Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
• Leaving the Ossuary parking lot, follow signs to the...
Tranchée des Baïonnettes (“Bayonet Trench”)
There is a legend that an entire company of French troops was buried in their trench by
an artillery bombardment—leaving only their bayonets sticking above the ground to mark
their standing graves. The memorial to this “bayonet trench” is a few minutes' drive bey-
ond the Ossuary. The bulky concrete monument, donated by the US and free to enter (no-
tice the inscription reading “
Leurs frères d'Amérique,”
meaning “Brothers from Amer-
ica”), opened in 1920, and was the first such monument at Verdun.
In fact, most of the Third Company of the 137th Infantry Regiment was likely wiped
out here because they had no artillery support and died in battle—still tragic, just not quite
as vivid as the myth. The notion of the “bayonet trench” could have come from the Ger-
man habit of making “gun graves”—burying dead French soldiers with their guns sticking
up so that their bodies could be found later and given a proper burial. Walking around this
monument provides a thought-provoking opportunity to wander into the silent and crater-
filled new-growth forest that now blankets the battlefields of Verdun.
• Backtrack toward the Ossuary, and follow signs to
Fort de Douaumont
. Between the Os-
suaryandthefort,oneithersideoftheroad,you'llpasswhatremainsoftheLondonCom-
munication Trench. This served as a means of communication and resupply for the Fort
de Douaumont. Notice the concrete-reinforced sides. You'll see the ruins of several
abris
(shelters) on the hillside above the trench—these provided safe haven for the trench's sol-
diers.
Fort de Douaumont
Thiswasthemostimportantstrongholdamong38hilltopfortificationsbuilttoprotectVer-
dun after Germany's 1871 annexation of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine. First
constructed in 1882, it was built atop and into the hillside and ultimately served as a stra-
tegic command center for both sides at various times. Soldiers were protected by a thick
layer of sand (to muffle explosions) and a wall of concrete five to seven feet thick. Inside,
there are two miles of cold, damp hallways—enlivened by the included audioguide.
Experiencing these corridors will add to your sympathy for the soldiers who were
forced to live here like moles. Climb to the bombed-out top of the fort and check out the
round, iron-gun emplacements that could rise and revolve. The massive central gun turret
was state of the art in 1905, antiquated in 1915, and essentially useless when the war ar-
rived in 1916.
