Throughout that long summer the battle cry of Verdun, “Ne passeront pas!” (“They shall not pass!”), was an inspiration to the French army and to the world. Then as autumn drifted its red foliage over the heights surrounding the bloody field, the French struck back. General Nivelle, who had taken command at Verdun under Joffre, commenced a series of attacks and a persistent pressure against the German forces on both sides of the Meuse. These thrusts culminated in a sudden sweeping attack which on October 24th, resulted in the recapture by Nivelle’s forces of Fort Douaumont and on November 2d, in the recapture of Fort Vaux.
Thus ended in glory the most inspiring battle in the long and honorable history of France.
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.
Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.
New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.