The battles of the Twentieth Century changed the shape of the world, but how many tears... ravaged countries... bereaved, mourning, defeated, sacrificed, seriously damaged nations.... Some of the Great War's Battles took place in la Meuse between 1914 and 1918. Our "sad souls" here are Verdun, the Argonne, Les Éparges, and the Saillant de St Mihiel... taking the time to discover them and understand them means that the memory of all the men that died here will live on.

As the years pass, the duty to remember becomes a duty to tell the story of what happened. The Germans had wanted to take the fortified town of Verdun from the very beginning of the war. So in September 1914 they advance more than 20km into French territory, moving from Bois-le-Prêtre to Les Eparges, via St Mihiel. This corner of France (the St Mihiel Salient) remains under German control until the Americans come in 1918, despite several bloody French effensives in the intermittent years. After September 1914, the main French goal will be to try to get back the terrain taken by the Germans, and reduce the surface area of the Salient. The Bois d'Ailly and the Tranchée de la Soif (Trench of Thirst) bear witness to the suffering of Commander André's men, forced to surrender to the Germans in May 1915 because they had neither food nor water. Marbotte Church became a makeshift hospital, providing shelter for so many injured and dying soldiers that its floor was stained red with blood. The Bois Brûlé (The Burned Forest) is one of the places that best represents battles above ground: it also reveals the proximity of the French and German troops. It is also here that Sergeant Péricard commanded, "Debout les morts!" ("Dead men, Rise!") on 8th April 1915. In the Bavarois and Roffignac trenches, you can follow the soldiers' footsteps, climb the firing banks, and look through the openings. This is no ordinary place: it's a battlefield, and deserves your respect.
Association Nationale Le Saillant de St Mihiel 71, rue du Dr Vuillaume 55300 St Mihiel Tél. : 03 29 90 90 07 Regional Tourist Board Tel: 00 33 (0)3 29 45 78 40 b]Conseil Général de la Meuse[/b] Hôtel du Département Place Pierre-François Gossin 55012 Bar-le-Duc cedex Tel: 00 33 (0)3 29 45 77 55 Contact Office de Tourisme de Saint-Mihiel Rue du Palais de Justice 55300 Saint-Mihiel Tel./Fax : 00 33 (0)3 29 89 06 47 Email: otsi.saint-mihiel@wanadoo.fr Information Four memorial platforms indicate remnants from the Great War. The boards and milestones located in car parks and in the forest (30 min. per platform, follow the arrows) also provide you with information. You can visit at any time, and entry is free. Guided Tours upon reservation. A free map of all the 14-18 sites open to the public is available at all the sites and at Meuse tourist information offices.

Le Mémorial de Verdun, créé par les anciens combattants sous l’égide de Maurice Genevoix, est au cœur du Champ de bataille de Verdun. Entièrement rénové en 2016, ce musée propose une immersion dans la bataille. Grâce à une collection unique et des dispositifs audiovisuels exceptionnels, ce lieu historique permet aux visiteurs d’approcher l’expérience vécue par les soldats, français comme allemands, sur le Champ de bataille de Verdun. Le Mémorial de Verdun est le musée le plus moderne dédié à la Grande Guerre, fréquenté par plus de 140 000 visiteurs chaque année.

Memory traces La Meuse was no stranger to the battles of the First World War. Our "sad souls" are Verdun, the Argonne, Les Eparges, the St Mihiel Salient... taking the time to discover them and understand them means that the memory of all the men that died here will live on. As the years pass, this duty to remember has become a duty to recount what happened. The Saint-Mihiel Salient forms in September 1914, and the French try to shrink its size in the years that follow. Violent battles, originally above ground but then in the mines, take place in Les Eparges, the ridge that marked the northwest border of the Salient. The French lead an assault on Les Eparges on 17th February 1915, hoping to reduce the size of the St Mihiel Salient. German counter-attacks follow immediately afterwards, and the Germans take back the land. Bitter battles follow, both above ground and, more often, in the mines. On 9th and 10th April 1915, a battalion of the Eighth Infantry Regiment takes the eastern spur of Les Epargnes (Point X). But the battles have only just begun: on 24th April 1915, von Stanz launches an attack on Les Epargnes from the Calonne trench. To the west of the battlefield, the village remains French. But it comes under the fire of the enemy's top marksmen, and little by little it falls.The ridge itself is destroyed by mines; the craters stretch from point C to point X, and both are marked with a monument. The battles continue in the months that follow, and are sometimes more intense, sometimes less so. Les Eparges is not liberated until September 1918, when the first American troops to arrive take back the Salient for the French. By 14 September 1918, the Americans have reached Fresnes-en-Woëvre : Les Eparges is no longer in German hands.

Trottoir National Necropolis Stretching below the celebrated mound, this necropolis extends against a background of fir trees. It holds 2108 tombs, including ten Muslim steles, and an ossuary housing 852 bodies. The cemetery, which was built during the war, the remains of the soldiers killed in the forest and at Marquanterre. It was entirely renovated in 1958.
106th Infantry Regiment Monument If the visitor follows the path to the top of the hill, he or she will come across a monument at the top of the stairs, set against the trees. This work, by sculptor Maxime Real Del Sarte, was built to commemorate the glory of the "Ghosts of the 106th Infantry Regiment." It looks like an irregular pyramid topped with a human head. Severed hands, skulls and crosses evoke the suffering of all those who fought on these bloody slopes. A bronze bas-relief on the front shows a woman wearing a helmet, in a pose reminiscient of the classical Pieta.
Engineers' Memorial Right at the top, the visitor will find a monument to the memory of the military engineers who suffered great losses during the mine war. A semi-circular double wall stretches behind seven concrete sheet piles. On one side is the dedication, on the other the symbol of engineering.
Monument at Point X At the far eastern of the ridge, where it dominates the Woëvre plain for more than 100m, is a monument placed at the end of a short esplanade. The wall surfaces that form it slope sharply, and it is topped with a triangular fronton. A cross above an altar is engraved on one face; on the other is a bas-relief in which a bare-headed officer leads his men into battle. This fine piece, by the sculptor Fischer, is dedicated "à ceux qui n'ont pas de tombe" (to those without a grave). Signs and benches add the finishing touches.
302nd Infantry Regiment Monument Next to the Monument at Point X, on the cusp of a crater, is a little stone wall bearing a plaque adorned with a croix de guerre and a plaque that reads: "302e R.I. 20 Septembre 1914, 21 Mars 1915. Les Anciens des 302e et 102e R.I." (302nd Infantry Regiment 20 September 1914, 20 March 1915. Veterans of the 302nd and 102nd Infantry Regiments).
Les Eparges is always open, and entrance is free. Informative panels help you better understand the site's history, and there is a marked pathway managed by the ONF and Association Nationale du Souvenir de la Bataille de Verdun et de ses Hauts-Lieux. Following this pathway allows you to walk in the footsteps of the soldiers who fought here. Groups and tours available upon reservation. Contact Pays d'Accueil Touristique des Côtes de Meuse Place Taylord 55210 Vigneulles-les-Hattonchatel Tel-fax: 03 29 90 08 55 Tel-fax: 03 29 90 04 29 Tourist Office Tel: 00 33 (0)3 29 86 14 18 Regional Tourism Board Tel: 00 33 (0)3 29 45 78 40

Froideterre Platform

Part of the entrenched camp of Verdun, Froideterre cordonned of the northern edge of the town between the Meuse valley and the hills on the right banks. It was designed as a centre for resistance, and is a great example of the variety of features and levels possible within a permanent fortification. The traces that remain also show how important these were during the crucial phases of the summer of 1916. Froideterre fortification , on the Meuse-Douaumont ridge, was key to the defence system. Surrounded by a stream, and boasting a concrete bunker and turrets or casemates for its artillery, it could flank the neighbouring fortifications at Charny and Thiaumont, support the units, and ensure its own defence. Its efficacy was enhanced by features that helped the infantry on guard, positioned at intervals along the wall. Concrete parapets (entrenchments X and Y) both sheltered marksmen as they stood and provided gun cover for the hill's exteriors flanks. Set slightly back from the military ridge, battle shelters hidden in the folds of the hillside were designed to protect the section's infantry soldiers from artillery fire. The concrete arches of these refuges contained arms, and played a vital role in battle. Elsewhere, logistical systems were hidden in the flanks of the ravines, containing food supplies. Like all places likely to come under shell attack, these shelters and storehouses became command posts or makeshift emergency rooms during battle, and served as precarious shelters for the units in charge of defending the ridge. The ventilation chimneys of the Quatre Cheminées cave shelter, which was planned to lodge reserve troops and supplies, were buried under 8m of rock. Buried in the same hillside, a little storeroom hid the masonry at its entranceway. It, along with the section's magazines, ensured that ammunition was supplied to the artillery batteries (like MF3) located far from the town. A network of stone pathways and narrow gauge railways linked this section, like all those on the belt, to the fortified town to allow artillery cannons to be moved, ammunition to be brought from the arsenal, and foodstuffs, supplies and accessories to be transported. The unprecedented bombing that accompanied the offensives at Verdun not only destroyed the fortifications' superstructure and access points, but also repeatedly killed communication with the outside world. The narrow liaison tunnels, filled with debris and dead bodies, had to be used instead of the path. Located opposite the Quatre Cheminées shelter, the ravin des Vignes, became a new artery for a front that kept gobbling up men and supplies. It was crisscrossed with these precarious alleys, which the artillery took for targets during the changing of the guard. To maintain the fragile link between the front lines and the shelters, they needed liaison officers, "runners" thrown into the fray of bombing and the barrage of gunfire - few of them managed to make it alive. In the end, they had to resort to flares to inform the artillery and ask them for help, hoping that in the midst of all the gunfire, their shot would spare their own men.

Last Judgement at Verdun

After their major attacks on 21 February, 10 April and 25 May 1916, the Germans occupied the elevated côte du Poivre and the côte des Chambrettes on the right bank of the Meuse, as well as Fort Douaumont, a particularly important vantage point which was to become an essential part of the enemy's logistical plan. On 7 June, the enemy got as far as the defending ranks on the Fort Vaux, and those on the front lines reached the Eastern slopes of the high ridge punctuated by Thiaumont, the ruins of Fleury village and the Fort Souville. If the Germans managed ito take this ridge, their artillery would be able to fire straight at Verdun and the bridges over the Meuse from less than 5000m away, thus putting the French in grave danger. If, on the other hand, the ridge remained French, then not only would it be possible to defend the right bank, as Commander in Chief Joffre ordered, but it might also be possible to counter-attack and take back the forts at Vaux and Douaumont.

While the obdurate enemy charged to take the Thiaumont-Fleury-Souville ridge, the period from June to September constituted "the last judgement at Verdun," a horrible drama in which the epic, partially destroyed (1) Fort of Souville saved the day no fewer than three times. On 23 June, when the violent German offensive began, Souville dominated and flanked the entire combat zone. The French artillery used it as a look-out post from which to barrage the blocked enemy infantry with projectiles. On 11 July at dawn, the Germans charged at Souville. They did the same on the 12th, and got as far as the fort. Thanks to the artillery and the counter-attacks of the 7th Regiment and the 25th Batallion of Light Infantrymen, the few enemy soldiers that actually reached the fort were imprisoned. Souville escaped German clutches. The parallel ridges of Froideterre and Souville - Thiaumont and Froideterre on the one hand, the Forts of Vaux and Souville on the other - all played a major role in directing the enemy attack. Once Thiaumont was taken, the enemy effort ground to a halt on Froideterre. Fort Vaux fell to the Germans on 7 June, but on 11 and 12 July, Souville came to the rescue once again. Once Fleury was taken, the Germans rushed to take advantage of the ravines at la Poudrière, but because Froideterre and Souville were still in the hands of the French, it was impossible for them to capitalize on their success: they were threatened on all sides. This month-long battle for Souville-Fleury-Thiaumont revealed the vital role of permanent fortifications in the Battle of Verdun. And it was thanks to the combination of the extraordinary resilience of Verdun's "poilu" soldiers and the energy of the high command that this battle was won and Verdun saved. (1) From 21 June on, it was subject to daily attacks that gravely crippled its defences.

Souville's fortified massif A complete defence system

Captain Gustave de la Taille, the ingenious officer who built this fort, gave it the name of the Loiret village -- Souville -- in which his ancestor, Bertrand de la Taille, groom to the Lord of Souville, had been laid to rest in 1319. In 1916, this massif consisted of: Fort Souville: situated at 388m above sea level (at precisely the same altitude as the Fort Douaumont), and built between 1875 and 1879 from limestone covered with 3-5m of earth. The ditches that surrounded it featured built-in scarps and counterscarps, flanked by caponniers armed with revolver cannons and 12 tonne breechblock canons. In 1889, the whole thing was wrapped in barbed wire 30m thick. It was one of the Séré des Rivières belt's "first generation" forts, like those at Belleville, Saint Michel and Tavannes. In 1888, the gunpowder magazine was reinforced with 2.5m of concrete and a 1m thick layer of sand. Connecting passageways were built, as well as six 18m by 5m shelters, each protected by an 8m thick layer of blocks made from rock, marl, and loose stones. The fort housed the district's telephone exchange, consisting of two underground lead circuits that connected it to Fort Douaumont and the fortification at Thiaumont, plus two overhead cables linking other forts and the Verdun citadel exchange. Before conflict began, there were plans to establish a communication system for clear days, using lights, with the fortified town of Longwy, more than 35km away as the crow flies
An organic garrison: 2 infantry troops, 2 artillery sections, reinforcement gun crews for sixteen machine guns and various service personnel indispensable to the life of the fort. In peacetime, the fort was accessed via a gravel path -- named "le chemin de Souville," it is still in use today. It leads to the drawbridge of the wartime entrance, an underground shelter with room for 300 seated men. Serpentine back alleys lead from this introductory path, winding out of the path of gunfire. A Bussière system eclipse gun turret for two 155 mm canons, built in 1890-1891 150 metres west of the fort. Around 600 shells were fired from this turret between 24 February and 6 March 1916, but when one of its two tubes exploded on 10 April of the same year, it was decommissioned. It was March 1917 before it was back in action, now just a single tube powered by a twelve horsepower electric motor instead of the original steam one. From this time on, the turret was linked to the fort and the emergency exit via a 140m long bombproof alley. A De Bange 155 terraced fortress battery built in 1882, with built-in recessed niches for weaponry half a metre thick. The niches faced West, and were situated about 100m from the Bussière turret. Some remains of the battery can still be seen today and are indicated on the massif's discovery trail, which begins at the memorial.
Criss-crossing alleys form a communication network that can still be seen all over the fortification -- it ensures that relief soldiers can arrive, the injured can be taken to safety, food supplies, arms and equipment can arrive. The network begins both at the Marceau barracks (one of the entrances to the battlefield) towards Souville and at the village of Fleury, then heads for the river and the village of Vaux (the Carrières alley), the Vaux Régnier, Fumin woods and Fort Vaux. It means that even without underground passageways, there are internal connections at the heart of the massif between the fort, the 155mm gun turret and the fortress battery. In May and June 1916, it comes under attack from 380 mm (750 kg) and 420 mm (1 000 kg) shells, which destroy all the stone spaces, the caponniers, the barbed wire fence, the five 90mm carriage cannons and two 15mm mortars. Afterwards, the defenders and lookouts have to occupy the holes made by the shells, and are totally unprotected. After the Battle of Verdun is over, major work begins to restore the fortified massif at Souville: wells yielding 1 500 litres a day, underground shelters linked by tunnels, lined with 10 to 15 metres of protective compacted marl, a 140m tunnel linking the fort to the renovated 155mm gun turret, with a 12 horsepower electric motor replacing the previous slow and complicated steam system, an emergency exit for the 155mm gun turret with a Digoin concrete observation post. It is surrounded by a barbed wire fence between 20 and 30 m thick. In 1917, three Pamart casemates weighing 2.5 tonnes with 14cm shields are installed on the fort's slopes for its imminent defence. These fixed gun turrets cannot be withdrawn, and each one features two carriage-mounted machine guns. Because of their design, they have a 160 degree range, less than that of the 1900 model machine gun turret (360 degrees). However, their more modest dimensions and weight mean that they are easier to build and to install during a campaign on the particularly troubled terrain of Verdun. They are also more reliable than the eclipse gun turret, which often gets blocked by rubble when shells explode.

1917: Making the forts stronger

Developed during the war by Commander Pamart serving at Fort Génicourt, these machine gun casemates were also built and installed in the heat of the battle, from 1917 on, to enhance the firepower of several forts and ensure their defence. In 1917, three of these casemates were installed at Fort Souville for the imminent defence of the glacis. They weighed 2.5 tonnes apiece, providing a 14cm shield. Each of them featured two carriage-mounted machine guns with a small arm range of 160 degrees, less than that of the 1900 model machine gun turrets, two of which can be seen on the Froideterre fortification. The Pamart casemate could not be withdrawn; however, their more modest dimensions and weight meant that they were easier to build and to install during a campaign on the troubled terrain of Verdun. They were also more reliable than the eclipse gun turret, which often got blocked by rubble when shells exploded. The Pamart casemate had two small openings at or close to floor level which could be filled with metallic plugs. Inside, two superimposed Hotchkiss machine guns alternated firing. One fired through one of the two openings while the other waited below. Simply by rotating the guns, the sniper could charge one gun while firing the other. The machine gun cannon being fired projected 30cm out from the opening. A ventilator assured that the air was breathable inside the casemate, pushing combustion gases outside. Some casemates had two blockable holes in the roof for a periscope.
Practical Information:

History 

Vaux-devant-Damloup takes its name from the villages of Vaux and Damloup. Vaux takes its name from its position in a steep-sided, wooded gorge, on the "Vaux" brook, which has many sources upstream of the village and eventually feeds into the Orne. Before the Revolution, this land belonged to the Cathedral of Verdun, under the old seigniorial canon law. Damloup was first mentioned in a bull from Pope Leo IX in 1049, under the name Domnus Lupus (or Dominus Lupus), taking its name from its patron saint, Saint-Loup, traditionally celebrated on the first Sunday in August. The church of Saint-Loup was built in 1766. During the First World War, Damloup was a victim of the battle of Verdun in 1916, partly due to its location at the foot of the battlefield, and especially Vaux Fort. The village was completely destroyed. After the war, consideration was given to including Damloup among the 9 destroyed villages, but the wishes of the population that returned from exodus won the day: the village was rebuilt some metres lower than its previous location, as was the Church of Saint-Loup, in 1928. [list]in 1803, the village numbered 291 inhabitants [list]in 1851, 407 inhabitants [list]in 1901, 224 inhabitants [list]in 1913, 287 inhabitants

Ornes - Patois: Ioûme Population : in 1803 : 1,035 inhabitants in 1851 : 1,316 inhabitants in 1901 : 861 inhabitants Distances : 11 kilometres North-East of Charny sur Meuse 16 kilometres North-North-East of Verdun Patron Saint's Day 29th September {Saint Michel) Commemoration Day last Sunday in August History This large village, often considered a town, was located at the bottom of a narrow, high-sided valley that separates the Meuse basin from the Woëvre, and at the source of the Orne, the river to which it gave its name; the upper part of the town bore the patois name S'moûne (Somme-Orne). Mention is made of "Orna in Wapria" in 1015 in the cartulary of Saint-Vanne. Ornes, capital of the ancient "pagus Orninsis", was already a significant place in the Merovingian era. It went on to become a barony and the first of the four peerages of the diocese of Verdun (Ornes, Murault, Creuë and Watronville). The freedom charter of the village granted under the law of Beaumont in 1252 by the Chapter of the Madeleine de Verdun and Jacques, Lord of Ornes and peer of the diocese, proves that at that date, the domain was still shared between these men; later, the Chapter owned no more of the place than a territorial income estimated at 1,376 pounds in 1790. There used to be a feudal castle at Ornes, the lords of which often used it to worry the Bishops of Verdun. The "House of Ornes", whose name and arms passed into those of "Nettancourt", consisted of: five red rings arranged in a cross on a silver background. Around the year 1563, the seigneur of Ornes showed himself to be a committed proponent of the Protestant faith. Bishop Psaulme had to resort to force of arms to force his tenant to send away a minister of the new faith who was serving in the castle chapel. In 1587, the area around Ornes was the stage for a bloody battle, between the Calvinist troops from the Jametz garrison, commanded by de Schelandre, and those of the Dike of Lorraine; the latter were beaten and 25 of their men were killed with around thirty taken prisoner. In February 1653, Orne castle was taken by troops from Lorraine, "to the ruin and desolation of the inhabitants of the aforementioned place and many villages in the surrounding area who had stored their possessions for safekeeping in the castle." Trade and industry: 3 mills, cotton weaving employing around 30 workers, distilleries, basket weaving, fruit trading, 2 fairs: 30th August and 15th September Outlying: The Moulin des Prés, a mill located 1,200 metres from Ornes, Les Chambrettes, a farm 3 kilometres away. In olden times this was a village whose Parish Church was answerable to Saint Maur as far back as 1046. (Excerpt from: The Geography of the Département of the Meuse - H. Lemoine -1909)

In 1913, the Meuse directory gives us the following information 718 inhabitants Butcher: Péridon E. Baker: Lajoux Tobacconist: Remy Cartwrights: Bourcier - Lefèvre Cockle gatherers: Colson Maria - Gillet - Lelaurain - Maillot - Mouteaux Alexis - Widow Simon Cobblers: Odin - Pricot-Paquin - Parent Bars : Widow Bernard - Cléandre Alph. - Deville-Cochenet - Legardeur - Péridon-Gille - Paul E. Distillers : Deville-Bertrand - Legardeur-Cochenet - Molinet V. - Rollin Z. - Lajoux Aimé Medical Doctor: M. Simonin H. Grocers-Haberdashers: Widow Briy - Cugnet-Marie - Lajoux A. - Paul-Maillot Workers' accommodation in the north-east run by M. Genoux Fruiterers: Bertrand J. - Jacquart E. Hoteliers: Cléandre A.- Thalmé Yeast merchants: Widow Bauert- M. Gillet Blacksmiths: Désoudin - Legay Millers: Deville V. - Louppe Fishmongers: Lajoux A. 6 Mouteaux Saddler: Belloy L. Tailors: Mme Charton-Lecourtier - M. Chrétien-Saintin - Humbert Eug. - Saillet A. Clothmakers: Poincelet-Meunier - Rémy - Schemouder Basket-maker: Lajoux A. Wine and spirit merchants: Bertrand-Colson - Domange Owner-farmers: Deville M. - Widow Férée T. - Laurent A. - Laurent H. - Lamorlette P. - Lecourtier A - Lecourtier J.G. - Lecourtier L. - Lecourtier V. - Ligier F. - Louppe L. - Gillet - Nicaise V. - Widow Simonet Notables and persons of private means: Férée E. - Dormois C. - Deville M. -Lajoux H.
From the beginning of 1916, all these inhabitants were to discover the violence of modern warfare. With their property damaged, they were forced to flee. And it was only with the hope in their hearts of "one day returning home" that they were able to force themselves to abandon their heritage. For these men and women were fiercely attached to their land, unfertile as it may have been, having long demanded hard toil, but which - for all that - was no less the land in which their roots grew. In the misery of their time as refugees, the prospect of once again finding the happiness of the old days provided precious support.
1919 - After the war Alas, in 1918 the reality was very different, the aftermath of the fighting was too severe, the risk of explosions too great to hope for reconstruction. This landscape of desolation could no longer be a welcoming haven. There was nothing left for them, apart from the dismay to which they would try to find a cure by working for national recognition and the survival of their community through the law. Thus, they put pressure on local elected representatives, on parliament and on ministers, even speaking to Raymond Poincaré, originally from the Meuse area and President of the Republic. Measures were taken. From 1939, a law granted each destroyed village a municipal commission and a chairman whose powers and privileges were those of a mayor. Between the wars, a chapel/shelter was built as well as a monument to the dead where, as in every commune in France, the names of their children who died for their country were inscribed as well as the wording of the mention in dispatches conferred by government decree. Three times a day, the Angelus reminds visitors that on this site covered by forest, where the stones of memory stand, villagers once lived a Christian life.

Montfaucon in the words of E. Pognon, Montfaucon historian, 1885 The ancient collegiate church overlooks the whole village in the form of a magnificent crown... Close by rises the impressive form of the Hospice... The houses are arranged around these two monuments on the slope of the hill. The entire collection of buildings is drowned in an ocean of greenery and fruit trees.

The monument This monument was erected by the American Battle Monuments Commission, a US Government agency, which is also responsible for its maintenance. The Montfaucon monument commemorates the Meuse-Argonne offensive. During 47 days of fighting, from 26th September to 11th November 1918, the American First Army forced a general retreat along this front. The top of this hill was taken on the second day of the attack. It is the site of the former village of Montfaucon which, after its destruction during the First World War, was later rebuilt a few hundred metres to the west. The ruins of the church of Montfaucon can still be found just behind the monument, though very little remains of the old village. The highest point between the Meuse to the east and the Argonne Forest to the west, this hill has been the scene of many bloody battles throughout history.
The monument, which reaches a total height of 60 metres, is crowned by a statue symbolising freedom; it faces the front line of the American First Army on the morning of 26th September 1918 when the attack began. Visitors can go up to the observation platform (opening times are displayed outside) from where they can enjoy a magnificent view of virtually all the terrain captured during this offensive which, at the time, was the biggest battle in American history. The construction and maintenance of this monument are the responsibility of the American Battle Monuments Commission, a US Government agency. The land was given freely, in perpetuity, by the French people. Further information is available at the visitor reception office near the car park, or from the Supervisor of the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery at Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, approximately 9 km north of this monument.

History Lupinus-Mons (1041 ), Lupemons (1047), Lovus-Mons (1049), Lovonimons (1100), Lovemont (1242), Loupvemont, (1642), Louvemont then Louvemont-Côte-du-Poivre (1922) Patron saint: St-Pierre-ès-Liens: 1st August A very old village The village is located 11 km north of Verdun at the source of the Louvemont spring that winds through the countryside before flowing into the Meuse. It includes two isolated farms: Mormont and Haudromont. Located on an ancient lower order way, the site already existed in Gallo-roman times (2nd century). A church built in the 11th century was consecrated to St Peter by a Roman Bishop named Azon. In 1265, Robert de Milan, bishop of Verdun, made the village a free town. In the 17th century, the choir of a new church was built, joined by the nave and bell-tower in 1778. The village was laid out in a star shape: several roads converged on a square where the town hall-school was surrounded by the cemetery. In the 19th century, the population of the village reached its peak in 1846 (300 inhabitants), before gradually declining. 183 inhabitants in 1914 On the eve of the war, the Meuse directory listed: Owner-farmers: Beaumont E., Boulanger M., Colson E., Colson J., Louis C, Legendre E., Legendre M., Mazuet M., Mouteaux L, Siméon E. Inn-keepers: Lelorrain, Trouslard, Véry Tobacconist: Véry Baker: Colson Grocer: Trouslard. Novelties: Ligony Locksmiths: Jacquemin, Péridon, Véry Notable of private means: Geoffroy F. Forestry agent: Hargé Mayor, Cantonal Delegate and Member of the Consultative Chamber of Agriculture: Beaumont Deputy Mayor: Lefèvre A. School teacher: Bourguignon Priest: Abbé Jullot (Parish of Beaumont)

Five horrifying days of battle Following the Battle of the Borders (August 1914), the front was located 6.7km from the village, to the north of Beaumont. The future was uncertain for the inhabitants, who lived by the sound of canon fire. Movements for civilians were restricted, and a pass required to go anywhere. In October 1914, the front was pushed back a few kilometres by a French offensive, where it stabilized.
However, tension mounted again at the beginning of 1916. The Germans were about to attack, but where? When? Doubtless as soon as the first days of good weather appeared. On 12th February, the military authorities ordered the inhabitants of Louvemont to evacuate the town within 24 hours. The Prefecture for the Meuse had problems finding accommodation for the new refugees. Starting at 6.30 in the morning on 21st February 1916, Louvemont was subjected to a terrible bombardment. Following the fall of Le Bois des Caures, Beaumont and Ornes, Colonel Bourgues believed the village to be lost by the 24th. In fact the defenders of Louvemont resisted until the evening of the 25th: "The village was hell; at intervals of a few minutes, you would see the German artillery fire stretch out and an attacking wave would rush forward. The defenders would then come out with their bayonets, and everything would be lost in the smoke and the fine snow that had begun to fall. A few moments later, the same scene would begin again." Almost ten months before recapture For months, the area was the scene of fierce fighting: the Côte du Poivre was re-occupied, then lost once more. Finally, on 15th and 16th December 1916, General Mangin made a leap forward with four divisions, from Vacherauville to the Hardaumont wood; the Germans left the ruined Côte du Poivre, Louvemont and Bezonvaux for good.
1919 - After the war The happiness of peace... the desolation of homecoming With the Armistice signed, the refugees could not wait to return to their homes. Sadly, the 825 hectares of the completely destroyed village, were classified as a "red zone". It would be totally impossible for anybody to reinhabit the site, the reasons ranging from "risk of explosion" to "land poisoned". The entire commune was planted with spruce trees. The scattered inhabitants were re-housed in temporary wooden huts... until they were able to rebuild houses. In 1922, the inhabitants were at last able to go to the tax office in Bras in order to be paid for the requisitions made by the military during the war: live cows, hay, wood, etc. At that time, the town administration was still being handled by Rigny-la-Salle near Vaucouleurs. Keeping the memory alive On 9th September 1920, Louvemont was mentioned in dispatches by André Lefèvre, Minister for War. On 4th May 1930, Louvemont inaugurated a monument to its dead. Attended by Mr. Remy, Deputy Mayor of Louvemont, Mr. Colson, representing the former soldiers, Victor Schleiter, Mayor and Deputé for Verdun, Abbé Bonne, priest for Bras, and the population of Louvemont who had come from all over the region. A tribute to those who remain out of the thousands of men who lost their lives in the region, to the children of the area - Joseph Boulangé, Emile Colson, Joseph Colson, Georges Lefèvre, Jules Legendre, Ernest Siméon, Jules Simon and Trouslard -, as well as the two civilians, - Céline Jacquemin and Victor Caillas -, who refused to leave their village. On 31st July 1932, the Louvemont chapel was inaugurated. Located on the site of the demolished church, it keeps watch over the old cemetery, most of the graves from which could not be found. The chapel is adorned with two works by Lucien Lantier.
A plan to recreate aspects of the village in this verdant setting Thanks to a number of organisations, including the National Forestry Organisation, the Verdun Area local authorities, the inter-community body for the villages destroyed in 1916, the Municipal Commission of Louvemont, and the EAGGF, a number of different projects have offered visitors a chance to see what Louvemont might have been like. A double stand of limes and maples» line the route to the heart of the village from the road to Ornes, The spring with two pools, rebuilt using stone from the ruined village flows as it did before Behind the chapel wall, two lines of ash trees recall the Main Street, Stones give the outline of the Town Hall-school, Lastly the yew trees and giant Thuyas highlight the monument to the dead against a forest background.

History

Haumont près Samogneux is a very old village dating back to the first century of the Common Era. The Gauls had consecrated an altar to the Sun God there; later, the Romans established an entrenched camp on the same site. As its name indicates ("haut mont" means "high mount" in French), Haumont stands atop a relatively tall hill on the right-hand side of the Meuse that offers beautiful views. The place called "Le Soleil" ("The Sun"), which is in the village wood, is the highest point within the community's administrative boundaries. A Gallic altar dedicated to the sun once stood there. The Romans included the altar in an entrenched camp whose earthen levees are still visible. Big stones that ancient horsemen stepped on to help them mount their horses can still be seen along the Anglemont and Flauveau trails above the village. The soil has yielded up many ancient objects, including flint and iron weapons, coins, statuettes and bronze thanksgiving plaques. During the Carolingian period, the Roman camp and its surroundings took the name "Beuse" ("bad" in German) after the Germano-Gallic family of BOZON, which owned the Haumontois massif from Bezonvaux to Dun. The Thirty Years' War left Haumont in ruins. The lords of Haumont were the abbots of Saint-Vanne and the chapterhouse of Verdun

1914 

Haumont was evacuated on 25 August 1914. The village's civilian population scattered throughout the interior of France. In late September 1914, the front stabilized in this area, leaving Brabant and Haumont inside the French lines. This sector on the right bank of the Meuse was relatively quiet. The left bank was more violent, in particular near the Forges stream. Nevertheless, Haumont underwent shelling in 1915. The village church was seriously damaged on Sunday, 7 February 1915. Here's what Corporal Maurice Brassard of the 56th Light Infantry Battalion wrote (excerpt from Verdun 1914-1918 by Jacques Pericard - page 31) Sunday 7 February 1915, Haumont's church was bombarded, a sad sight, a shell blew up the pulpit, sending splinters of wood and iron flying every which way. No more stained glass windows, six pews destroyed, the front of Saint Hubert's altar shattered, the stag has lost its antlers and lies on the floor with his crook. A brass chandelier, poles, draperies, banners, metal bouquets and debris of all kinds: glass, wood, plaster. Heaps of all these things lie strewn on the pews and the floor amidst a thick coat of dust. A piece of wood is embedded in the painting of the 12th Station of the Cross, injuring the body of Christ with a sixth wound. The harmonium is flattened against the wall.
Decisive fighting began on 20 February 1916 as the Germans began preparing their fierce attack on Verdun, especially when the operations reached the Woëvre and the left bank. People could hear the incessant fire 100 km away. It sounded like uninterrupted rolling thunder and grew louder in the following months. At 7 a.m. on 21 February 1916, as the day was just breaking and heavy snow was falling, the German infantry attacked Haumont Wood at Herbebois. (Excerpts from Verdun by Jacques Pericard, first-hand accounts by Colonel Grasset and Lieutenant-Colonel Rousset's contribution to La guerre au jour le jour) The infantrymen of the 362nd IR, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Bonviolle, defended the village of Haumont. The infantrymen of Haumont equalled the Chasseurs of Caures Wood. As soon as the attack began on 21 February 1916, the Germans concentrated their artillery fire on Haumont, which they suspected was one of our centres of resistance. They rained shells down with uncommon abundance on all the passages, ravines and crossroads that might be useful to us. The fire was so powerful that our forward lines gradually gave way and the Germans started overrunning Haumont Wood at around 6 p.m. The Germans attacked Haumont at 4 p.m. The equivalent of a battalion broke through in three simultaneous columns from the north, northwest and east. Those of our men who survived stiffened up to contain them and stop the outflanking manoeuvre. The machine guns that were still intact started continuously firing, mowing down the enemy's ranks.

1919 - After the war 

Every year on the third Sunday in September, a mass in remembrance of our forebears is celebrated in the chapel followed by a ceremony at the monument to the dead in memory of our ancestors who lived in this place, our parents who lost everything "their homes and their land" in defence of the imperilled homeland, and the valiant soldiers who fell on the field of honour and lay buried in the ruins of our village. Those heroes gave their lives so that France might live free. In 1920, Haumont and eight other villages were included in the "red zone" (some have come back to life and have inhabitants). Building in Haumont was prohibited for the following reasons: 1° - the amount of unexploded ordnance still lying buried in the soil (it is still being found today); 2° - pollution of springs caused by dead bodies rotting in the ground (men and horses); 3° - soil contaminated by mustard gas and other pollutants. In 1920, a three-member commission appointed by the prefect managed the village. They were invested with the full powers of a mayor and municipal councillors (law of 18/10/1919).