Verdun - Fort Douaumont, amazing pictures

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Douaumont

 

A bigger fortification than Fort Vaux it has almost a gripping a story – during the initial German attacks a small patrol from a Brandenburger regiment pretty much walked into the place. There are no reliable reports on exactly what happened and the defenders only numbered 57 but it may have been that the Germans disguised themselves in some distinctly French uniforms to gain access. Anyway they got in and then there was an almighty fight to get them out again – with some similar scenes to the ones at Vaux where attackers would control one part of the Fort but not the rest of it. It was originally captured in Feb 1916 and was not recaptured until October.

Inside the Fort - just one half of the huge internal connecting corridor, top level

Down to the next (wet) level. There is another, submerged, level below this

2nd level connecting corridor

 

You can actually see the workings of the massive gun turrets – here are some shots of the inside and then the outside of the same casement and cupola.

The massive, two storey internal workings of the 155mm cupola

This is the outside - you can make out the gun

Again like Vaux there is a cemetery inside – at one point the German defenders accidentally set off a grenade store in the Fort and killed 679 of their own men.

Behind the bricked up corridor is the grave of the 679 killed

Descending into the depths is very much like a cave – there is so much water leaking into the Fort that stalactites and stalagmites are forming.

On the surface you can get some idea of the vast size of the place and the pounding it took from French shelling to recapture it. Again like Vaux some parts of the Fort were repaired to allow it to function again.

A couple of observations posts and a cupola - 75mm gun or smaller

Hopefully you can make this 'bigger' put this is panning across one section of the Fort - maybe about a third of it! You can see how 'cratered' the surface is. The fighting was very intense and went on for months.

Final shot - looking beyond one edge of the main entrance (ie the rear of the Fort) towards a protecting casement. Again - the size of the place is incredible.