The Battle of Verdun, the longest and bloodiest of World War I, claimed the lives of over 300,000 men and injured about 400,000. Besides the horrors of the trenches, the forts played a crucial role. Built with reinforced concrete and equipped with armored turrets to withstand heavy shelling, the Verdun forts, true superstructures, were intended to defend the city. However, early in the battle, the Germans captured Fort Douaumont without a fight, followed by Fort Vaux, seriously threatening Verdun. The bravery and determination of the French soldiers (Poilus) allowed them to retake these forts under extreme conditions, thus preventing a decisive defeat for France.



Documentary: Forts of Verdun, a military chess game
Directed by: Juliette Desbois
Production: ZED

#documentary #freedocumentary #fulldocumentary #experts #itw #politics #business #science #tech #technology #battle #verdun #history #worldwar1 #trenches #horror #fort #verdunforts #defendcity #German #determination #soldiers #French #extremecondition #france

свернуть