On 8 December 1920, Alexandre Millerand, the President of the Republic, unveiled an imposing concrete monument in the forest at Morchée. Designed by the architect A. Ventre, it houses the graves of seven unknown French infantrymen who died in 1916. The metallic door into this covered "trench" is the work of wrought-iron craftsman Edgard Brandt, who went on to create the bronze burner for the flame on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in 1923. Throughout the 1920s, the Registrar of War Graves and Births, Deaths and Marriages of the sixth military region dug up and exhumed this site, a locus of remembrance for the former members of the 137th Infantry Regiment who fought here. 21 Frenchmen were found, amongst them an unknown lieutenant. Not one of them was standing, rifle in hand, and the rusty guns on the ground served only to indicate the dead buried by the enemy in a shallow alleyway. The discovery of these disarmed bodies lying on the ground invalidated the myth of a still standing regiment buried alive by an aerial attack, a myth that several former soldiers from the 137th had themselves denied, but which somehow lives on, even to this day. 14 of these 21 bodies were identified and buried in the military cemetery at Fleury, and when that site became disused were buried together in the national necropolis at Douaumont. The seven remaining bodies were re-interred in the "trench," and, since their original arms had been taken during a raid, rifle carcasses and bayonets with broken blades were placed next to wooden Latin crosses.

Regional Tourist Board Tel: 0033 (0)3.29.45.78.40 Service des Nécropoles Nationales de Verdun 13, rue du 19ème BCP 55100 Verdun Tel: 0033 (0)3.29.86.02.96 Fax: 0033 (0)3.29.86.33.06 e-mail: mailto:diracmetz@wanadoo.fr

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.

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:

21-22 February 1916

The orders were to keep going until the end. They had been obeyed. The deputy for Drancy, Colonel Driant, asked to join the front as appropriate to his rank and is put in charge of a half-brigade making up a corps of two battalions of chasseurs: the 56th and the 59th reservist battalions, north of Verdun. Driant, a politician as well as an officer, always spoke his mind, and wasted no time observing and commenting on the organization of the Verdun section. Not that his comments stopped the attempts to dismantle the fortifications of the town, even though intermediary positions had barely been considered. Commanding his chasseurs with an affected simplicity that was not without rigour, he could do nothing but organize his section and wait for a storm that, with cruel clarity, he had foreseen. From 20 January, Driant had been talking about this final test in his agenda to his half-brigade. Here is that text, with the lines that predict the unprecedented form that the battle to come will take underlined. Agenda - 20 January 1916 "The time has come for the two battalions to prepare themselves for action, and for every man to think about the role that has fallen to him. It is imperative at every level we have that in a battle as piecemeal as the one ahead, not one man uses the lack of orders as an excuse to do nothing". Communication was frequently interrupted, and soldiers often found themselves left to their own devices. Resisting and stopping the enemy by any means necessary had to be the predominant thought in the minds of each and every chausseur, especially when they were reminded that only the injured had been left in the hands of the enemy in any of the battles they'd been in over the past 17 months. The chausseurs did not surrender. On February 21, he got up early and looked up at a dazzling sun in a magnificent sky. He took off his wedding ring and gave it to his secretary. "If I'm killed, please bring this to Madame Driant." He mounted his horse at Bois des Caures, and was followed by his groom. It was 6.45am, and he went to the worksite where a reserve company under the leadership of Lieutenant Leroy and Lieutenant Simon were building a tunnel. He made them stop their work and sent them to the battlefield. While he was talking with a couple of officers, the first shell exploded: the tragedy had begun. The humid terrain of Bois des Caures (in local patois, caures means hazelnut tree) was not easily adapted to being hollowed out for such heavily trafficked trenches. The 56th and the 59th BCP had organized a system of redoubts, but their tragic weakness was gabionade. This was the state of play when he experienced the shock of February 21, 1916. The Bois des Caures and the bois d'Haumont to its left were right in the Germans' offensive axis. The bombing destroyed the fragile entrenched positions in the face of 150, 210 and 305. Driant himself had even written the night before, "they might attack tonight or they might wait another few days."

The Battle of Verdun Begins

By February 1916, Lieutenant-Colonel Driant's group of chausseurs had been occupying the Bois des Caures section since November. The group was made of the 56th reservist battalion (Captain Vincent) and the 59th reservist battalion (Commander Renouard). For several weeks, on the orders of Driant (who wanted an attack to be imminent), the two battalions had been alternating on the front, strengthening their positions and improving their defences. At 7am on 21 February 1916, the first shell was fired on the forest and Driant, knowing that the time for sacrifice had come, appeared amidst his chasseurs. He was never to leave them again. The bombing became so intense that the entire battlefield was covered in mines. From 10am, it was impossible, total chaos. At 5pm the bombing suddenly stopped, then firing began again, extended this time. It was rapid fire, often hand-to-hand combat. Despite extraordinary displays of heroism, several trenches were taken. By nightfall, the enemy had control of some of the front trenches. But chasseurs from Robin's company counter-attacked in the cold night, took back their trenches and sowed panic in the hearts of the Germans, who thought that the chausseurs had all been taken out of combat. Colonel Driant toured the section around midnight, going to the farthest trenches to encourage each and every one of his men.
On morning of February 22, while the chasseurs were taking back the trenches they lost the previous night, they were also within grenade range of the enemy. At 7am, bombing began, as intense as it was the day before. At midday it stopped. The surviving chasseurs ran to their posts. Their Colonel was amongst them, he took a gun and fired the first shot. The Bois de Caures could no longer serve for cover. It was surrounded by the enemy. Three companies at the front were taken down by two regiments and died at their posts. Seguin's company worked wonders. They fought with grenades until they were all gone, then with stones, then with the butts of their revolvers. At 1pm, there was a fresh attack. Driant, still with a gun in his hand,was atop his command post with his liasion officers. He was on top form. A superior marksman, he announced the results of the combat and aiming errors. SIMON's company counter-attacked, even taking prisoners. At 4pm, only about 80 men remained around Colonel Driant, Commander Renouard and Captain Vincent. Suddenly, shells started coming from behind. So the Bois de Caures was taken. It was the end. In the hope that he could continue to fight elsewhere, rather than going to prison, Colonel Driant decided to retreat behind the wood. They left in three groups -- the Colonel's group contained the liaison officers and the telegraphers. Everyone forced himself to jump from shell hole to shell hole, while a German 77 fired the whole time. The Colonel walked calmly, taking the rear, with his cane in his hand. He had just put a temporary bandage on a wounded chasseur when he is hit by a shower of bullets. "Oh my! My God!" he shouts. The Minister for Nancy was brought down by the enemy on this patch of Lorraine soil. Of the 1200 chausseurs in Driant's charge who fought against the 18th German army corps, only about 100 remain. The Krönprinz was expecting the battle to last just a few hours. This unforeseen two day setback gave the reserves time to arrive. Verdun would not fall. This commemorative plaque was a gift from the "Lieutenant Colonel Driant" class from Saint-Cyr on the occasion of their 20th anniversary and the 70th anniversary of their patron's death.

Battles of the Right Bank 1874-1914 - Verdun: border town

Verdun, transformed into border post when Alsace-Lorraine is annexed in 1871, quickly became the key piece in General Séré de Rivière's plan of defence for the eastern border. The elevated areas around the town and its strong but diminutive citadel were doubly fortified between 1874 and 1914 with concrete shells and armour-clad turrets. The main structure extended over a permitre of 45 km, consisting of forts and fortifications. Smaller elements punctuated the landscape (combat shelters, ammunition magazines, entrenchments, artillery positions) offered support. This impenetrable shield held around 66 000 men during wartime, boasted 185km of narrow military rail track, houses barracks, arsenals, training grounds, an airship park and an airforce camp. While pivotal to the French war effort in 1914, it was largely stripped of its defences the following year, when the Germans launched the "judgement" offensive -- a quick, brutal, and decisive blow.

1916 - Verdun, a ten-month battle

For 300 days and 300 nights, on the little pocket of fortified land known as the Hauts de Meuse, the largest battle history had ever known brought together humans and materials in numbers never before seen, and constituted a turning point in the Great War. It was here, in this hellish crucible constantly bombarded by 60 million shells, where 300 000 men died or disappeared and 450 000 were injured, that the soldier at Verdun lived and died. French and German, alone or in small groups, abandoned in shell holes filled with dead bodies, poorly nourished, faced with cold, thirst, and mud, with fear, with madness and dispair for company and orders simply to attack or defend. From 21 February on, the shower of "Trommelfeuer" shells hacked at the French positions. In the destroyed Bois des Caures, even a 36 hour long fight could not stop the assault. On 25 February, Fort Douaumont was taken. The situation became critical, and the likely fall of Verdun caused the last remaining civilians to make their escape. On the 26th, the newly appointed General Pétain decided to fight a defensive battle on site: he reorganised positions, rearmed the forts, and sent men and supplies to the front via the Voie Sacrée. The offensive was limited by the desperate sacrifices of soldiers, and ran out of steam. In March, Falkenhay, the German commander in chief, increased his attack on the left bank: there was an intense battle at Avocourt, on the slopes of Mort-Homme and Cote 304. On the other bank, on those sections of Vaux and Caillette whose bitterly fought ravines came to be known as "ravines of death," the front wavered but did not cede. Cote 304 and the lines of defence at Mort-Homme and Cumières were taken in May, but every metre lost or gained iwas done so at the cost of massive losses of life. Fort Vaux, which is attacked on 9 March and taken on 7 June, instigates a death cry that quickly reaches the Franco-British offensive on the Somme. On 23 June, 50 000 German soldiers marched on the final hills leading to Verdun, occupiemont Thiaumont and the destroyed town of Fleury but fail to take Froideterre. On the 11 and 12 July, at the same time as the offensive was launched on the Somme, a final German attack came to an end outside Fort Vaux, just 4km from Verdun. This confirms the impossibility of predicting the final outcome of this war. Once the German offensive had been stopped, the other side took the initiative. Fleury was retaken on 17 August, and throughout the autumn the attempts to reconquer meant that danger was redirected away from Verdun. Fort Douaumont was reclaimed on 24 October, Vaux on 2 November. By December, most of the lost terrain had been retaken. But it would take another two years, and the support of the Americans in 1918, to get the front back to the Bois des Caures.

From the Argonne to Saint-Mihiel, four years "under Verdun"

From the Argonne to Saint-Mihiel, four years "under Verdun" The war was developing in the Meuse as early as August 1914, circumnavigating then isolating the fortified town of Verdun. After the terrible affair at Vaubécourt-la-Vaux-Marie on 10 September, the front was positioned on the Argonne's barrier massif. The violent battles at Hauts de Meuse between the 20th and the 25th led to a Salient being built around Saint-Mihiel, cutting off the Meuse and its roads and rail 30km from Verdun. Resistance at Fort Troyon meant that it could not be totally surrounded. For four years, the "hills," ridges and mounds around Verdun were the site of horrific battles. Underground, in the earth at Eparges and Vauquois, enormous funnels bear witness to the mine war and the explosions that swallowed up men and trenches alike. Only in the autumn of 1918, when two American offensives and the sacrifice of 120 000 "Sammies" loosens the net, could the Saint-Mihiel Salient be retaken and the Meuse-Argonne region come back under French control.

LeDriant's many graves

According to the 23 March 1916 report of chasseur Paul Coisne of the 56th reservist battalion, interned at Camp Cassel and witness to Lieutenant-Colonel Driant's final moments, his last words were "Oh ! là, là, mon Dieu !" ("Oh my! My God!")
Baronness Schrotter of Wiesbaden sent a condolence letter to Madame Driant via a Swiss intermediary on 16th March 1916. She wrote: "My son, an Artillery Lieutenant who fought next to your husband, asked me to write to you and to tell you that Monsieur Driant has been buried with every respect and every care, and that his enemy comrades dug him a handsome grave, and decorated it (...). They are going to look after the grave, so that you will be able to visit it when peace comes (...)". Maurice Barrès, quoting this letter dated 9th March 1916, wrote the following in the Echo de Paris: "Here is the German letter that ends the life of a great French man." Lieutenant-Colonel Driant is remembered with pride in the Tomb of the Brave at the musée des Chasseurs, which is housed at the service historique de l'armée de terre at Vincennes. The story of Driant's many graves is a complicated one. After his death, the Germans buried him on the battlefield. It wasn't until 9th August 1919 that he was exhumed, identified and then buried again at the same location. He was exhumed again on 9th October 1922, with the aim of transporting his body to the Bois des Caures monument. This happened on 21st October, the day before the monument was inaugurated.

(Permanently closed to the public on 1 July 2018, before moving to the restored Ledoux
buildings and an adjacent building, in Place Denfert-Rochereau, 14th arrondissement of Paris.)

After being housed for 24 years above Paris-Montparnasse railway station, the museum re-opened in new surroundings on the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris. Its new home was a heritage site. The new setting, more accessible and more visible, is steeped in the history of the period. Jean Moulin lived nearby.

During the Liberation of Paris, Colonel Rol-Tanguy, FFI commander for the Paris region, set up his command post in its basement, before General Leclerc crossed the square on entering Paris on 25 August 1944.

The website chantiermuseeliberation.paris.fr takes you behind the scenes of the future museum, to see its design, collections and the progress of the works.

 - Extract from the press pack -

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).

Bezonvaux stood at the foot of the hillside along the Meuse. In February 1916, caught between the main German attack aiming at Douaumont and the voluntary retreat of la Woèvre, the village could not be held. Afterwards, Bezonvaux remained in the combat zone and shelling gradually wiped the village out completely, even though it was of no strategic interest.

Bezonvaux stood at the foot of the hillside along the Meuse. In February 1916, caught between the main German attack aiming at Douaumont and the voluntary retreat of la Woèvre, the village could not be held. Afterwards, Bezonvaux remained in the combat zone and shelling gradually wiped the village out completely, even though it was of no strategic interest.
Population in 1803: 199 1851: 317 1901:173 Distances : 10 kilometres east-northeast of Charny sur Meuse 16 kilometres north-northeast of Verdun Post office: Ornes Maucourt tax office, Ornes annex Patron saint's feast day, 1st September (Saint Gilles) Bezonvaux stood on the floor of a valley surrounded by wooded hillsides and at the source of a stream called the Bezonvaux, a sub-tributary of the Orne. The community's population was much bigger once. In August 1252, La Neuveville in Besonval, along with Beaumont and Douaumont, was freed. Later, it was a sizeable seigneury owned by the dukes of Bar. Bezonvaux depended on the lord of Saulcy for a long time before coming into the possession of the lord of Etain. It was also the administrative seat of an eponymous provosty including Beaumont, Bezonvaux and Douaumont that belonged to the sovereign court of Nancy. Ca. 1750, the population included 20 heads of families. The baron of Coussey and the ladies of Juvigny were its lords then. In 1789, the abbess of Juvigny had the high seigneury and collected all the tithes. Industries: beekeeping, grains, livestock. (Excerpt from Géographie du département de la Meuse - H. LEMOINE-1909) In 1913, the directory of the Meuse gave the following information: 149 inhabitants - Land area: 923 hectares Distances: Muraucourt, a farm 600 metres away, 8 inhabitants; the mill, 150 metres away, 4 inhabitants Innkeepers: Mr. Nivromont - Widow Remoiville Beekeepers: Mssrs. Richard - Godfrin - Nivromont (mayor) - Savion Pierre. Tobacconist: Mr. Nivromont. Carpenters: Mssrs. Grenette E. - Grenette A. Bread merchant: Mr. Nivromont Grocer: Mr. Nivromont. Laundry women: Mrs. Lamorlette and Mrs. Trouslard. Pig dealer: Mr. Léonard. Sheep and cattle dealer: Mr. Féré G. Landowning farmers: Mr. Mathieu E. - Widow Trouslard-Mathieu - Trouslard E. Notables and persons of independent means: Mssrs. Gabriel N. - Lamorlette P - Savion P. - Wyns J.B. Lady of the Manor: Mrs. Trouslard (widow).
In September 1914, the 67th division held the front in this area; Ornes, Vaux and Abaucourt were behind French lines. In late 1914 and in 1915, the Germans, who occupied Ornes, shelled Bezonvaux on and off until the attack on 21 February 1916. On 24 February 1916, Ornes was still outside the battle but incessant attacks on the village began at 7 a.m. At approximately 5 p.m., the Germans massed opposite the village, straddling the road between Ornes and Chambrettes. At 6 p.m., squeezed on three sides, the garrison evacuated Ornes and reached Bezonvaux, where the 44th IR, which had dug in on the Bezonvaux front in Maucourt Wood, was located. After La Woëvre withdrew, the Germans appeared on the Bezonvaux road, Chemin de Douaumont, the artillery barrage that isolated the village facilitating their advance. The makeshift defences fell one after the other. On 25 February 1916, the 4th LIB and 44th IR desperately held out in the village. The Germans stepped up their attack and, at approximately 5 p.m., the line broke, with the battalion defending the village in hand-to-hand, house-by-house fighting. The Germans gradually tightened the noose and at dusk, after killing nearly all the defenders, took Bezonvaux. Douaumont Fort had fallen on the same day. The French troops withdrew to Fleury. From March to July the German troops, driven by an iron will, tried to cross the heights separating them from Verdun. They advanced more slowly than the general staff had expected and the line was stabilized from mid-July onward. It should be pointed out that at the same time, the Battle of the Somme was monopolising reserves of men and munitions.
The inhabitants discovered the destructiveness of modern warfare as early as the beginning of 1916. Their homes destroyed, their only choice was to leave. Hopes of "going home one day" gave them the strength to face the heartwrenching decision to abandon their property. For these men and women were fiercely attached to their land, which was not very generous and required hard work but was nevertheless that of their roots. The prospect of going back home one day was a precious source of support for these wretched refugees. Unfortunately, the reality in 1918 was quite different. The destruction was too widespread and the threat of unexploded munitions too great to allow rebuilding. This desolate landscape could no longer be a welcoming haven. In their deep distress they had nothing left but the possibility of working for national recognition and the survival of their village if only judicially. They pressured local officials, members of parliament and ministers, even speaking to President Raymond Poincaré, who was born in the Meuse region. Their efforts were successful. In 1919, a law endowed each destroyed village with a municipal commission and a chairman who had the same powers and prerogatives as a mayor. A chapel-shelter and, as in every village, town and city in France, a monument to the dead were built between the world wars. The monument was engraved with the names of native sons who had given their lives for their country and with the text of the army citation that the government awarded by decree. Three times a day, the tolling angelus recalls that the villagers who once lived in this forested site studded with stones of remembrance were deeply Christian.
On 24 October, General Mangin launched an admirably planned attack that took back Thiaumont, the fort and village of Douaumont as well as the village and battery of Damloup. A few days later, French troops entered Vaux Fort, which the Germans had just evacuated. The success of this operation, but also its incomplete nature, led the French military leaders to contemplate repeating such an attack with a limited objective on a front approximately 10 kilometres long. The date chosen was 15 December. Communications with the rear were re-established and the work necessary for setting up a sufficient number of guns was carried out. On 10 December the French began a fierce artillery barrage to soften up the German positions. At 10 a.m. on 15 December, French troops stormed the German lines from Vacherauville to Eix. Four of the French army's best divisions took part in the assault, in this order: the 126th, 38th, 37th and 133rd. In particular, three distinguished regiments making up the infantry of the 37th division - the 2nd and 3rd Zouaves and the 3rd Algerian Tirailleurs - left Douaumont Fort in the east, advancing all day long through snow, mud and barbed wire networks towards the front. Many soldiers ended up with frostbite. The attack started again at 2 a.m. on the 16th. The goal was to take Bezonvaux. The assailants captured two key points - Liubeck's fortification and the Kaiserslautern trench - before killing many Germans. Then the Zouaves met up with the chasseurs of the 102nd battalion belonging to the 133rd division. These brave men had reached the edge of the village on the previous day; however, the sizeable number of defenders and the organisation of the ruins blocked their advance. Despite a French artillery error and fierce German shelling, the French completely rid Bezonvaux of its previous occupiers. The attack did not surpass the objective set and the front in this sector remained stable for the next two years. The chapel's stained glass windows immortalise 16 December 1916, a day marked by the presence of soldiers dressed in mustard-khaki and others in sky blue side by side. After the fighting, the chasseurs of the 102nd LIB were nicknamed the "glaziers of Bezonvaux". The line, which the Germans held until the armistice on 11 November 1918, was materialized after the war by a helmeted marker set up on the departmental road that passed through the destroyed village, which died for France.

Beaumont seems to have been founded in 324, at the end of the Gallo-Roman period; its first name was "super fluvium orna" ("above the River Orne"). Afterwards the village was successively called Bellusmons, Blermont, Byaumont and Beaumont.

In the early Middle Ages the Abbess of Juvigny-sur-Loison had high seigneury rights over Beaumont, whose inhabitants paid her the tithe. In August 1252, Beaumont was freed by the Count of Bar and the Abbess of Juvigny. In 1635 and 1636, during the Thirty Years' War, Hungarian, Polish and Swedish troops ravaged the area, burning down villages and massacring the inhabitants. The population of Beaumont found refuge in fortified castle at Ornes but a plague epidemic broke out, killing 430 people, including 22 from Beaumont. Around 1700, Monsignor de Béthume, bishop of Verdun, elevated Beaumont to a presbytery. The first church built in the middle of the cemetery was replaced by another in 1786-1787, which stood on the site of the present First World War monument in the village centre. The Prussians then invaded Beaumont in 1815 and the Germans in 1870, when a regiment of cuirassiers entered the village on 24 August. Beaumont is 15 km northeast of Verdun. Its land area is 787 hectares. In 1911, the census recorded 186 inhabitants. In September 1914, Beaumont's residents were evacuated to southern France. From mid-August to mid-October, Beaumont was between the two lines, a six- to seven-kilometre wide no man's land stretching from Louvemont to the woods north of the village. The German artillery destroyed the church in early October. In mid-October, French troops occupied a line from the northern crescent of Caures Wood to Ville Wood and the hamlet of Soumazannes. All the land that was administratively part of the village was in the French zone until February 1916. Attack and capture of Beaumont - 24 February 1916. The relative quiet suddenly ended on 21 February 1916. Despite the chasseurs' heroic resistance, Caures Wood fell. Colonel DRIANT wanted to retreat to Beaumont, probably by the old Flabas road, which leads to Gobi (territory of Beaumont). When the columns emerged from Champneuville Wood, they came under withering German machine-gun fire. The colonel, who was bringing up the rear, was killed, but fragments of sections managed to reach Beaumont and reinforce the garrison there. 24 February was a crucial day. The sky was grey, snow covered the ground and it was bitterly cold. The battle for Beaumont was about to begin. In the village, components of two French regiments (four companies) fought off repeated attacks. As the troops of the 18th German Corps entered the village, machine guns firing from cellar windows mowed them down. The enemy formations, which were particularly dense, advanced so quickly, with each wave passing the previous one, that the French automatic fire seemed to overwhelm them and they suffered terrible losses. The Germans started systematically shelling the village again. When they attacked again they still met with resistance but the balance of forces was too uneven. A few troops managed to break through and reach Louvemont. Beaumont fell on the afternoon of 24 February 1916.
At 6 p.m. on the same day, silent hand-to-hand fighting continued in the woods near Joli-Coeur. To the west, a company's tattered remnants struggled to contain the Germans, who were trying to reach Anglemont Ridge. Suddenly a large, cheering party of Germans left Beaumont on the Rue du Moulin and reached the national road. This time the retreat was cut off. The battalion commander rallied a few company remnants (approximately 60 men), had a still-able-bodied bugler sound the charge, and thrust himself and this handful of brave men in front of the enemy on the Anglemont. Against all odds, the Germans stopped. Surprised, they did not even fire a shot. Better yet, they fell back, unaware of how exhausted the French troops were. The Germans did not try again, enabling the French to keep the road open as an escape route. Only when they were ordered to, on 25 February at 2 a.m., did the survivors of the 2nd Battalion of the 60th RI reach the côte du Poivre (Pepper Hill) by way of the Vaux meadow, Vacherauville ravine and Grillot Woods. "Partial reconquest of Beaumont - August 1917. The 32nd Army Corps including four infantry divisions led the attack in the Beaumont sector. From 20 to 26 August, the Germans turned the village into a formidable fortress, which underwent relentless shelling. On 26 August, two regiments, the 154th RI and the 155th RI, attacked but failed to take Beaumont, which remained in German hands. On 2 September, a final French offensive failed to retake the Beaumont sector. The US Army occupied Beaumont in the earliest days of November 1918.

1919 - The postwar period Beaumont was declared a "red zone", meaning that it was forbidden to rebuild the village and return the land to farming. In 1920, the prefect appointed a municipal commission. In 1925, a monument was built to the memory of the children of Beaumont who died for France. Afterwards, to honour the ancestors' memory and pay another tribute to the native sons who died on the battlefield, the interior of the cemetery was levelled, the walls raised and a monument erected engraved with the text of the army's citation to the village and the names of its war dead. The chapel was built in 1932-1933. In 1932, the decision was taken that on the fourth Sunday in September, the patron saint's feast day (Saint Maurice), "the former inhabitants and their families would gather to honour their dead and breathe the air of the land where they were born", a tradition that carries on today.

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Creation of the cemetery

The National Cemetery of Fleury-devant-Douaumont contains the remains of French soldiers killed in the fighting that took place in the Verdun area from 1914 to 1918, and in particular the Battle of Verdun. Created in 1923, the cemetery was developed until 1936. Once the site had been chosen, in 1923, the War Graves Department, with the aid of the Metz engineers’ regiment, levelled a plot of land of several hectares, where major clearance work had been carried out to recover any abandoned hardware and hazardous munitions.

Once the land was level, the avenues and graves were laid. In August 1925, the bodies buried in small cemeteries around Verdun were transferred to the right half. In November, the cemetery received the exhumed bodies from the disused Fleury cemetery. In October 1926, it received those from the Fontaine de Tavannes cemetery. Over subsequent years, as bodies went on being discovered in the “red zone” – up to 500 per month – they were laid to rest here, over half of them identified. The cemetery also received the bodies from the cemetery of Bois Contant.
In accordance with the Law of 29 December 1915, which instituted a perpetual resting place for servicemen killed in action, the cemetery contains over 16 000 bodies in individual graves, and a Muslim plot containing 592 graves. Of the 1 781 Muslim graves laid in plots or rows in 16 cemeteries, the largest plots are to be found at Douaumont, with 592 graves, Bras with 254, and Dugny with 201. Each grave is marked with a Muslim gravestone, engraved with the words “Here lies” in Arabic, followed by the name of the deceased. There is also a special burial plot for unknown soldiers whose bodies were discovered recently. Six French soldiers killed in the Second World War are buried here.

Historical information

 The Battle of Verdun

Forty kilometres from the German border established in 1871, the village of Fleury-devant-Douaumont had a population of 422 in 1913. By September 1914, at the end of the First Battle of the Marne, the front line had reached the outskirts of Fleury and became entrenched to the north of the village. Located on the road between Verdun and Douaumont, at the heart of a major fortified position, in 1915 Fleury was naturally incorporated in the fortified area of Verdun, i.e. at the convergence between the two opposing armies.

On 21 February 1916, Operation Gericht, the brainchild of General Falkenhayn, was launched against the French positions. From February to December 1916, French and German troops fought one another in what was one of the most terrible battles of the Great War. From the outset of the offensive, the village came under severe bombardment, and was immediately evacuated. After the fall of Fort Douaumont, on 25 February, Fleury became particularly exposed to pressure from the enemy. Situated between the fortifications of Froideterre and Souville, it lay at the heart of the defence of Verdun.

By May 1916, the village was in ruins. After the loss of Fort Vaux, on 7 June, Fleury became decisive in the battle for Verdun. Fierce grenade battles took place here, giving the French considerable cause for concern. Between June and August, the village changed hands 16 times. In this fiercely contested sector, where the units engaged soon reached the limit of their strength, the French troops of the 128th and 130th Infantry Divisions vied with each other in audacity against the Bavarian guard and the elite units of the Alpenkorps. Stepping up the battering, the Germans were now no more than four kilometres from Verdun. On 11 July 1916, they captured the Fleury powder magazine, a munitions store dug out of the rock, ten metres below ground.

Yet the German impetus was halted, because the French soldiers had received orders to stand firm everywhere and counter-attack with whatever resources were available. At considerable human cost, the French clung to their positions and succeeded in defusing the pressure from the enemy. The ruins of the village were finally retaken on 18 August by the marsouins of the Colonial Infantry Regiment of Morocco, and were used as a base for the autumn offensives whose objective was to recapture the forts of Douaumont and Vaux.

There is nothing left of the village and surrounding farms. In 1918, the village of Fleury-devant-Douaumont was one of 12 villages in the department awarded the status of “village meusien mort pour la France” (Meuse village that died for France). After receiving an army citation in September 1920, the ruins of the village of Fleury were included in the “red zone”, over time becoming a key remembrance site of the Battle of Verdun.

The ossuary

Officially opened on 23 June 1929 by President Gaston Doumergue, the national cemetery was bound up with the construction of the Douaumont ossuary, since there had been no front-line cemetery here during the First World War. Dominating the cemetery, this imposing monument was erected on the initiative of Monseigneur Ginisty, bishop of Verdun. From as early as 1919, it was often impossible to attribute an identity, or even a nationality, to hundreds of thousands of remains found scattered across the sectors of the Verdun region. Monseigneur Ginisty, chairman of the ossuary’s committee, travelled throughout France and across the world giving talks to raise the funds needed to erect the final monument.

The first stone was laid on 20 August 1920 by Marshal Pétain, honorary chairman of the ossuary’s committee. The transfer of the bones from the temporary ossuary to the permanent ossuary took place in September 1927. It was officially opened on 7 August 1932 by President Albert Lebrun, at a ceremony attended by French and foreign dignitaries and a huge crowd of veterans, pilgrims and families of the dead and disappeared.

With its grandness and clean lines, this imposing structure was designed by Léon Azéma, Max Edrei and Jacques Hardy. The main body of the monument consists of a 137-metre-long cloister, with recesses housing the 46 tombs (one for each main sector of the battlefield, from Avocourt to Les Éparges) containing the remains of 130 000 French and German soldiers. In line with the cloister, above the main porch, stands a “Tower of the Dead” in the form of a lighthouse whose rotating beam illuminates the former battlefield.  Rising to a height of 46 metres, the tower offers panoramic views and from it a two-tonne bell, the “Bell of Victory”, rings out at each ceremony.
Today, the monument is part of the Meuse landscape. For some, it resembles a sword embedded in the earth up to its hilt, with only the handle showing, serving as a lantern. For others, the tower evokes a shell, a symbol the industrialisation of this major battle of the First World War. Meanwhile, the cloister may evoke the soldiers’ heroic defence of Verdun, or embody the Verdun fortifications, against which waves of enemy attacks proved in vain.

Close to the cemetery are two other religious monuments. One, erected in 1938, is in memory of the Jewish soldiers who died for France in the First World War. The other, located in the commune of Douaumont and unveiled in 2006, honours the Muslim soldiers killed in that conflict.

At the foot of the main staircase, the remains of General François Anselin, killed in action on 24 October 1916, were buried in 1948. Assigned on request to the command of the 214th Brigade, he was mortally wounded by shrapnel while conducting operations in the Poudrière ravine aimed at recapturing Fort Douaumont.

Facing the cemetery, a plaque remembers the historic handshake between President François Mitterrand and Chancellor Helmut Kohl that sealed Franco-German reconciliation in 1984.

The complex comprising the National Cemetery of Fleury-devant-Douaumont and the Bayonet Trench is classed as a Major National Remembrance Site, in honour of the sacrifice made by French soldiers in the Great War at Verdun (1914-18).

Ossuaire de Douaumont

55 100 Douaumont

Tél. : 03.29.84.54.81

Fax : 03.29.86.56.54

Mail : infos@verdun-douaumont.com

Departmental Tourist Board
Tel.: +33 (0)3.29.45.78.40

Verdun National Cemeteries Department

13, rue du 19ème BCP

55100 Verdun

Tel.: +33 (0)3.29.86.02.96

Fax: +33 (0)3.29.86.33.06

Email: diracmetz@wanadoo.fr

Opening times

The National Cemetery of Douaumont is open to the public all year round.
Douaumont Ossuary is open to the public free of charge from September to November. 9 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm / 6 pm - December: 2 pm to 5 pm - 
Closed from 1 February to the February school holidays - March: 9 am to 12 pm and 2 pm to 5.30 pm - April to August: 9 am to 6 pm / 6.30 pm

Douaumont Ossuary

Meuse Departemental Authority

Meuse Tourist Board

Verdun tTrism Office

Initially a private collection, this project grew to such an extent that it turned into a veritable museum overseen by the “Mémoire des combattants en Gascogne” (Memory of the Gascony Fighters) association.

From the beginning, the founders placed their museum space at the crossroads of remembrance and the memory of contemporary conflicts.

The choice was thus made to offer visitors a historical journey through the two World Wars.

The museum chronologically presents the evolution of soldiers’ arms and uniforms from the Great War to the Résistance.

This undertaking is unique in the Gers department and presents widely diverse collections for the pleasure and interest of all:

front pages of newspapers, photos, posters, letters, brassards, containers, arms, uniforms, etc.

Visits and admission price: The museum is open year-round to all, free of charge, by appointment.

Musée des anciens combattants pour la liberté

Museum of the veterans of the fight for freedom:

Malherbe - 32500 Brugnens - Tel.: +33 (0)5 62 06 14 51

Association “Mémoire des combattants en Gascogne”

“Memory of the Gascony Fighters” Association:

Tel.: +33 (0)5 62 06 62 06

e-mail: elian.dasilva@wanadoo.fr

e-mail: xavier.da-silva@orange.fr

Office National des Anciens Combattants du Gers

Gers National Office of Veterans:

29, chemin de Baron – 32000 Auch – Tel.: +33 (0)5 62 05 01 32 – Fax: +33 (0)5 62 05 51 05

e-mail: dir.sd32@onacvg.fr

Founded in 1954 by Louis Villanova, Marcel Daguzan and Louis Leroy, the Auch Museum of Resistance and Deportation, in Gers, was opened on 5 October 1975 by Andre Bord, the then Veterans Minister. The exhibits feature objects, documents and other items from the period owned by resistance veterans.

This remembrance space preserves these important relics for generations to come and keeps the memory of the Resistance operations in Gers alive.

One of the objectives of the museum association founded in 1994 is to expand the collections over time. The exhibition rooms lead visitors through the history of the Resistance from its first steps to the region's liberation. One room is also dedicated to the Deportation, displaying objects, documents, illustrations and a memorial to the deportees from Gers.

Auch Resistance and Deportation Museum

rue Pagodoutés

32000 Auch

Tel: +33 (0)5 62 05 74 79

                 +33 (0)5 62 61 21 85

Free admission

Enquire for opening days and times.

Gers Resistance and Deportation Museum Association : Auch Town Hall

Departmental office for the national bureau of war veterans and victims of war

29, chemin de Baron - 32000 Auch

Tel: +33 (0)5 62 05 01 32 - Fax: +33 (0)5 62 05 51 05

Email: dir.sd32@onacvg.fr

This fine property, built in the typical Bigorre style, is located in the heart of Tarbes’ old town, near the cathedral, and contains the personal belongings of Foch and his family.

Since the end of the First World War, a plaque has reminded passers-by that the Supreme Allied Commander was born here. 

A listed building since 1938, the house was made into a museum in 1951.

On 1 March 2008, ownership of the property was transferred from the French State to the City of Tarbes.

A typical 18th-century Bigorre house, it is of particular architectural interest, with its balustered exterior gallery with pelmets and marble-framed windows. Inside is a fine staircase in carved wood, imitating 17th-century ironwork.

This intimate setting was where Ferdinand Foch spent the first 12 years of his life. Today, the family home houses the personal belongings and mementos of Foch the officer. Portraits depict the military man who was made a Marshal of France, a British Field Marshal and a Marshal of Poland.

The collection consists of personal belongings of Foch and his family, which chart both his personal journey and his public life as a Marshal of France. One room is devoted to the gratitude of the Allied countries.

A graduate of the École Polytechnique, a trained artilleryman and a teacher of tactics of warfare, Foch is remembered as one of the great figures of the First World War, who led the Allies to victory. Marshal Foch died on 20 March 1929 in Paris, leaving behind the memory of international gratitude.

Maison Natale du Maréchal Foch
2, rue de la Victoire - 65000 Tarbes
Tel.: +33 (0)5 62 93 19 02
Email: musee@mairie-tarbes.fr

Tarbes City Council