PBS - Forts of Verdun (2024)
PBS - Forts of Verdun (2024)
The horror of the trenches, the cold, the hunger, the ranging battles… Many documentaries have already told the story of what was everyday life for the French troops. There is another place that was strategic in the Great War about which most people have heard very little the forts. Defended, lost and recaptured, the forts of Verdun played a pivotal role. 163,000 French soldiers gave their lives to defend them.
Today, over a thousand eye-witness accounts by French soldiers that it was thought had been lost, have just been unearthed. It is thus through the voices of the soldiers based in the forts in Douaumont, Vaux, and Souville, that this documentary looks back at this less familiar aspect of World War I. This epic account pays tribute to those men and reveals the strategic role played by the Verdun forts.
See Also
Wikipedia Reference
You want more information on this!…. just click. (Battle of Verdun)
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Snippet from Wikipedia: Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun (French: Bataille de Verdun [bataj də vɛʁdœ̃]; German: Schlacht um Verdun [ʃlaxt ʔʊm ˈvɛɐ̯dœ̃]) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north of Verdun-sur-Meuse. The German 5th Army attacked the defences of the Fortified Region of Verdun (RFV, Région Fortifiée de Verdun) and those of the French Second Army on the right (east) bank of the Meuse. Using the experience of the Second Battle of Champagne in 1915, the Germans planned to capture the Meuse Heights, an excellent defensive position, with good observation for artillery-fire on Verdun. The Germans hoped that the French would commit their strategic reserve to recapture the position and suffer catastrophic losses at little cost to the German infantry.
Poor weather delayed the beginning of the attack until 21 February but the Germans captured Fort Douaumont in the first three days. The advance then slowed for several days, despite inflicting many French casualties. By 6 March, 20+1⁄2 French divisions were in the RFV and a more extensive defence in depth had been organised. Philippe Pétain ordered there to be no retreat and that German attacks were to be counter-attacked, despite this exposing French infantry to the German artillery. By 29 March, French guns on the west bank had begun a constant bombardment of Germans on the east bank, causing many infantry casualties.
Trailer
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