Fort Vaux

In 1905, a 75mm turret was installed in the fort together with three observation cupolas. A year later, two Bourges bunkers were built to cover the gaps towards Douaumont and Laufée fortification. The fort covered less than five hectares and cost 2,900,000 gold francs. It earned its place in history when the French garrison stationed there underwent an attack from 2 to 7 June 1916. The incident was heavily relayed by French propaganda to illustrate the resistance of the French “poilus”, as the soldiers were known, at Verdun.

On 26 February 1916, Fort Vaux was pounded by intense German shelling, resulting in the destruction of the passageway leading to the 75mm turret. On 9 and 10 March 1916, the Germans succeeded in approaching the fort, attacking the slopes to the north. They were driven back convincingly. Over the weeks that followed, they gradually gained ground until they were 200 metres from the fort. They eventually reached it on 2 June 1916 as part of a major offensive that set the eastern side of the battlefield ablaze, from Thiaumont Ridge to Damloup. This marked the start of a siege that was to last until 7 June 1916. The struggle began on the top of the fort, and continued along the passageways inside. With communications with the outside world limited to homing pigeons, including the famous “Vaillant”, the French garrison resisted under the orders of commander Raynal, sheltering behind barricades built in the passageways that led from the counterscarp batteries to the barracks, the nerve centre of French defences. The battle was terrifying, the dark punctuated by shots, explosions and jets of fire from the flamethrowers. Twice, during the night of 4 to 5 and the night of 5 to 6 June, friendly troops from outside failed in their attempts to drive out the enemy. At the same time, commander Raynal attempted to evacuate as much as possible of the garrison, the men exhausted and weak from thirst. Only a handful of the defenders managed to escape from the fort, among them Buffet, a young officer cadet. He not only escaped but then re-entered the fort to bring the besieged men news of a planned attack to free them, which ultimately failed. At dawn on 7 June, Fort Vaux fell to the Germans. Five months later, on 2 November 1916, the Germans abandoned the position. The French had retaken Douaumont, leaving Vaux too exposed. Before they left, they destroyed the 75mm turret and the two observation cupolas. The French marched into the fort the following day without a fight. Fort Vaux was French once more.