9/28/2023 0 Comments Verdun ww1 memorialUnderneath, burial vaults hold the bones of the unidentified dead. Inside the cloister are 18 shelters, each holding two granite tombs, with each of these tombs representing an exact section of the battlefield. The cloister is 137 metres (449 ft) long and contains 42 interior alcoves. At the top of the tower a rotating red and white "lantern of the dead" shines on the battlefields at night. It was offered by an American benefactor, Anne Thornburn Van Buren, in 1927. The tower contains a bronze death-bell, weighing over 2 tonnes (2.0 long tons 2.2 short tons), called Bourdon de la Victoire, which is sounded at official ceremonies. The tower is 46 metres (151 ft) high and has a panoramic view of the battlefields. Jacques Hardy and George Desvallières designed the stained-glass windows. The architects of the ossuary were Léon Azéma, Max Edrei. The ossuary was officially inaugurated on 7 August 1932 by French President Albert Lebrun. It was initiated in 1923 by Verdun veteran André Maginot, who would later create the Maginot Line. In front of the monument, and sloping downhill, lies the largest single French military cemetery of the First World War, with 16,142 graves. On the inside of the ossuary, the ceiling and walls are partly covered by plaques bearing names of French soldiers who fell during the Battle of Verdun, as well as the names of those who died fighting during World War II, The First Indochina War and during the Algerian Wars. Through small outside windows, the skeletal remains of at least 130,000 unidentified soldiers of both nations can be seen filling up alcoves at the lower edge of the building. The ossuary is a memorial containing the remains of both French and German soldiers who died on the Verdun battlefield. It is located in Douaumont, France, within the Verdun battlefield and has been designated a "nécropole nationale", or "national cemetery". The Douaumont ossuary is a memorial containing the remains of soldiers who died on the battlefield during the Battle of Verdun in World War I. Since then, cemeteries and memorials have been established for casualties of both sides, in addition to significant people and events related to the battle. The French town of Verdun was the site of the Battle of Verdun during the First World War, one of the costliest battles in military history. ( November 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. Yet fighting continued around Verdun until 1918.This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. There were more than 700,000 victims – 305,000 killed and missing and 400,000 wounded (approximately), with almost identical losses on both sides. The 1916 battle ended after ten months of bitter fighting. It was empty – the Germans had already left.įrom 15 to 18 December, the French attacked again, retaking almost all the land they had lost since 21 February. On 24 October 1916, they recaptured Fort Douaumont and, a few days later, they entered Fort Vaux. In the autumn of 1916, the French counter-attacked. The Germans tried to capture the town one last time, on 11 and 12 July, but they failed again. On 1 July, the British and French launched a major offensive on the Somme, relieving some of the pressure being put on the French troops by the Germans in Verdun. In all, some 4,000 trucks, 2,000 cars, 800 ambulances, 200 buses and numerous vans passed along it.įrom 6 March 1916, the Germans also attacked on the left bank of the River Meuse yet despite furious fighting on Le Mort-Homme in March and April they were unable to breach the French front line.Īt the end of June, having taken Fort Vaux, they launched a massive attack which failed – but only just. He increased the volume of traffic along the Bar-le-Duc to Verdun road, later known as the “Sacred Way”, the only route taking men and munitions up to the battlefield. General Pétain then took command of the troops. Despite heavy shelling, the French infantrymen (known as “ Poilus”) clung on to their positions and the Germans were unable to advance any further. The French High Command was anxious to retake the fort because of its dominant position high above the battlefield. During the first few days, the Germans breached the French front lines and captured Fort Douaumont without a fight on 25 February 1916.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |