As Verdun commemorates the First World War centenary, Indraja Gugle reflects on the memories of the war still present in the north-eastern French city
Defence points at Fort Douaumont. Photo Credit: Indraja Gugle
‘Fire!’ called out the German battery commander to his troops who had been waiting to spill French blood since ten days. Verdun’s climate, the foggiest and wettest in France, had postponed Unternehmen Gericht (Operation Judgement) to 21 February 1916, marking the first phase of the deadly battle that was to go on for 10 long months, severing the bodies and souls of the two warring nations in WWI.
Verdun had always been a disputed and mystical territory since Roman times when Atilla decided to burn down the fortified camp of Virodunum (Latin for Verdun) and Charlemagne divided the European empire in three parts, thus giving birth to Germany.
WWI was to be the most gruesome combat to save Verdun from acceding to Germany. If Verdun fell, so would the French morale. Hence, the message ‘Tenir coûte que coûte’ (Resist no matter what) resonated throughout the French divisions.
The tourist bus drops visitors off at the site of Fort Douaumont, an impregnable fort amongst the nineteen that protected France against Germany. The air is colder here, but all is peaceful. There is something about old war zones that evoke penetrating peace, like Hiroshima. Large scale destruction and loss of life leave deep scars, but can greatly intensify the power of healing of the human spirit.
Observation dome atop Fort Douaumont. Photo Credit: Indraja Gugle
Walking inside the fort, witnessing the very area of combat can be crushing. Dormitories house beds made out of iron and wood, hardly making for a sound sleep as every sound of shelling reverberated around the fort. A small serviceable kitchen is bereft of the warmth of baguettes.
German General Falkenhayn, the mastermind behind the attack, had issued orders to capture the fortress of Verdun in order to give soldiers a believable goal. His actual intention? To ‘bleed Verdun to white’ by causing maximum French casualties – a plan only known to the Kaiser, Emperor of the German Empire.
‘No line to be remained un-bombarded, nowhere should the enemy feel safe’ was a message behind the heavy avant-garde artillery used by Germans. The unnatural bulge and hollow of the terrain around Verdun is a testament of the work of Big Bertha’s (howitzers) and whizz-bangs – their secret weapons of WWI.
Even after 100 years have passed, ammunition can still be discovered in the woods around Verdun, many parts of which are prohibited for public. Thirty percent of the ammunition didn’t explode thus posing a danger today. Military artefacts are found on ebay today as a ‘collectors’ market has developed over the years. Sometimes, soldier’s badges which were found along with their bones are also sold, thus stripping the soldiers for a second time of their identity, as reports a local newspaper L’Est Républicain.
A cross reading “An unidentified soldier” in a World War cemetery at Verdun. Photo credit: Indraja Gugle
Walking over the grassy tops of the Fort Douaumont, the defensive and observatory positions can be seen. A short walk away is Fort Vaux, which saw the grimmest phase of the war when the Germans captured it. Due to a great shortage of water, soldiers would resort to licking moisture and slime off the walls. It is from here that General Raynal sent his last pigeon that dropped dead after delivering the message – the only bird to have received the Légion d’Honneur.
The heroic flight of the last pigeon ensured the arrival of reinforcements through the Voie Sacrée (Sacred Way). Every week, 90,000 men and 50,000 tons of rations passed through this strategic 54-kilometer road joining Bar-le-Duc to Verdun. “Today, it has lost its status of a national road to a regional road so that the region and not the central government are responsible for its upkeep,” states the former Mayor Arsène Lux, displeased.
The memory of the battle is still present amongst the Verdunois as amongst the whole of France. The Quai de Londres or the London embankment, dotted by cafés and restaurants and people relaxing by the river Meuse, was once a sight of chaos as the city was asked to evacuate almost overnight.
About a hundred meters away, on the parallel Rue Mazel, a tall medieval knight cast in stone towers over Verdun at the summit of 73 steps. When walking back after a drink at the Coq Hardi, a favourite among the French soldiers, the knight looks intimidating and yet gives a feeling of protection. This Monument à la Victoire is fixedly staring at the battlefields to the east of Verdun.
Monument à la Victoire as seen from Rue Mazel. Photo Credit: Indraja Gugle
It is hard not to feel overwhelmed on seeing the cemeteries of French and German soldiers near the Ossuary situated close to the forts. Half a section of this cemetery has crosses with the epitaph ‘Inconnu’ or ‘Unknown’. One could be French, another German, nobody knows.
Verdun was a ‘war within a war’, says poet Paul Valéry, where entire villages were razed down. Fleury-devant-Douaumont constantly changed hands between Germany and France until there was nothing and nobody left in the village. Stumps of stone with ‘Boulanger’ (baker) or ‘Ecole’ (school) remain on a bombarded land, the only reminders of a normal life once upon a time.
“Citizens remain much attached to the memory of WWI, and the youth are sensitive to it too. But we are now trying to make visits to the battlefields more dynamic by using modern technology,” says Christophe Vélain, Vice President of the Agglomeration Community of Greater Verdun. The ‘Green cycle route’ is already underway and hiking trails will be set up by the end of the year to combine green, adventure and family tourism marked with history.
One comes to Verdun not just for the war, but for peace. Surrounded by lush green hills, the city’s inhabitants enjoy their weekends of plucking the famed golden orb-like Lorraine mirabelles (cherry plums) from their orchards to make jams and tarts. “Verdun is not only a historic site but also nature’s own terrain where the forests bear numerous secrets,” says Magali Masiejasz, Director of the Tourist Office of Verdun.
Porte Chaussée seen across the River Meuse at twilight. Photo credit: Indraja Gugle
“The challenges Verdun faces today are to construct a future that links with the past, by developing hiking routes in the state-owned forest of Verdun classed “Exceptional Forest”, mountain biking routes, adventurous events like trails through trenches and to modernize events using 4D, ” she explains.
In addition to the WWI Centenary programmes already underway, the 2016 Verdun centenary events which start end October 2015 will take the visitor through the very trenches, bunkers and cemeteries of WWI through multifaceted mediums.
The dust has settled after the fierce warfare, granting the wish of thousands of soldiers. Magali resonates the voice of Verdun when she says, “We love peace because we remember.”
How to get there:-
The nearest airport is Paris Charles de Gaulle or Paris Orly. Verdun is approximately a two-hour TGV ride away from Gare de l’Est at Paris.
Where to stay:-
Hotel Montaulbain in the heart of the city provides rooms at £60 per night. To get a real taste of the Meuse countryside and battlefields, the B&B 14-18 Nantillois situated 30 kilometres away from Verdun offers rooms from £29 to £43 per night. The hosts speak English and also have a private collection of war artefacts.
Where to eat:-
L’Authentique, a Michelin-starred restaurant, offers French food like veal escallops in cream and salmon quiche prepared from fresh regional produce. Le Windsor and L’Estaminet are both great bars along the Quai de Londres for a beer, glass (or two) of wine or just a cup of coffee with the creamiest Chantilly.
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