There was no greater testament that Imperial Germany’s plan to “Bleed the French white” at Verdun had spectacularly backfired than the recapture to the lynchpin fortress of Fort Douaumont.

Douamont had been captured within four days of the battle, with relative ease, a time when it seemed that the Verdun salient would fall to the Germans.

However, early German successes were met with dogged French defence as General Robert Nivelle exhorted his men to hold: vous ne les laisserez pas passer (you shall not let them pass).

Verdun became a byword for futility, with the French fighting the seemingly unstoppable German army to a standstill and then gradually, yard by yard rolling them back to their starting positions. Nine months of the some of the most brutal and uncompromising fighting in human history.

The French Offensives of October, is when the Germans defences finally buckled. Douamont, was one of the final pieces of the jigsaw of victory as it occupied a key observation point for the both banks of the Meuse river. Under cover of fog on the 24th the French attacked from nearby Souville Hill taking some 6000 German prisoners. The nearby Fort Vaux, which had earlier in this epic battle been the scene of a famous French defence, was recaptured a week later. The German tide had been turned and wouldn’t again crash into the allies until the spring offensive of 1918.

Sophie’s Great War tours runs regular bespoke, personalised, visits to Fort Douaumont and the Verdun battlefield. Tours of this iconic battlefield, which can be said to have changed world history, can be combined with visits to Paris and the beautiful Champagne region nearby. Sophie’s Great War Tours has an unrivalled reputation for designing bespoke experiences which combine the very best that France has to offer with exceptional knowledge of the battles of WW1 and WW2. If you want to visit Verdun - see and walk the trenches of WW1 today - then consider Sophie’s Great War Tours for your needs.