Fort de Douaumont

The construction work for Fort de Douaumont started in 1885 and the fort was continually reinforced until 1913. The fort is situated on some of the highest ground in the area.
It has two subterranean levels protected by a steel reinforced concrete roof 12 metres thick. Fort Douaumont had the reputation of being the strongest fort in Europe and virtually impregnable. The German invasion of Belgium in 1914 forced military planners to radically rethink the utility of fortification in war. Belgium''s comparable forts were quickly destroyed by German artillery, and easily overrun. The decision was made in August 1915 to reduce the garrison at Douaumont and to strip the fort of virtually all its weaponry except for the 155mm and one of the 75s. In February 1916 the Germans, unaware of Douaumont''s semi-abandoned state, launched the Verdun offensive with Douaumont as a key objective. Douaumont was manned by fewer than 30 troops, assigned to fire its two largest guns.

No shots were ever fired in the capture of Fort Douaumont by the Germans. The only casualty was a scraped knee.

Dromos