th Company of the 151st Regiment of Infantry, which had received orders to reconquer the crest of the Mort-Homme.

Laughing and singing under a continual bombardment, this company went into line, a section at a time, with measured step and rifle in hand. On approaching the enemy trenches, the men rushed forward under heavy machine-gun fire and captured a large and important network of trenches. Promptly organising the conquered trenches, and despite an extremely intense enemy bombardment of thirty-six hours, the men succeeded in re-establishing the _liaison_ with the 8th Battalion of Chasseurs on their right, making it possible to reform the line which had been broken, and which the enemy afterwards tried in vain to pierce, until May 20th.

In 1917 the sector was often the scene of violent combats, especially on January 25th, and March 18th, 20th and 29th. After many efforts and at heavy cost the Germans succeeded in occupying Hill 265 and the crest of Hill 295, where they organised formidable defences, including deep shell-proof tunnels.

On August 20th, 1917, during the French attack along the entire Verdun front, the 31st D.I. carried all the German defences and recaptured the Mort-Homme and its tunnels, including the one known as the “=Crown-Prince=,” which was “cleaned out” by the Foreign Legion. In one of the tunnels several cavalry-men, units of the XXXVIth and a whole battalion of the XXth Regiment of the German Reserve, were captured, while among the officers taken was Count Bernstorff, nephew of the ex-German Ambassador to the United States. An entire staff was captured in another of the tunnels.

=Corbeaux Wood.=—The plateaux dominated by the two Mort-Homme Hills are cut into on the north of the high road by a ravine bordered by Corbeaux Wood. This wood offers favourable cover for the massing of attacking troops. It was by this fiercely disputed route that the enemy tried to reach Hill 295. On March 6th the French line was brought back in front of the wood. On the 7th the enemy, after bombarding it, succeeded in getting a footing there, but on the following day the 92nd Infantry Regiment, in a magnificent counter-attack, retook the wood in twenty minutes. On the morning of the 10th, reinforced by another infantry battalion, the same regiment further captured the N.E. outskirts of Cumières Wood (to the E. of Corbeaux Wood), but in the evening, deprived of its commanding officer (Colonel Macker, who had fallen that morning), and lacking the support of the French artillery, which the trees prevented from seeing the rocket-signals, the regiment was compelled to fall back before an impetuous attack by a whole enemy division. However, it was only at frightful cost that the Germans were able to score these two successes, as the French gave ground only inch by inch.

The wood was retaken by the Foreign Legion Regiment on August 20th, 1917 (_see p. 23_).

Trenches captured in August, 1917]

Hill 304

Road to Esnes

THE ROAD FROM CHATTANCOURT TO ESNES, AT THE FOOT OF HILL 275.

In the background the road forks, that on the left going to Montzéville, the one on the light to Esnes. The tourist should take the latter.]

IV.—From Mort-Homme to Esnes.

_From Mort-Homme return to the starting-point at Chattancourt, and take on the right the road to Esnes (see photo at the bottom of p. 94)._

_On the left_, THE CASTLE; _on the right_, THE CHURCH.]

This fairly steep road scales the northern slopes of Hill 275. Driving is rather difficult by reason of the numerous shell holes in the road. A pass is soon reached, from which Hill 304 can be seen opposite (_photo, p. 98_).

This road crosses all the organisations of the first line shelters, posts of commandment, dressing-stations, etc. _Continue as far as a crossing_ (visible in _photo, p. 98_), _where turn to the right into_ =Esnes=.

By reason of its position, S. of Hills 304 and 295, Esnes was an important base of operations during the Battle of Verdun. It was subjected to frequent enemy bombardments, of which the most violent occurred on March 20th and 21st, April 5th, 6th, 12th, 25th and 26th, and June 22nd, 1916.

The three photographs on pp. 98 and 99 show the aspects of the village at three different stages of the battle.

Heights on the left bank of the river

Hill 275

Road to Chattancourt

Marre Fort

Hill 272

Bourrus Woods

Hill 310

FROM MORT-HOMME TO BOURRUS WOODS; PANORAMIC VIEW TAKEN FROM THE WAYSIDE CROSS AT ESNES (_see_ Outline-Map below).]

V.—From Esnes to Montfaucon, via Hill 304

_After passing in front of the ruins of Esnes Church, continue straight ahead, taking the second road on the right (not the first, which leads to Béthincourt—see photograph above)._

_The road on the left ends in a very steep rough track and is impracticable for cars._

_The road to be followed zig-zags up to the_ =Wayside Cross of Esnes=, _from which there is a magnificent view of the battlefields on the left bank from Mort-Homme to Bourrus Woods (Panorama above)_.

_At the Wayside Cross take the road to the right._

_The left-hand one (seen in the foreground on photo, p. 101) leads to Avocourt. The tourist will take it on his return from_ =Montfaucon=.

_The one on the right (in the foreground on photo, p. 100) passes between_ =Hills 287 and 304= _(the latter of celebrated memory) crosses the ruins of_ =Haucourt and Malancourt villages=, and ends at =Montfaucon=.

HILL 304

=Hill 304=, with Hills 287, 310 and 275, forms from Malancourt to Marre Fort a line of natural fortresses, which kept under their cross-fire not only the roads of approach, but also the bare glacis and the abrupt escarpments immediately bordering them.

The covered ground nearest Hill 304 is the S.E. corner of Avocourt Wood. It was from this wood that the IInd Bavarian D.I. left to attack the Hill on March 20th, 1916.

They were checked, however, on the long barren slope leading to the ridge, by the French cross-fire. Their three regiments, on March 20th to 22nd, lost from fifty to sixty per cent. of their effective strength, without gain. On April 9th, before Hill 287, the first German attacking wave succeeded in crossing the French first-line trench, practically destroyed by bombardment. They were running towards the French supporting trench when the survivors of the front-line trench, coming out of their shelters in the upheaved ground among the dead, exterminated them to the last man.