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Fort Douaumont

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In early 1916, believing that the fortress was not strong enough to withstand German artillery, General Joseph Joffre stripped the fortress of most of its men and guns. In February 1916, German forces took the fort easily in the opening days of the Battle of Verdun. Later, Jones learned that Nivelle eventually was able to capture the fort. Construction work started in 1885 near the village of Douaumont, on some of the highest ground in the area. Over subsequent years, the fort was continually reinforced until 1913. It has a total surface area of 30,000 square metres and is approximately 400 metres long, with two subterranean levels protected by a steel reinforced concrete roof 12 metres thick resting on a sand cushion. These improvements had been completed by 1903. The entrance to the fort was at the rear. Two main tunnels ran east-west, one above the other, with barracks rooms and corridors to outlying parts of the fort branched off of the main tunnels. The fort was equipped with numerous armed posts, a 155 mm rotating/retractable gun turret, a 75 mm gun rotating/retractable gun turret, four other 75 mm guns in flanking "Bo The village was destroyed during World War I. Today the Douaumont ossuary, which contains the remains of thousands of soldiers killed in the Battle of Verdun, remains. In 1916, Douaumont fell to the Imperial German Army without a shot being fired.

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Fort Douaumont

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near Verdun, France

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The village was destroyed during World War I. Today the Douaumont ossuary, which contains the remains of thousands of soldiers killed in the Battle of Verdun, remains. In 1916, Douaumont fell to the Imperial German Army without a shot being fired. Construction work started in 1885 near the village of Douaumont, on some of the highest ground in the area. Over subsequent years, the fort was continually reinforced until 1913. It has a total surface area of 30,000 square metres and is approximately 400 metres long, with two subterranean levels protected by a steel reinforced concrete roof 12 metres thick resting on a sand cushion. These improvements had been completed by 1903. The entrance to the fort was at the rear. Two main tunnels ran east-west, one above the other, with barracks rooms and corridors to outlying parts of the fort branched off of the main tunnels. The fort was equipped with numerous armed posts, a 155 mm rotating/retractable gun turret, a 75 mm gun rotating/retractable gun turret, four other 75 mm guns in flanking "Bourges Casemates" that swept the intervals and several machine-gun turrets. Entry into the moat which was surrounding the fort was interdicted by Hotchkiss anti-personnel revolving cannons located in wall casemates or "Coffres" present at each corner. With hindsight, Douaumont was much better prepared to withstand the heaviest bombardments than the Belgian forts that had been crushed by German 420mm howitzers in 1914. However, the German invasion of Belgium in 1914 had forced military planners to radically rethink the utility of fortification in war. Belgium's forts were quickly destroyed by German artillery, and easily overrun. Hence, in August 1915, General Joffre approved the fateful decision to reduce the garrison at Douaumont and at other Verdun forts. So Douaumont was stripped of all its weaponry except for the two turreted guns that were too difficult to remove: one 155 mm and one 75 mm gun. Conversely, the two "Casemates de Bourges" bunkers, one on each side of the fort, were totally disarmed of their four 75's. The garrison was mostly middle-aged reservists, under the command of the city's military governor and not the field army. In early 1916, believing that the fortress was not strong enough to withstand German artillery, General Joseph Joffre stripped the fortress of most of its men and guns. In February 1916, German forces took the fort easily in the opening days of the Battle of Verdun. By September 1916, the fort remained in German hands. Seeking to retake the fort in order to assuage the politicians, General Joffre put General Robert Nivelle in charge of the 2nd Army at Verdun, with orders to retake the fort. As a courier, Indiana Jones witnessed one of Nivelle's attempts to attack the fort, resulting in casualties and no progress. Later, Jones, working as a spy, learned that the Germans were bringing in Big Bertha howitzers, but Nivelle was forced to order another attack to retake the fort. Though General Henri Philippe Pétain confirmed Jones' intelligence and called off the attack, General Joffre arrived and ordered the attack to be restarted and Jones was given the orders to deliver to the front lines. Realizing that the attack would be futile against the big guns, Jones secretly destroyed the orders and fled the area. Later, Jones learned that Nivelle eventually was able to capture the fort.