Verdun-sur-Meuse Off The Beaten Path Tips by mtncorg

MONTFAUCON MONUMENT

In the forests and countryside about 15 km northwest of Verdun is the village of Montfaucon - Mountain of Falcons. High on the hill lies the old ruined village - the newer town rebuilt below and to the west. Towering 200 feet above the ruins is a tall Doric column topped with a replica of the Statue of Liberty. The monument commemorates the victory of the US First Army in the Meuse-Argonne offensive of 26 September - 11 November, 1918 and to the heroic services of French troops on that battlefront. The hilltop was earlier a German observation post and was steadfastly defended in the first days of the American attack - a delaying action which allowed the Germans to bring in reinforcements which was to turn the Argonne operation into a smaller, but just as deadly, version of Verdun. 600,000 Americans were involved in the offensive. The American army had been hastily put together and their lack of experience showed - especially early on. American soldiers fought well but all modern materiel - artillery, tanks, planes and machine guns - had to be provided by the French along with the know-how to use the equipment. American tactics favored the rifle, using human wave attacks against machine guns - mistakes made by the other combatants early on in the war. 234 steps will lead you to the top of the monument where you can gaze out over the old battlefields. 26,277 Americans died in the offensive and another 96,000 were wounded.

MONTFAUCON RUINS

The ruined village of Montfaucon dates back to the 6th century and there have been many battles in the area through the millenia. The town suffered repeated pillage in the Hundred Years War and was destroyed twice in the 16th and 17th centuries. Medieval ruins can be visited to the left of the monument column. Montfaucon is far from the only village in northern France that remains destroyed from the fighting.

AMERICAN CEMETERY AT ROMAGNE-SOUS-MONTFAUCON

26 miles/42 km northwest of Verdun is the Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, the largest American military cemetery outside the US. The cemetery is 7 miles/11 km north of the Montfaucon Monument. Here lie 14,246 Americans killed - mostly dying in the last and largest American offensive of WWI - the Meuse-Argonne. The cemetery is rectangular with a memorial chapel on the high ground to the south. A grassy mall separates the grave areas from the Visitor's Building. Four large linden framed grave plots are on each side of the mall leading from a circular pool with goldfish and lilies to the memorial chapel. A stone wall over 1.5 miles long surrounds the entire cemetery.

GRAVES FROM LONG AGO

Each of the dead has his own headstone, a Star of David for those of Jewish faithe and a Latin cross for all others. 14,246 of whom 486 are unknown lying here. World War I did not leave the same effect on the American pysche as it did here in Europe. Most Americans today are unaware of the involvement that was entailed. Over 110,000 Americans were killed, far from their homes. Many were not sure why. To come on this cemetery in the middle of the French countryside is a bit surprising and unnerving.

Within the Memorial Chapel is the insignia of many of many of the American untis involved in the American Expeditionary Force. An ornamental map shows the American movements on one wall - similar to a map found within the Montfaucon Monument. 954 other names are commemorated on the wall who were listed as missing and never found - men who died in this region and also in the American expedition to northern Russia in 1919. To the southeast, the monument atop Montfaucon can be seen.