Verdun
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Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun and the Meuse river
Bird's-eye view of Verdun in 1638
Aerial photograph of Fort Douaumont towards the end of 1916
Citadel of Verdun during World War I
Fort Douaumont
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Fort Douaumont was the largest and highest fort on the ring of 19 large defensive works which had protected the city of Verdun, France, since the 1890s. By 1915, the French General Staff had concluded
Verdun
…justify the Verdun offensive, despite its failure. Verdun was the strongest point in pre-war France, ringed by a string of powerful forts, including Douaumont and Fort Vaux. By 1916, the salient at Verdun jutted into the German lines and lay vulnerable to attack from three sides. The historic city of Verdun…
Aerial view early in 1916 before major destruction in the Battle of Verdun. North is approximately at top
Main communication passage, Fort Douaumont
Captain Hans-Joachim Haupt, Lieutenant-Colonel von Oven, Captain Cordt von Brandis