A few pictures on the way (by the way, most of the pictures this go around are of forest, I took some others, but the forest was the main part of the battlefield, thus forest pictures...but these few were on the drive to Verdun...keep in mind, these were taken just as the heavens decided to stop raining on us...it had rained so hard in France that there was flooding in many pastures etc).
So here is a little background: (compliments of PBS)
"German General Erich von Falkenhayn developed a battle plan for attacking Verdun, France, a city protected by a ring of underground forts. Begun in mid-February 1916, and ending in December, the battle of Verdun symbolized for the French the strength and fortitude of their armed forces and the solidarity of the entire nation. After a few short weeks, the battle took on a life of its own, with small groups of men on both sides fighting local battles in constant struggle for their lives, and protection of the territory they occupied. Verdun is still considered by many military historians as the 'greatest' and most demanding battle in history. In the end, the front lines were nearly the same as when the battles started while over 300,000 French and Germans were killed and over 750,000 were wounded."
One famous Frenchman in the Battle of Verdun was Emile Driant. Colonel Driant basically was the reason why the German's did not take Paris...while at Verdun he felt that the Germans were planning a big attack, while Joseph Joffre denied this. On February 21, 1916 Driant was proved right. With only 1200 men he was able to hold back the German onslaught for a day, giving the French High Command more time to send troops to regain the area. When Driant and his men were outflanked he ordered his men to withdrawal from the area. During that time one of his enlisted men was injured. Driant went to get the man. At the same time artillery was being fired and one round happened to land near Driant; the shrapnel killed him.
The first stop we made on our tour was the area where Driant was fighting. The area is pock marked from all the artillery fire.
The Wood Caures (wood hunters of the 56th and 59th) command post. The decorative posts were added after the war.
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| One story about this is that it was a wine holder, but rather than allow the Germans to get their wine, the French shot it full of wholes. |
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| Stairs going down into the command post. |
Just down the path from the command post are the communication trenches.
A few pictures on the path going to the memorial for Colonel Driant.
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| Cool fungus growing on a tree...these were grown all the way up the tree. |
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| It's difficult to tell by this picture, but it is one of the pock marks made by artillery. |
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| Nothing to do with this battle area...just a cool snail on the marker |
Across the street from the monument is a wooden road which leads to Senier du Bois des Caures, Stele du Col. Driant.
This is the location where Driant was killed. His wartime grave is just past this small monument.
A few more pictures from this area:
Next stop on our tour was the Trench of Bayonets (Tranchée des Baionnettes). In June 1916, this entrenched position was a part a salient west of Fort Douaumont, which the Germans desperately wanted to take. On June 12, Germans unleashed a hailstorm of iron and lead upon French positions. The attack caught the French by surprise.
The 137th Regiment of French infantry was annihilated almost to the last man. Years after the war, French teams exploring the battle field uncovered the clues of the horrific fate of this regiment. One of the trenches was discovered completely filled in, with only a neat line of bayonets sticking out of the ground. The bayonets were still fixed to their rifles. A body was found next to each one. The 3rd company of 137th regiment had been buried alive, almost instantaneously, having died where they stood. Other theories have evolved about the fate of the last men of the 3rd company. Gas or concussion from exploding shells are alternative explanations of the mass deaths of the men. This may have been followed by Germans overrunning the position and filing in the mass grave which would explain their unique internment.
Unfortunately, the original bayonets were stolen. They were replaced by plastic bayonets, which were also stolen.
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| This monument was opened by Alexandre Millerand, President of the Republic, in the presence of the ambassador of the United States, on the 8th of December 1920. |
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| American patron, Mr. Rand, funded the present-day trench covering with a paved path ending at the nearest road. |
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| very cool gate leading into the trench area |
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| No clue what this was for. there were many like it around the trench...perhaps at one time used as a makeshift fence (there are eyelets on the sides that could be used to connect chains or cables). |
Next stop: Fort Douaumont:
Fort Douaumont was one of a series of forts near Verdun, constructed after the Franco-Prussian War in order to ensure the area could be defended against future attacks. The fort stands on a site nearly 1200 ft high. Because similar Belgian forts had failed to stop the
German advances into Belgium, the French view of the usefulness of this type of fortress changed. With that change came a change in the fort itself. In 1916 nearly all of its large guns were removed and only about 60 French soldiers were left at the fort. Needless to say the Germans captured the fort pretty easily on February 25, 1916.
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| not much privacy in this bathroom...it is in the path of the walkway through the fort. |
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| large gun turret |
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| Guy on the left is Bob, our tour guide |
With any battle there are the inevitable deaths. The Battle of Verdun is no exception to this. From February 21, 1916 until December 1916. Burying each fallen soldier (not counting which side they may have fought for) would be a daunting task to say the least. It is estimated that some 300,000 French and German soldiers died in this battle. While attempts were made to bury them all, there were just too many. So as a means of honoring these soldiers the Ossuary of Douaumant was created.
While many of the known soldiers have marked graves, the majority of the 300000 bodies are not in typical graves. Instead they are housed in the ossuary building. The outside walls are adorned with the shields associated with those who may be there.
This ossuary is vastly different than the Bone Church in Kutna Huta, Czech Rep. The bones here are simply filled into the building. You can see some of the bones through small window around the base of the building.
Along with the Ossuary and Cemetery are monuments dedicated to Muslims and Jews.
There is also a monument for Andre Thome, a French politician killed at Verdun on March 10, 1916
From the Ossuary and Cemetery we went to Fleury devant Douaumant. Fleury was a village near Douaumant. Unfortunately, like 8 other villages, it was completely demolished by artillery fire during the Battle of Verdun. Rather than rebuild, it, and the other 8 villages remain as they were left. The only changes that had been made were to build a chapel and erect markers showing what was located in certain areas before the bombing. The area is eerily beautiful, in that it looks like a lovely forested area until you realize that the divots (huge divots were caused by artillery shells and that at one point in time, people had homes and lives in this area and that was completely destroyed.
This is a little of what we saw:
Looks kind of like a hilly park, right? Well until you start reading the marker stones:
Sadly, these were just a few of the markers from the village.
This is a memorial for the children lost in the village:
This is a monument honoring Henri Herduin and Pierre Millant. The two French lieutenants were summarily executed in Fleury (or where Fleury had been before being destroyed)...without trial for dereliction of duty. The order for immediate execution came from Colonel Bernard.
This was the Ravine of the Vines (remember the wine maker...my guess, his grape vines):
The Ravine of the Vines was a narrow ravine or pathway taken by soldiers going to fight or coming back from fighting. Unfortunately, it was also where many wounded lay dying due to artillery barrages. According to Abbot Thellier de Poncheville, military chaplain at Verdun "the heroism of the foot soldier is defeated by the steelworker of the colossal factory who builds the huge canons and by the engineer who mixes the lung-irritating gases in the back of his laboratory. The forces of matter annihilate the forces of bravery."
By the way, although there are 0 inhabitants of Fleury, it does have a presiding mayor (as do the other 8 villages that were destroyed and not rebuilt).
This was nearly the end of our tour, as the Museum was closed for renovations (seriously the thing looked like they had condemned it and were going to demolish it, but supposedly it is just getting a face lift). So on our way back, while still in the Verdun area we stopped to quickly take pictures at two places...
The dying lion of Verdun:
Done by French sculptor René Paris, is an homage to the soldiers of the French 130th Division which fought in this sector between June and October 1916. This place indicates the maximal advance point of German troops towards Verdun. It was the 4th of July 1916.
The second stop was at a monument to Andre Maginot for whom the Maginot Line of defense was named.
And that ends the Verdun military tour. Next military tour: Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge (on November 2)
While many of the known soldiers have marked graves, the majority of the 300000 bodies are not in typical graves. Instead they are housed in the ossuary building. The outside walls are adorned with the shields associated with those who may be there.
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| Personally, I liked this one the best, it looks like a surfing alligator :) |
There is also a monument for Andre Thome, a French politician killed at Verdun on March 10, 1916
From the Ossuary and Cemetery we went to Fleury devant Douaumant. Fleury was a village near Douaumant. Unfortunately, like 8 other villages, it was completely demolished by artillery fire during the Battle of Verdun. Rather than rebuild, it, and the other 8 villages remain as they were left. The only changes that had been made were to build a chapel and erect markers showing what was located in certain areas before the bombing. The area is eerily beautiful, in that it looks like a lovely forested area until you realize that the divots (huge divots were caused by artillery shells and that at one point in time, people had homes and lives in this area and that was completely destroyed.
This is a little of what we saw:
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| Notre Dame l'europe Fleury |
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| Marker for some farm area. |
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| the village weaver |
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| the plumber |
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| a wine grower |
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| a baker |
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| more farm |
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| a cafe/grocer |
This is a memorial for the children lost in the village:
This is a monument honoring Henri Herduin and Pierre Millant. The two French lieutenants were summarily executed in Fleury (or where Fleury had been before being destroyed)...without trial for dereliction of duty. The order for immediate execution came from Colonel Bernard.
This was the Ravine of the Vines (remember the wine maker...my guess, his grape vines):
The Ravine of the Vines was a narrow ravine or pathway taken by soldiers going to fight or coming back from fighting. Unfortunately, it was also where many wounded lay dying due to artillery barrages. According to Abbot Thellier de Poncheville, military chaplain at Verdun "the heroism of the foot soldier is defeated by the steelworker of the colossal factory who builds the huge canons and by the engineer who mixes the lung-irritating gases in the back of his laboratory. The forces of matter annihilate the forces of bravery."
By the way, although there are 0 inhabitants of Fleury, it does have a presiding mayor (as do the other 8 villages that were destroyed and not rebuilt).
This was nearly the end of our tour, as the Museum was closed for renovations (seriously the thing looked like they had condemned it and were going to demolish it, but supposedly it is just getting a face lift). So on our way back, while still in the Verdun area we stopped to quickly take pictures at two places...
The dying lion of Verdun:
Done by French sculptor René Paris, is an homage to the soldiers of the French 130th Division which fought in this sector between June and October 1916. This place indicates the maximal advance point of German troops towards Verdun. It was the 4th of July 1916.
The second stop was at a monument to Andre Maginot for whom the Maginot Line of defense was named.
And that ends the Verdun military tour. Next military tour: Bastogne and the Battle of the Bulge (on November 2)
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