A Note on Verdun

Despite the shelling and the bitter fighting which continued at Verdun in 1917, the major battles there (except for the final offensive, which would be supported by the Americans) had already been fought the year before.

Beginning in February 1916 the Germans had launched a major offensive with the objective of either taking Verdun, which they felt would have a devastating effect on French morale, or by “bleeding France white” through a battle of attrition. In fact the battle bled both sides white, with the French ceding some ground at the front lines, but tenaciously holding on to the city. The Germans, through flukes more than though military force, were able to capture Fort Douaumont, just outside Verdun, and then laid siege to Fort Vaux, which was eventually forced to surrender in early June from lack of water.

The French, under the command of Gen. Robert Nivelle, counterattacked in October, retook both forts as well as much of the ground lost earlier in the year. By the time the battle settled down in the fall, over 20 million shells had been fired into the battle zone along a front of just 15 miles. The landscape had been permanently altered. Forests had been reduced to splinters, villages had disappeared, and the surface of the ground had been so pockmarked by explosions that shell hole overlapped shell hole until the ground resembled the surface of the moon.
The pockmarked surface of the battlefield, although green again, can still be seen today at the battlefield. Estimated German and French losses on the Verdun battlefield are 420,000 dead, 800,000 gassed or wounded; nearly a million and a quarter casualties. As in other First World War battles, nearly 70% of the casualties were caused by artillery. Bodies which had been buried were disinterred by shelling, chopped to pieces and reinterred again. The horror is truly hard to conceive. According to Alistair Horne in The Price of Glory, “the compressed area of the battlefield became an open cemetery in which every square foot contained some decomposed piece of flesh.” For this reason Verdun today has not only one of the largest war cemeteries in Europe, but a huge “ossuaire” where some 150,000 unidentified and unburied corpses — or fragments of corpses — are interred.

The bulk of the fighting at Verdun was over by November 1916. It had been eased in part by the commencement of the other major western campaign of 1916, the offensive by French and British troops on the Somme, just east of Amiens. Casualties on the Somme managed to exceed even those of Verdun, for a very modest gain of ground.

In fact, since the end of 1914, the front lines in France had changed remarkably little, despite and tremendous loss of life. One reason for this was that artillery, while much improved and more deadly than ever before, was difficult to direct in an effective manner. Machine guns had also come into use, which magnified the killing potential. Both sides were experimenting with poison gas. But tanks were not yet a tool of war. Air support was in its infancy and unable to play a major role. And communications was not able to support larger, more mobile armies. Nearly all communications in the field was over telephone lines strung over the ground. At the moment of any action, when rapid communication was most needed, it was usually lost, resulting in uncoordinated, ineffective action, incidents of “friendly fire” and commanders who lacked decision-making information.

Battles eased for a few months in early 1917, with the Germans withdrawing some 50 miles from the Somme battlefield to stronger fortifications they had constructed to the rear, known as the “Hindenburg Line.” The British then attacked at Arras, and with the Canadians took the strategic point of Vimy Ridge, north of the Somme battlefield. Then at the end of April General Neville, by now the supreme commander of all the French forces, launched an offensive in Champagne between Reims and Laon at the Chemin des Dames. It was a disaster. So much so that by May 1917, as the 13th Engineers were organizing in Chicago, frustration with the mounting casualties had resulted in so-called “mutinies” in the French military, with French soldiers disillusioned to the point that, while still willing to defend the trenches, they were simply unwilling to attack. Nivelle was dismissed, and replaced by General Philippe Pétain. This was an interesting coincidence, as earlier in the war first Pétain and then Neville had commanded the 2nd French Army, to which the 13th Engineers was attached.

As the Engineers were settling in at Fleury, the British were struggling to advance at Ypres, in Belgium, in an attempt to capture the channel ports, which protected the operations of the German submarine fleet. Bad weather and stubborn resistance would see this offensive grind to a halt by December, with the loss of 325,000 British troops to gain an advance of only five miles. For many this was the lowest point of the war.

Verdun Area Map

Monday, December 10, 1917
Stayed up all night. Ilette, Archibald and myself stayed up, caught 89 out at 1:30 a.m. Reached Dugny 4:50 a.m., started to Verdun by foot. Couldn’t catch a truck but walked there, reaching Verdun at 7:00 a.m. Took us about 50 minutes to walk. We took in the city, right first to south gate. Stopped by guards three times to see our passes. The statue at entrance to east gate erected in commemoration of defenders of Verdun during siege of 1870. South gate is the “La Porte St. Victoire.” Walls are wonderful, must be 50 feet thick in places and over 200 feet high. Men command the tops with machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. The streets are crooked like Châlons and all paved. Hardly a house but what shows some marks. Roofs all shot to pieces. Was there several times but never spent lot of time there. We went through museum, it was wonderful. Great ruins were in the main square where the Meuse flows and the banks of Meuse were terrible devoid of buildings. The Germans evidently tried to destroy the main bridges but failed to hit them. Great buildings here lay prostrate and made the heart sick. Looked as though people fled in a second. Lace curtains still flutter through the windows, but they are spattered with shells. Nothing could have been more thorough.

View of Verdun – 1919

We went though the cathedral after getting a pass. Had the guard give me back my pass for a souvenir. The cathedral was wonderful. The pipe organ alone in the front was a hundred feet high and at least 50 feet across. Great columns of solid granite support a golden canopy over the altar. It is partly shot up and great holes are in the roof in three or four places. It was built in 1642. One of the most beautiful temples I have seen so far. There were no shells dropped in the city while we were there, though we got many coming home.

Pipe Organ at Verdun Cathedral

At noon we took in the citadel. Great tunnels under the ground, under the walls of the city and under the hills. About 14 miles of tunnels. A million guns could not hurt it. Built for a hundred years. Great war bakeries etc. under there and supplies for the army. Tracks run clear around under the hill. Most wonderful place one could imagine. This citadel was worked to capacity with supplies for the soldiers during the great offensive. Shells struck the walls but in no place brought them down. Double walls with double mates and lifting bridges at the gates. Between the two walls were barbed wire entanglements. The artillery was placed wheel to wheel on the great hills. Could see where Germans were at Ft. Vaux and the terrible battle fields where bones and heads still lie around. The Meuse was stained a bright red through Verdun. So pretty blue now. Walked to Dugny. Came home on perm. Here 8:00 p.m. Cold, hungry, tired.

Tuesday, December 11, 1917
Slept until 10:00 a.m. Shaved and read French lesson at 12:30 p.m. till 1:30 p.m. Turning very cold today. Wind is raw and cold. Paid off today.

Wednesday, December 12, 1917
No mail today. None in sight. Slept until 10:00 a.m., also all afternoon. Rather chilly but sun shining.

Thursday, December 13, 1917
Clear, calm, warmer today. Sun shining all day long. Many planes out and many scraps too. One brought down near Rampont with land guns. No mail yet and none reported.

Friday, December 14, 1917
Cloudy, cold but calm. Drizzling rain all day. Happy news, 59 sacks of mail tomorrow. Slept all day. Usual routine.

Saturday, December 15, 1917
Cold today but happy, got some mail today. Got three letters from Cecil, one from Zada, three from home and several cards also. Got a letter from Cronje Bartlett. Should get a bunch more soon though as we only received 54 sacks today.

Sunday, December 16, 1917
Bed at 1:00 a.m., up at 7:00 a.m. Doubling for three days. Doud has gone to Paris. Wrote Zada and Cecil last night. Going to write Cronje today.

Monday, December 17, 1917
Working 12 hours for Doud who has gone to Paris. Snow half foot thick and cold tonight. So cold. No mail. Only eight more days until Xmas. “Do your Xmas shopping early.” Ha. That old sign don’t help much here. Sent Cecil cable this morning.

Tuesday, December 18, 1917
Cold, wind, snow. Real winter. Freezing tonight. No mail. Seven more days till Xmas. Do your shopping early.

Wednesday, December 19, 1917
Cold, calm today, snow. We get a whole carload of mail tomorrow morning. Road still running smoothly. Six more days until Xmas. Do your shopping early.

Thursday, December 20, 1917
Cloudy, cold. Whole carload of mail today. One letter from Ella was all I drew. Slept all day.

Friday, December 21, 1917
Still cold. Nothing unusual happening today. Took bath in the afternoon. Went to Autrecourt with washing in the afternoon. Fifty bags of mail reported to be here tomorrow.

Saturday, December 22, 1917
Cold, clear. Got two letters, one magazine from Cecil, letter from Frances and Father. Getting ten bags tomorrow. Our Xmas mail not in sight yet. Going to have football game and minstrel show here Xmas. Also the editor of the Chicago Tribune will be here all day.

Sunday, December 23, 1917
Cold today. Took motor car and went to Clermont-en-Argonne at 1:00 p.m. Went up on a hill and could see the trenches so plain. Greatest sight I ever saw was from the top of this hill. Stopped at Crown Prince House, took pictures of old Chapel of St. Anne, built in 1352. Saw the greatest air fight have seen in France. Fifteen Germans were up at one spot, land guns tried to get them. Must have fired at least 500 shells at them. Then a Frenchman brought one down at Lempire. Cold trip but sure worth well the sights. Took some photos with the regimental camera. No mail today or tomorrow.

Monday, December 24, 1917
No mail today. No turkey. Nothing. Going to be one sad Xmas for us over here without our mail. Still that’s the hardships of war. Slept till noon today and loafed in the afternoon. Nothing to do today. Xmas will be spent much the same way.

Tuesday, December 25, 1917
Christmas Day. Somewhere in France. No mail. Our mail was not delivered. It probably will not be here now until late on account of the scarcity of tonnage. We are gloomy but not complaining, for we are good soldiers. Had turkey, figs, nuts for dinner and Archibald invited me to share a plum pudding with him he got from the States. He also gave me a fruitcake as the had three of them. Snowed hard all day. Typical Xmas day. Am real blue. Here’s hoping next Xmas…

Wednesday, December 26, 1917
No mail today, but carload coming tomorrow on 25. Cold and clear, moon like a lamp. Can see a mile tonight. Snow all over. Played checkers this afternoon.

Thursday, December 27, 1917
Very cold, clear as a bell. Boche plane straight overhead at 11:00 a.m., some fights all day long. Mail car failed to show up, though they found it at Revigny and it’s coming up special tonight. Worked for Doud while he went to Souilly to take a bath. Had a bad sideswipe and buckling of 26 at Souilly. Killed a Frenchman and one of our men, a brakeman named Van Risseghem, B company. Will be buried here tomorrow. Our second death in the regiment.

Pvt. Prudent R. Van Risseghem

Friday, December 28, 1917
Snow about eight inches deep. Unpacked all boxes, but nothing for me. Got a box of candy from Burl road. Also a can of candy from S.F. Went to the graveyard on the hill at 10:00 a.m. to bury the lad from Company B killed yesterday at Souilly. Snowing so hard. Big crowd. We gave him a military burial. Gun squad commanded by McKee. Taps sounded so sad I almost cried. He is the first of our regiment to lie in the graveyard back of us. We always wondered who would be first. Who will be the next one?

Saturday, December 29, 1917
Cold, clear. Played checkers in barracks with Aleck all day. Washed, shaved and had hair cut. Nothing new going on now. Got notice in the paper of a carload of mail shipped from the port of St. Nizier, will probably reach us tomorrow or the next day. The paper said a storm at sea delayed the Xmas boat.

Sunday, December 30, 1917
Clear, cold, beautiful Sunday. Inspection 11:00 a.m. Shaved, bathed, etc. for it then they failed to show up. Played checkers all afternoon with Robbie and Ears. Mail has not yet shown up. Still on the road somewhere.

Monday, December 31, 1917
Soon be New Years now. Three hundred bags of mail tomorrow. Going to have at least seven or eight packages. “Merci Beaucoup.” Gave French kids candy and all kinds of stuff. Also sent smokes to hospital.

Tuesday, January 1, 1918
New Years Day. Now comes 1918, the deciding year and then in a few months we shall know whether we will be here by 1919 or not. Cold. Mail arrived today, oodles papers, two boxes from Cecil, one Reg and one cap.

Wednesday, January 2, 1918
Cold. No more mail. Shaved, did nothing all day. Routine.