Le Mort Homme

Coordinates: 49°13′57″N 5°16′01″E / 49.232429°N 5.266860°E / 49.232429; 5.266860

"Kelly's Corner" or "Strafen's Bend" on the Esnes road. Le Mort Homme and the first line German trenches are visible in the distance. A volley of shells is exploding in the field on the right.

The heights of Le Mort Homme or Dead Man's Hill (German: Toter Mann) lie within the French municipality of Cumières-le-Mort-Homme around 10 kilometres northwest of the town of Verdun in France. The hill earned tragic notoriety for being the scene of bitter fighting in the Battle of Verdun during the First World War.

Location

The hill has two summits which are named after their height in metres: the northern crest is Côte 265 and the southern one is Côte 295. It overlooks the villages of Béthincourt to the northwest, Crow Wood and Cumières to the east and Esne to the south. The hill rises 1.55 kilometres north of the village of Chattancourt.[1] It was a great vantage point - the field of view from the hill in all directions was remarkable.[2]

History

In late February 1916, following German attacks on the right bank of the River Meuse during the Battle of Verdun, the French had established artillery batteries on the hills on the left bank commanding the opposite, right-hand bank. One of these was Le Mort Homme. These batteries caused such havoc that the Germans, belatedly, decided to attack southwards along the left bank of the river simultaneously. Their objective was Le Mort Homme and its neighbouring hills. Over the next few months, the Germans made repeated attacks, pounding the French lines, rushing their positions and ejecting the French from their wrecked trenches. French artillery would then pulverise the Germans and counter-attacks would drive them out again, the French infantry re-occupying the shell holes where the trench systems had been.[3]

Despite the terrible cost, the Germans were able to advance slowly, first capturing a neighbouring hill, Côte 304, which was dominating the approach to Le Mort Homme. Then, on 16 March, the Germans took Côte 265, labelled on their maps as Toter Mann (Le Mort Homme), but not on French maps. Finally, on 24 May, they took the second summit, Côte 295.[3]

Today

Le Mort Homme rises 1.55 kilometres north of the village of Chattancourt. From there it is accessible via road.

On the summit today is a memorial site. On the northern hillside are the remains of the German Gallwitz tunnel complex.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Colby, Frank Moore. The New International Year Book. 1917.
  2. ↑ Horne, Alistair. The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916. London: Penguin, 2007.
  3. 1 2 Klekowski, Ed and Libby Klekowski. Eyewitnesses to the Great War. Jefferson: McFarland, 2012. pp. 68-71. ISBN 978-0-7864-6348-0
  4. ↑ Rabenwald - Ravin du Corbeaux at www.verdunbilder.de. Retrieved 30 Dec 2016.
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