Fort Vaux
Encyclopedia
Fort Vaux, located in Vaux-Devant-Damloup
, Meuse
, France
, became the second Fort to fall in the Battle of Verdun
. The first fort to fall had been Fort Douaumont
which was virtually undefended and had been captured by a small German raiding party in February 1916 . Fort de Vaux , on the other hand , was fully garrisoned when it was attacked on June 2 by German assault troops. The fort had been modernized before 1914 with additional reinforced concrete top protection, like at Fort Douaumont
, and thus did resist a German heavy artillery preparation which had included shelling by 16 inch howitzers. The superstructure of the fort had been heavily damaged but the deep interior corridors and stations remained intact and can still be seen in their original condition today. One of the fort's side bunkers ("Casemate de Bourges") is still equipped with its 75mm cannon.
The defense of Fort Vaux was marked by the heroism and endurance of the garrison, including Major Sylvain-Eugene Raynal. Under his command, the besieged French garrison fended off repeated German assaults , including fighting underground from barricades inside the invaded corridors of the fort . What was left of the French garrison finally gave up after it had completely run out of drinkable water , ammunition, medical supplies and food. Raynal sent several messages to his commanding officers via homing pigeons (including the famous Vaillant), requesting relief for his soldiers. During his last communications, Major Raynal penned the phrase "This is my last pigeon."
After the capture of Fort de Vaux on June 7th, the Crown Prince of the German ruling family, the Hohenzollerns, presented Major Raynal with a French officer's sword as a sign of respect, but Raynal and his soldiers remained in captivity in Germany until the Armistice of November 11, 1918. The fort was recaptured by French infantry on November 2,1916 after an intense artillery preparation involving two long range 400mm (16") railway guns . After its recapture, Fort de Vaux was then thoroughly repaired during 1917 and fully reactivated. Several underground galleries to reach the far outside, one of them being a mile long, were dug and equipped. The water reserves were quadrupled. Light was provided now by two electric generators . The undeground installations at Fort Vaux are still in a remarkably good state of preservation. They are currently open to the public for guided visits during the day.
Vaux-devant-Damloup
Vaux-devant-Damloup is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.Population: 80.Fort Vaux is located on the territory of the commune....
, Meuse
Meuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, became the second Fort to fall in the Battle of Verdun
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
. The first fort to fall had been Fort Douaumont
Fort Douaumont
Fort Douaumont was the largest and highest fort on the ring of 19 large defensive forts protecting the city of Verdun, France since the 1890s. However, by 1915 the French General Staff had concluded that even the best protected forts of Verdun could not resist bombardments from the German 420mm ...
which was virtually undefended and had been captured by a small German raiding party in February 1916 . Fort de Vaux , on the other hand , was fully garrisoned when it was attacked on June 2 by German assault troops. The fort had been modernized before 1914 with additional reinforced concrete top protection, like at Fort Douaumont
Fort Douaumont
Fort Douaumont was the largest and highest fort on the ring of 19 large defensive forts protecting the city of Verdun, France since the 1890s. However, by 1915 the French General Staff had concluded that even the best protected forts of Verdun could not resist bombardments from the German 420mm ...
, and thus did resist a German heavy artillery preparation which had included shelling by 16 inch howitzers. The superstructure of the fort had been heavily damaged but the deep interior corridors and stations remained intact and can still be seen in their original condition today. One of the fort's side bunkers ("Casemate de Bourges") is still equipped with its 75mm cannon.
The defense of Fort Vaux was marked by the heroism and endurance of the garrison, including Major Sylvain-Eugene Raynal. Under his command, the besieged French garrison fended off repeated German assaults , including fighting underground from barricades inside the invaded corridors of the fort . What was left of the French garrison finally gave up after it had completely run out of drinkable water , ammunition, medical supplies and food. Raynal sent several messages to his commanding officers via homing pigeons (including the famous Vaillant), requesting relief for his soldiers. During his last communications, Major Raynal penned the phrase "This is my last pigeon."
After the capture of Fort de Vaux on June 7th, the Crown Prince of the German ruling family, the Hohenzollerns, presented Major Raynal with a French officer's sword as a sign of respect, but Raynal and his soldiers remained in captivity in Germany until the Armistice of November 11, 1918. The fort was recaptured by French infantry on November 2,1916 after an intense artillery preparation involving two long range 400mm (16") railway guns . After its recapture, Fort de Vaux was then thoroughly repaired during 1917 and fully reactivated. Several underground galleries to reach the far outside, one of them being a mile long, were dug and equipped. The water reserves were quadrupled. Light was provided now by two electric generators . The undeground installations at Fort Vaux are still in a remarkably good state of preservation. They are currently open to the public for guided visits during the day.