heavy loss, in capturing Hill 304 and advancing between the Hill and
the S.E. corner of Avocourt Wood, to a slight hollow known as the
=Col-de-Pommerieux=. This hollow was, however, reconquered on July
17th by the French 51st and 87th R.I., supported by two battalions
of the 97th D.I. (335th and 346th Regiments), and one battalion of
the 73rd D.I. After a remarkable artillery preparation, the French
infantrymen, in half-an-hour, reached the fortified crest, and regained
a kilometer of ground, including the famous “Demi-Lune” Redoubt. The
87th R.I., composed of men from the north, Valenciennes, St. Quentin
and Lens, went 300 yards beyond the assigned objective and captured
an observation-post in front of the crest, which they christened “_Le
crèneau des Gretchen_.” The attack occurred at the time the enemy
troops were being relieved, 520 prisoners, belonging to at least
three different divisions, being taken. From a single sap the French
Grenadiers brought out four German officers, one of whom, on descending
the hill, turned back to admire the manœuvre of the French soldiers.
On August 24th Hill 304, the approaches to which had been reconquered
on the 20th, was carried by the 139th and 121st R.I. (26th D.I.). This
division, which attacked before Hill 304, on the Pommerieux Plateau and
at Camard Wood, captured prisoners belonging to five different German
divisions. After capturing Hill 304, Equerre Wood and Souvin Redoubt,
the division attacked again on the evening of the same day, this time
carrying the positions of Palavas, Alsace, Gateau-de-Miel and Lorraine,
and advancing the first French line to the Forges stream, _i.e._ more
than two kilometers from its starting-point between Haucourt and
Malancourt, the latter still being occupied by the enemy.
_On leaving Hill 304, descend to_ =Haucourt= _and_ =Malancourt=.
=Haucourt= hamlet, on the Fontaine-des-Aulnes stream, was attacked by
the Germans on April 4th, 1916, and taken after several sanguinary
setbacks on the night of the 5th after a fine defence by three
companies of the 79th R.I., which held their ground against a brigade.
It was recaptured on September 26th, 1918, by the First American Army.
[Illustration: MALANCOURT.
General view seen from the ruins of the Church in May, 1919.]
=Malancourt= village was reoccupied by the French on October 13th,
1914. Enemy attacks on the following 16th and 20th failed. From
February, 1915, the French lines were advanced to the slopes on the
N. of the village. In 1916 the Germans did not attack until the end
of March. They were unable to enter it on the 28th, but the next
day captured two houses. On the night of the 30th they occupied it
entirely.
Malancourt and its wood were recaptured by the First American Army on
September 26th, 1918. The wood was hard to take, as the Germans had
installed numerous blockhouses and barbed-wire entanglements.
[Illustration: GERMAN OBSERVATION-POST IN THE RUINS OF MONTFAUCON
CHURCH.]
Montfaucon
_From Malancourt tourists may go to Montfaucon, three miles away, by a
rather difficult road which has been summarily repaired._
From Montfaucon, where the Germans had established an observation-post
in the ruins of the church, there is a complete view of the whole of
the battlefield north-west of Verdun, from the hills on the right bank
of the Meuse, to Vauquois.
_See Panorama and Map on pp. 106 and 107._
The tower of the church, which made a fine observation-post for
the Germans, was destroyed by the French artillery. When, after
their brilliant offensive of September 26th, 1918 (_see p. 24_),
the Americans drove the enemy from Montfaucon, they found this
observation-post (_photo below_) built with materials taken from the
ruins of the church.
[Illustration: THE OPENING IN THE OBSERVATION-POST, THROUGH WHICH THE
PANORAMIC VIEW ON PP. 106 AND 107 WAS TAKEN.]
[Illustration: Hills on the right bank of the river
Road to Cuisy
Mort-Homme
Hill 275
Road to Malancourt
Hill 310
Montfaucon Wood
Vauquois Spur
PANORAMA OF THE BATTLEFIELD OF VERDUN, SEEN FROM MONTFAUCON.]
_The above view was taken from the inside of the Observation-Post
seen in the photo below, the camera looking through the slit-like
embrasure._
In the foreground are vestiges of shell-torn trees and the ruins of
Montfaucon Village. Verdun is on the horizon between Mort-Homme and
Hill 275.
[Illustration: GERMAN OBSERVATION-POST, _through the embrasure of
which the above Panoramic View was taken_.]
[Illustration: SKETCH-MAP OF THE BATTLEFIELD, AS SEEN BY THE GERMANS
FROM THE EMINENCE OF MONTFAUCON.]
[Illustration: AVOCOURT VILLAGE IN MARCH, 1916.]
VI.—From Montfaucon to Avocourt
_From Montfaucon return by the same road to Malancourt._
_The bad state of the Malancourt–Avocourt road (May, 1919) does not
allow it to be taken from the former to the latter locality._ (The road
passes through the woods of the same names, disputed with incredible
fierceness.) _The tourist should, therefore, return to the Wayside
Cross at Esnes, along the same road that he came by._
_From Esnes Cross (see p. 100), take on the right the road to Avocourt,
which marks approximately the extreme limit of the battlefield W. of
Verdun_.
=Avocourt and Avocourt and Malancourt Woods.=—One of the finest feats
of arms in the Battle of Verdun was performed at Avocourt.
[Illustration: THE CROSS IN THE MIDDLE OF AVOCOURT VILLAGE IN APRIL,
1916.]
[Illustration: TRENCH IN THE RUINS OF AVOCOURT VILLAGE IN APRIL, 1917.]
On March 20th, 1916, the Germans, who had never been able to take
the village, attacked with a fresh division of picked troops (IInd
Bavarians), which had taken part in the summer campaign in Galicia and
Poland with Mackensen’s forces. The attack succeeded, with the help of
liquid fire. A French counter-attack on the 29th by the 210th R.I., and
a battalion of the 157th, recaptured the wood and the redoubt known
as the “Réduit d’Avocourt,” situated on its S. edge. The attacking
troops, which had not been revictualled for four days, had finished
their reserve rations twelve hours previously. So fatigued were they
that they slept standing despite the bombardment. To rouse them, their
chiefs, at 3 a.m. next morning, ordered the buglers and drummers to
play. As the day was breaking the music suddenly stopped, a shell
having buried all save one drummer. Furious at this, the men, with the
drummer at their head, rushed forward, and by 8 a.m. the wood had been
entirely reconquered.
[Illustration: SITE OF AVOCOURT VILLAGE IN NOVEMBER, 1918.]
In 1917, hard fighting continued in this region with varying fortune.
Powerful German attacks gave the enemy a little ground between Avocourt
and Hill 304, and in Avocourt Wood. On August 20th, the French 25th
D.I. drove the enemy from the S. part of the wood, advancing 1,200
yards and capturing 750 prisoners, thirty machine guns and ten trench
mortars.
[Illustration: MALANCOURT WOOD IN 1916, _seen from the French lines.
The sandbags mark the German lines._]
On September 26th, 1918, the wood was entirely cleared of the enemy by
the First American Army.
=Malancourt Wood.=—It was against a French trench, in this wood that on
February 26th, 1915, the Germans made use of =liquid fire for the first
time=, special pumps, operated by pioneers of the Guard, being employed.
VII.—Avocourt to Aubréville
_From Avocourt take the road which follows the small valley running
southwards (see Itinerary, pp. 88 and 89). It was on this road, hidden
from the view of the enemy, that the French concentrations were carried
out in the rear lines._
_Two kilometers from Avocourt, take on the left the road leading to
Hesse Wood, scene of all sorts of concentrations, posts of commandment,
dressing stations, batteries of artillery, depots, etc._
_This road is in good condition almost as far as Aubréville, with
the exception of two or three places on leaving Hesse Wood, beyond
Bertrame’s Farm._
VIII.—From Aubréville to Verdun
_On entering Aubréville, take on the left N. 46 which skirts the St.
Menehould-Verdun railway._
_The tourist passes through Parois and Récicourt, where numerous
cantonments and rest camps were installed for the relief of the troops._
_Dombasle, where a large munitions depot blew up, is next reached._
_From Dombasle one of two Itineraries may be chosen to return to
Verdun._
_The first, by continuing to follow the National Road, via Blercourt._
_The second, which follows the crests dominating N. 3 from Paris to
Metz._
_For the second Itinerary, on leaving Dombasle, take the small road on
the left, which leads to Sivry-la-Perche, 4 kilometers distant._
N. of the latter village, at the N.E. extremity of Hill 357, there
still exists an observation-post, from which there is a general view of
the entire rear-ground of the battlefield W. of Verdun.
If it is desired to visit this observation-post before the descent
leading to Sivry-la-Perche, take the Béthelainville road on the left
for about 700 yards going thence on foot to the right in a N.E.
direction. The observation post is about half-a mile further on.
From Sivry-la-Perche continue along the road, which passes first on
the left of =Sartelles Fort= and then to the left of =Chaume Fort=.
These two forts only played a minor role in the battle of Verdun, and
suffered but slightly from the bombardments. In front of Chaume Fort
there was an observation post for heavy artillery, whence there is a
splendid view of the Meuse Valley.
_From Chaume Fort the road is rather steep and in bad condition. Going
down on the left and flanking a hill is_ Glorieux Cemetery, near the
evacuation hospital.
_Verdun is entered by the Porte-de-France._
[Illustration: IN THE RUINS OF VERDUN.]
CONTENTS
PAGES
=Plan of Verdun= (2 colours) between 30–31
=Map of Verdun= (black) ” 56–57
=Origin and Political History= 2
=Chief Military Events= 3
=The Great War (1914–1918)—General Considerations= 4 to 7
=The Battle of Verdun= 8 to 30
=The German Offensive, Feb.–Aug., 1916= 10 to 18
= ” French Counter-Offensive, Oct.–Dec., 1916,
to Aug., 1917= 19 to 23
= ” American Offensive, Sept. 26th, 1918= 24
= ” Franco-American Offensive, Oct., 1918= 25 to 27
=Conclusion= 28 to 30
=A Visit to the City of Verdun= 31 to 56
=The Cathedral= 42 to 48
= ” Citadelle= 52 to 54
=A Visit to the Battlefield= 57 to 111
=1st Itinerary: The Right Bank of the Meuse= 57 to 87
=2nd ” ” Left ” ” ” = 88 to 111
[Illustration: REFUGEES FROM VERDUN DISTRICT PASSING THROUGH SOUILLY
ALONG THE “SACRED WAY.”]
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