we're walking to one of the villages that used to stand on this site was obliterated during the war
so let us visit one of the devastated villages in the Verdun fleury-devant-douaumont to get a glimpse
of the fighting and destruction of a village until the great war fleury-devant-douaumont was a
peaceful hard-working community from the past work reflected the passing seasons of the year
one they merged into the next with an alternation of seeing and harvesting
tree felling and grape harvesting there were years of famine in times of prosperity
the invasions of 1792 1814 and 1870 ignored this wooded hills where wolves could still be seen
there were farms and smithys a bakery and a grocery cafe a church and a school
a town hall and a weaver's workshop time seemed to have stood still in the village
but after 1870 it sadly took a new faster pace
the narrow gauge Verdun-Douaumont railway passed through the village
then came the construction of the redoubt de souville and other forts around the area
and the intermediate look outposts all which filled the streets with workers and soldiers
on august 1914 the population of 400 watched as regiments from verdun march through the village
on their way to cover the front in september the battle of the marne brought the front to within
just a few miles of the north and northeast of the village
in 1915 intact and full of troops it was part of the fortified region of verdun
on the snowy morning of february 21 1916 the village was awakened by the shelling
before the german attack the horizon was ablaze but the news were contradictory
and scarce villagers were told to evacuate and they left in their carts and led their livestock
the fall of the fort douaumont on the 24th brought the village within the sights of the german troops
the shelling pitted rooftops while trenches and shelters turned cellars into centers of resistance
the destruction was to continue and by May
all that remain of the village was a hurdle of smoking ruins
on june 7th the loss of fort vaux placed the village on the front line this was the village's final
agony which lasted until august when the last few years were launched along the front during
the battle the village changed hands 16 times the bitter fighting continued around the ruins
half concealed in the chaos of the battlefield on august 17th and 18th the french regiment
which had been fighting in the ruins for 10 days were successful in recapturing the village
and by october such offensives resulted in the recapture of douaumont and vaux
the land rendered so unhabitable that officials decided not to rebuild it
as the land around the municipality was polluted with corpses ammunition explosives
and poisonous gas it was deemed too contaminated for farming to resume by 1918 fleury-devant-douaumont
was a village that laid down its life for france like eight other villages on the verdun front
however the grateful nation left its legal status intact it has a mayor and faithful followers
the village has been brought back to life the Association National du Souvenir de la Bataillle de Verdun
and the office National des Forets have marked outlines of its streets and the site of its houses
visitors can see the village fountain where laughter rang
out while people fetched the crystal clear water
since 1979 the statue of our lady of europe
looks down from the west front of the vital channel calling for fraternity and peace
the verdun memorial on the other hand was built on the site
of the old railway station of the village there people can get
a greater understanding of the suffering and misery of the man who took part on it
in memory of Fleury-devant-Douaumont
a street in bavaria was named after it for the german soldiers who fell here
so that's it for the history of the village it's tragic end and rebirth until next time
bye so guys if you like our videos please subscribe to our channel and feel free to
comment hit the bell hit the bell hit the bell hit the bell come on guys hit the bell
for notifications and don't forget to
share and like