Marc Stéphane

Standing in the doorway to their underground shelter, Marc Stéphane had suggested to his superior, Lieutenant Robin, two possible solutions to the critical situation in which they and seven other light infantrymen of the 59th Regiment found themselves.

It was late morning on 22 February 1916 and the second massive and dreadful round of shelling in the Caures Woods had finished just a few minutes previously. The second barrage of Trommelfeuer had been raining down on the French trenches north of Verdun since the previous day. They’d been pounded by up to 3,000 explosions a minute for nearly 13 hours! The roar of the shells faded into the distance, announcing the resumption of the previous day’s enemy attack.

Led by Robin, the light infantrymen started to make their way out of the shelter. But it was too late - the Germans were already further back and now they had encircled the hide-out. That was when the lieutenant turned to “Grandpa”, as they called Marc Stéphane, a 44 year old novelist. “Well, what are we going to do then?” cried the officer, overwhelmed by the situation. Coldly, “Grandpa” set out the two possible solutions: death or surrender. With no response forthcoming from the officer, Stéphane opted for surrender, to the great relief of the rest of the soldiers.

Held at gunpoint by a German officer supported by a flamethrower operator, Stéphane and his companions left their shelter. They joined the flood of 1,100 men lost defending Caures Woods on 21 and 22 February 1916. In captivity, Marc Stéphane wrote his memoires in a book published in 1929 under the title “Ma Dernière Relève au Bois des Caures” (My last spell of duty in Caures Woods).