In May the enemy attacked on the left bank of the Meuse with an
assault upon Mort-Homme. Then, widening their attacking front in a
Westerly direction, they turned upon Hill 304, a strong key position
and valuable observation post. The French lost this Hill =on May
23rd= but retook it the following day. A further month's bitter
fighting only gained for the enemy the crest of Mort-Homme and the
north slopes of Hill 304.
=On May 22nd=, with the object of clearing the left bank of the Meuse
where the enemy were pressing, the 5th Division (Mangin) attacked on
the right bank, in the direction of Douaumont. The central attack
alone was successful, the enemy holding their ground inside the fort;
their numerous reserves, among them the 1st Bavarian Corps, succeeded
in dislodging the attackers =on May 24th= (_See page 90_).
Even though Douaumont remained in the enemy's hands, this attack
was successful in freeing the left bank by drawing upon the German
reserves. The struggle continued without respite or quarter. The
Germans, alarmed by the preparations for the Franco-British offensive
on the Somme, wished to be finished with Verdun. They, therefore,
launched attack after attack but every time they were met by the
irresistible will of the French.
The enemy, who in April had captured the village of Vaux, next
furiously attacked the fort, and though =on June 2nd= they occupied
the superstructure, it took them five days to subdue the garrison
(_See page 71_).
At the same time they advanced from Douaumont towards Froideterre.
=On June 9th=, Thiaumont Farm was captured, but the redoubt still
held out. On the left bank, the enemy resumed their attacks. =On May
31st=, they outflanked Mort-Homme by the Meuse valley and reached
Chattancourt station, but were driven back by a counter attack as
far as Cumières. Even if they captured the summit of Hill 304, they
could not conquer the South slopes, and they were still far from the
fortified barrier of Bois Bourrus.
On the right bank, on the other hand, by holding Douaumont and Vaux
the enemy were at hand to break through the barrier of Souville and
had within view the basin of Verdun. Here it was that the enemy were
going to work for the supreme decision.
=On June 23rd=, 70,000 men attacked on the front
Thiaumont-Fleury-Vaux. Thiaumont redoubt was captured, waves
of attackers being hurled upon the Froideterre redoubt. A
counter-attack, however, cleared the plain as far as Thiaumont. In
the centre, the enemy by outflanking Fleury on both sides gained a
footing there, but in front of Souville they failed utterly (_See
page 77_).
=On July 11th=, the enemy narrowed their attacking front, from Fleury
to Damloup. Putting 40,000 men into the attack, they went through
Fleury and crept round by the ravine to the west of the village. They
gained a temporary footing in Souville fort from which they were
almost immediately ejected (_See page 80_).
In spite of partial successes, the enemy had failed in their main
objectives. Their losses had been enormous and the Franco-British
offensive, launched on the Somme on July 1st, took up their
reinforcements.
After nearly five month's siege, Verdun was safe. Still bitter
fighting raged right on until the middle of August, centreing chiefly
round Thiaumont redoubt which changed hands 16 times, Fleury village,
recaptured on August 18th after many attempts, and in the woods south
of Vaux where the enemy endeavoured to outflank Souville.
[Illustration: IN REAR OF THE BATTLEFIELD.
_Echelons of artillery on the slope of Houdainville._
_A pinnace, used as a rest billet, hit by a 380._
_Mass being celebrated in the church of Vaubecourt which had been
burnt by bombs from aeroplanes._]
[Illustration: IN THE VAUX SECTOR.
_A fatigue party coming from Tavannes tunnel.--Trenches of the Laufée
redoubt (June 1916).--Soldiers going to fetch water from shell-holes
in the ravine of Tavannes._]
[Illustration: CLEARING VERDUN ON THE RIGHT BANK OF THE MEUSE.
_The French offensives of October 24th and December 15th 1916._]