General Joffre conferring with General Pétain near Verdun, where General Pétain's forces meet the assaults of the armies of the Crown Prince in the battle for the fortress.
VERDUN
No one German success can affect France as would the taking of Verdun. It is the last of the great fortresses between the frontier and Paris, and Paris is distant in a direct line only 135 miles. Verdun is one of the most historic of French cities and in a manner is the cradle of France, for here in 843 Charles the Bold, Louis the German, and Lothaire, the sons of Louis I the "Debonair" or Pious, took over and divided the heritage of the Empire of the great Charlemagne, their grandfather. Verdun at that date passed into the hands of Louis the German and remained German territory until 1552 when it was taken by France; and later by the Treaty of Peace of Westphalia in 1648 was formally annexed to France.
Verdun's original fortresses were constructed by France's greatest military engineer, Vauban, in 1700. France has added to it chains of encircling forts and defenses.
THE BATTLES OF VERDUN
The German forces began the attack on February 21, 1916. At the moment of first contact the French forces were distributed as follows: The left wing's first position rested on the centers of Brabant, Consenvoye, Haumont, the Caures Wood, the second position being Samogneux, Cote 344 and the Mormont farm. The center held the line through Ornes, with a second position of Beaumont, Worville, the Fasses, Chaume, and teh Caurières Woods. The right wing helf Bezonvaux, Grand Chena and Dieppe. Behind these sections the line of forts was worked out by the villages of Bras and Douaumont, and the Vaux Fort.
- February 25—Continued German assaults resulted in an advance of from two to four miles over a front of twenty miles and in the capture of Fort Douaumont.
- March 7—The Germans occupied the village of Fresnes.
- March 10—From this date German attacks east of the Meuse center around the fort and town of Vaux. West of the Meuse key positions are Le Mort Homme and Hill 304.
- March 16—Violent but fruitless German assaults on the French positions on Le Mort Homme.
- April 12—Heavy German attack on a line between Le Mort Homme and Cumieres. Artillery bombardment between Douaumont and Vaux.
- May 8—The Germans reached the top of Hill 304.
- May 22—The French recaptured a part of Fort Douaumont.
- May 24—The Germans occupied Cumieres and recaptured Fort Douaumont.
- June 6—The Germans occupied Fort Vaux.
- June 23—The Germans took the Thiaumont Field Works. These fortifications were taken and retaken several times during the summer of 1916.
- October 24—The French, in a great offensive, recaptured Fort Douaumont and the Haudromont Quarries.
- October 28—Fort Vaux was taken by the French.
- December 15—North of Douaumont the French captured Vacherauville, Louvemont, Hardaumont, and Bezonvaux.
- December 28—The Germans advanced on Hill 304 and Le Mort Homme, west of the Meuse.
- During the spring of 1917 the Germans made some gains in this region. In August, 1917, the French opened a brilliant offensive west of the Meuse, driving the Germans back at Hill 304 and Le Mort Homme.
| Abaucourt, Upper Right | Forest Le Tremblais, Lower Right | Lempire, Lower Center |
| Amel, Upper Right | (Forest) Sartelles, Lower Left | Lissey, Upper Left |
| Ancemont, Lower Center | Forest of Souilly, Lower Center | Longwy, Upper Center |
| Beaumont, Upper Center | Forest of Tilly, Upper Right | Louvemont, Upper Center |
| Belleray, Lower Center | Forges, Upper Left | Marre, Upper Left |
| Belrupt, Lower Right | Ft. Belleville, Center | Mesnil, Lower Right |
| Bethelainville, Lower Left | Ft. Belrupt, Center | Meuse Canal, Lower Right, Center, Upper Left |
| Bethincourt, Upper Left | Ft. Bois Bourrus, Upper Left | Meuse River, Upper Left, Center, Lower Right |
| Bezonvaux, Upper Center | Ft. Chaume, Lower Left | Moirey, Upper Center |
| Blercourt, Lower Left | Ft. Choisel, Upper Left | Montgrignon, Center |
| Bourrus Forest, Upper Left | Ft. Douaumont, Upper Center | Montmedy, Upper Left |
| Brabant, Upper Left | Ft. Dugny, Lower Center | Montzeville, Upper Left |
| Bras, Upper Center | Ft. Genicourt, Lower Right | Moranville, Upper Right |
| Champneuville, Upper Left | Ft. Haudainville, Lower Right | Moulainville, Lower Right |
| Chatillon, Lower Right | Ft. Landrecourt, Lower Center | Nixeville, Lower Left |
| Consenvoye, Upper Left | Ft. Marre, Upper Left | Ornes, Upper Center |
| Côte du Poivre, Upper Center | Ft. Moulainville, Upper Right | Ornes River, Upper Right |
| Côte Talou, Upper Left | Ft. Regret, Center | Rau de la Diene, Lower Right |
| Cumieres, Upper Left | Ft. Rozellier, Lower Right | Regneville, Upper Left |
| Damloup, Upper Right | Ft. St. Michel, Center | Samogneux, Upper Left |
| Damvillers, Upper Left | Ft. Sartelles, Lower Left | Sartelles, Lower Left |
| Dieppe, Upper Right | Ft. Souville, Center | Senon, Upper Right |
| Dugny, Lower Center | Ft. Tavannes, Center | Senoncourt, Lower Center |
| Ecurey, Upper Left | Ft. Vaux, Upper Right | Sivry, Upper Left |
| Eix, Upper Right | Froid Terre, Upper Center | Souhesmes, Lower Left |
| Esnes, Upper Left | Gercourt, Upper Left | Spincourt, Upper Right |
| Etain, Upper Right | Germonville Battery, Lower Left | Thiaumont Field Work, Upper Center |
| Fleury, Upper Center | Gincrey, Upper Right | Thierville, Center |
| Forest of Amblonville, Lower Right | Gremilly, Upper Center | Vacherauville, Upper Left |
| Forest of Caures, Upper Left | Haudiomont, Lower Right | Vadelaincourt, Lower Left |
| Forest of Fresnes and Hermeville, Upper Right | Haumont, Upper Left | Vaux, Upper Center |
| Forest of Gremilly, Upper Center | Hermeville, Upper Right | Verdun, Center |
| Forest of Haumont, Upper Left | Hill 304, Upper Left | Warcq, Upper Right |
| (Forest) Jouy, Lower Left | Hill 320, Upper Center | Watronville, Lower Right |
| (Forest) La Vauche, Upper Center | Jouy, Lower Left | |
| (Forest) Le Mort Homme, Upper Left | La Belle Épine, Upper Left | |
| (Forest) Lempire, Lower Left | Lemmes, Lower Left |