The German Siege of Fort Vaux | History Traveler Episode 305

After the fall of the Fort Douaumont, the mightiest fort of the Verdun fortress, the next major obstacle standing in between the German 5th Army and Verdun was Fort Vaux. What happened here would be one of the most heroic stands by the French army and would test the limits of human endurance.
Map animation by @SandervkHistory
This episode was produced in partnership with The Gettysburg Museum of History. See how you can support history education & artifact preservation by visiting their website & store at www.gettysburg...
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[@kruehli49]

I grew up in a small village just to the south of this. My family was there as part of the American occupation after WW2. You cannot believe how my imagination was stirred while playing in the remains of these fortifications. I have carried an interest in war in general throughout the 80 yrs. of my life. That interest spread to all sorts of other subjects. I've had quite an education.

[@sfromeo]

I visited Verdun and the various forts for the first time from America in 2017. Now I have been back two more times and look forward to going again. The horror of that time now is masked by the peacefulness today, but it allows one's mind to wander to that violent, desperate and live and die, minute by minute time. What a beautiful outdoor museum this section of France is. I have explored some of the small villages and towns and all the people were magnificent and kind. What a life you have lived there as well!

[@Redhand1949]

You certainly had an extraordinary childhood experience here! I have some idea of the impact, as I was a military dependent in Rome for three years in the late Sixties. It made an indelible mark on me too.

[@kruehli49]

@@Redhand1949 It opened our minds.

[@On-Our-Radar-24News]

J.D., if memory serves me correctly, the German General in charge of the offensive on FT. Vaux was so moved by the bravery and fortitude of the men inside the fort that when the French surrendered and were led out of the fort, the Germans gave them a honorable salute and treated them with respect. When the French Commanding Officer presented his saber for surrender, the German General refused and allowed him to keep it on his side which was a sign of respect and honor.

[@rgerca1593]

Other way around. The German captain presented a french sabre to Raynal as a token of appreciation.

[@On-Our-Radar-24News]

@@rgerca1593 Ah..ok...thanks for setting me straight.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

@@rgerca1593 All of the above re-enforces what I learned a few months back. Remembering how well and tenaciously the French fought in WW1 Hitler and his top brass were a bit nervous about the their invasion of Western Europe in May of 1940, they were all veterans of that war and were eyewitnesses to the French fighting like demons. So when the French collapse came they were just as surprised as anyone and quite relieved. Mind you, that collapse was due to command, control, and doctrinal failures and NOT due to the fighting abilities (or lack thereof) of the French soldiers themselves.

[@anonymousm9113]

Having experienced some combat myself, I can't imagine the horrors and deprivations that Soldiers in WWI were subjected to. The same holds true for most conflicts, but WWI was really a last and a first, in a way. It was the last major instance of what was essentially siege warfare and "storming the castle", with these large forts (WWII saw advances in tactics where large forts and defensive lines were widely either taken by surprise [Fort Ében-Émael] or bypassed [Maginot Line]) being center points for rallying a defense while being considered a massive morale boost for those who succeeded in forcing a surrender. The noise of small arms fire in those concrete and stone corridors, not to mention the heavy shells being constantly dropped. The thirst and knowing that surrender was imminent, even while your comrades continued to die around you. The uncertainty of the Germans going into what appeared to be an impenetrable fortress with an unknown number of defenders. All the while, WWI being a first was equally horrific. Gas, machine guns, large artillery, and other modern ways to kill or maim were coupled with leaders and doctrine that largely fought the same wars they had over the previous 50 years. Mass frontal assaults, heavy defensive positions dependent on supply and communication lines. The "glory of the nation", all to be cut down in one's prime by a random sniper bullet, machine gun burst, or shell impact. War is truly hell, and many of us who sit back and pick a side in any current conflict know nothing about the suffering that war brings. In the end, it's the rank-and-file commoner who's doing the dying for the bloated generals, politicians, and idealists. Medals are earned, but in the end, they are mere trinkets for the survivors and near meaningless mementoes for the families of the fallen.

[@jbeusmc]

Is this a bot?

[@anonymousm9113]

@@jbeusmc Almost, but not quite. Just a retired .mil vet who likes to comment and use different words. Gotta practice writing and keep the vocabulary fresh.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

Another thing to remember, the lights were out during the attack in the fort. So the shooting, grenades, and screams would all have been deafeningly loud and in almost pitch darkness.

[@kasienimm7733]

Great job on this part of French war history, JD! I cannot imagine what the soldiers had to endure, not only here, but all around Verdun. To memoralize their last pigeon brought tears to my eyes. And to have these brave men die from lack of water was heartbreaking.

[@jetsons101]

JD, whenever you're in a fort walking around and describing what happened so many years back, I just thing " If Those Walls Could Talk" the long-forgotten stories they could tell and just think of the horrific smell inside the fort. Great job as usual. Thanks for all your time, hard work and posting.

[@sherir4462]

I wish my high school history teacher would have been as good as you! I am always engulfed by your stories...I feel like I am there...back in time. Thank you for making history come alive! This 56 year old appreciates it!

[@RoseGma]

As a history "buff", this 60 year old also appreciates your work!

[@greggriffin1]

Great history always coming from your vids, learn more watching your vids, thats why we as a family never miss them.Thank you

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@philipcollins5440]

Man. .. Thanks, you're a gr8 history teacher. What people will go through.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@JeffreyGlover65]

Enjoying these videos about Verdun.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you like them!

[@merlijnveijk855]

There are so many beautiful forts around there. Some not allowed to enter but all the more interesting

[@philsgarage64]

Hope my fellow French citizens will discover your channel and be able to understand it in English (by the way, it would be cool to enable subtitles in other languages like French , German and others for non English speakers) . Your channel is the best I found about WW1 &2 in my own country !! I’m rewinding your channel, watching 5 to 10 of your videos a day ! You’re a great and natural storyteller, and as an (amateur)video creator myself, I see the crazy amount of work it represents. I’m learning so much with you JD (And I already knew quite a lot about WW1&2). Merci beaucoup. Hope to have the honor to meet you one day. Philippe

[@weenedonpetrol]

I live in the UK and visited Fort Vaux about 30 years ago for the day. I keep meaning to go back to spend a week in the Verdum area but life keeps getting in the way. An excellent video.

[@pauldouglas3084]

Really enjoyed the video mate can't wait for the next video mate

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks!

[@Chiller11]

Me too! With History Underground that’s always the casemate!

[@scotts707]

Love the channel!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@stallebrass]

Nice. This place has been on my list of WW1 places to visit since I played Fort De Vaux on Battlefiled 1 back in the day! Thank you.

[@anthonysmith778]

It's a great trip. Lots of trails to hike the front lines, lots of forts to explore, and see butte de vauquois where they blew up underground mines. Really compelling

[@davidking6172]

Poor soldiers, no water. I know what that is like. It must have been hell in that fort. Thanks JD it's like we are there with you.

[@kevinkonig879]

This series on the battles of WWI have been tremendous! Have learned so much history I have never heard of in any indepth way! I so enjoy your videos and appreciate all your efforts to make forgotten history forgotten no more!

[@lilwil-ns3uo]

Thank you for all of your videos. I love history, and you always manage to bring a quiet enthusiasm to history. Plus, your videos are quite interesting to watch. Thank you again for not giving up when your equipment was so rudely stolen in Greece.

[@joemabry9643]

Wow. Thank you.

[@marciar7407]

It took a few decades before my interest in WWII expanded to the Great War. I instantly learned that the Great War demands equal interest and attention. I was astounded by this war's brutality, madness, ignorance, stupidity, and slaughter😢. By the time it ended, all the "iron thrones fell" except for England, and the consequences are still with us today. Thanks for visiting these battle sites and for all your efforts to keep history alive.

[@dwaynekoblitz6032]

There's absolutely NO WAY to possibly imagine what it must have been like. The bravery of these men on both sides. Utterly unimaginable.

[@gunrunnerak4774]

An upload from my 3 favorite history channels in one day. 1. Stalin line from my man Tino Struckman 2. German WW2 war train in Bosnia from the Tattooed traveler. And now 3 being this bad boy from JD which means today turned out to be a great day!!!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@shable1436]

The drone shots are awesome, i would like you see it fly close over the terrain, and narration of what each thing was in detail

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@alexmclean760]

Brother JD has to watch what he uses his drone on there still an active french base there and NATO

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

@@alexmclean760 - Yep.

[@alexmclean760]

@@TheHistoryUnderground yeah WW1 I've been studying since 2020 after I pretty much learned all I could on pre colonial and other topics us Americans barely cover or understand sadly WW1 should be cover far more tbh

[@Chiller11]

I moved to Canada from the US a looong time ago. One of the first obvious cultural differences I noted was the relatively greater attention paid to WW1 north of the 49th parallel. I currently live 2 blocks from the birthplace of John McCrae. It’s a lovely little stone cottage maintained as a museum.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Wow!

[@bramdewin8426]

Finally got a chance to watch this. Great video, beautifully filmed and nicely edited :) Learned a lot, thanks JD !

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

🙏🏼

[@dradden1556]

Another very cool video. Thank you

[@geraldblackburn4883]

interesting, good show.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks!

[@G.S.T.K]

Superb my friend just superb

[@larryburwell8550]

JD love the military history lessons. you do a great job. thank you! Larry

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@1psychofan]

This was an awesome episode! I think it’s very interesting about those “wings” walls on the side of the fort. I thought it was to prevent fire from the enemy…I had never thought about shielding the flash of the guns from the enemy-it’s a no brained thing I (in my world of safety) had never thought of….very cool

[@michaeldouglas1243]

Outstanding episode J.D. 5 🌟

[@chrisoffer3074]

Great video looks an amazing place

[@thedude1316]

Along with the release date, the number in the thumbnail helps ensure I am watching these episodes in order of their release. Nice touch.

[@dzsloots]

Can’t wait for more amazing videos. Thanks man!

[@kruehli49]

I was 9 when we went to live in Belrupt. It was a Europe still recovering from WW2 and people were incredibly poor. Our house had bullet holes in it and it was also quite cold. There was no TV or even radio but fortunately there was a library. So I read everything in it. My Swiss husband and I went back to visit in 2005. The Hostellerie du Coq Hardi is still there and we ran into two childhood friends in Belrupt. But everything else is much changed. One notable difference is that the forests there are deciduous, unlike the typical pine forests of Northern Europe, because all of the vegetation was stripped from the land by WW1. So it is still regrowing. My father was stationed at the Maginot Caserne until De Gaulle pulled the US out of NATO. I came back to the US truly grateful for being an American. Today, most people are shocked at how much I know of military history. We children played in the woods and often found old helmets and bayonets. We didn't know how dangerous that still is.

[@dr.lareme7737]

Fort de Loncin near Liege, Belgium suffered a direct hit on the magazine by a 42cm German shell , detonating the magazine and killing a majority of the fort's occupants.

[@terrylanger2564]

Excellent as always. If I were still teaching your videos would be one of my best classroom resources.

[@irie671]

Should come to Guam the other marianas islands and explore our WWll sites

[@dfusit]

Unfortunately the French didn’t abandon the Fort System sooner, like say at the same time that they stripped the weapons from them. Not the wisest of moves. Great video again JD.

[@rgerca1593]

"Salute brave captain Tabourot, request for him the legion d'honeur". 😊 what a fight!

[@tossman1981ify]

Actually i am reading a Book about the Battle and your Video gives me an interesting Perspective about the fightings around the Forts! Thank you, especially for showing Maps and special Locations

[@larrysmith4171]

Hey JD, the forts of WW1 are very interesting. Were they used at any time during WW2? Thanks again for the videos.

[@cleverusername9369]

Some were

[@kruehli49]

They were not used again as far as I know. Hitler simply went around them and Patton's Third Army came through here on the way to Germany. The US had a hospital and supply depot at the Maginot Caserne until De Gaulle withdrew from NATO.

[@OldFrontLine]

These get better and better, JD.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

I appreciate that more than you know. Hope that these videos are doing a small bit to help generate interest in WWI.

[@jbeusmc]

The pidgin story is crazy! You would think that they would have to train them to carry the messages. Am I the only one that noticed this? Wild!

[@kevinmoraghan2088]

Wow brings back memories from 1985, great video great History that needs to be remembered. Freedom is not Free. Thanks

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@alexd2927]

What happened in those corridors is completely unimagineable

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Very.

[@lyndabarnaby5253]

I’m making myself watch these videos… hard emotionally to think of those dying and wounded in war, my God literally dying of thirst! Will keep watching because need to know and remember

[@ezpzlemonsqueezy90]

When they were captured, the survivors ears were reported to be all bleeding and they were deafened from the constant close quarters gunfire over the six days. They ran out of room for dead bodies and used them as improvised sand bags.

[@merlijnveijk855]

The story about the pigeon is tru. And you should watch the movie “verdun visions d'histoire” a movie from the twenties with veterans from the battle

[@sscinamon]

Fascinating but sad. Government starts stuff and the common man suffer on both sides. Thanks for the work you put into these videos.

[@camdodge9891]

Wow brilliant video thank you JD

[@FilipDePreter]

Looking forward to the next episode.

[@danielsibley2723]

Hey JD, I was at the GMH and the WW2 museum this past weekend and you and Erik's place is as advertised. There are a lot of places there but nothing even scratches the surface of what there is to see in GMH. It took me nearly 2 hours to put my eyes on everything and I know I still missed something. Erik is absolutely the king around there.

[@erickstiner1668]

INCREDIBLE !!! What a loss of life on both sides.

[@historyinyourhand1787]

Great video! 👋

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@Youcannotfalter]

Thanks very much for this series, I'm loving it!. cheers.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@jasonnulton4124]

Love the WWI stuff! Great work!

[@chipbleonard3]

Excellent as usual.

[@stephenrrose]

Great Video JD, Thank you for the educational video and keeping History alive! The drone shots are really cool as well! I continue to learn!!!

[@JasonStutz]

Another good one, thanks!

[@MrEaglesfan40]

Fantastic video JD I am really enjoying this series great work my friend Thank you for bring us these

[@robertvirtue]

Another beauty JD, well done.

[@raynorczyk5497]

thanks 4 the history

[@2011woodlands]

I remember the pigeon display and makeshift firing ports in the corridors from a visit in 1979, there was stalactites & stalagmites forming in some of the rooms from dripping water from the ceilings at this fort & maybe Douaumont too.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Love that pigeon story.

[@phantomtitan9792]

Another fascinating fort

[@Spearhead-lz1oq]

In the 1980's you could --- Go outside of the fort. Walk around to the front. Walk directly away with the fort at your back. Head down hill through the trees. Keep moving down hill to low areas. You will eventually find many, many piles of battle debris and evidence of earth shelters dug in the ground. This area was a place where German troops could shelter from French indirect fires.

[@merlijnveijk855]

In the eighties I did a walk from Douamount to Vaux right trough the valley. That was so interesting and what you still could find then.

[@Spearhead-lz1oq]

I know of a US Cav unit that did a unit battlefield visit to Verdun. On a whim they spread out their 50+ men and did the route you describe. They found three German helmets on the surface. I now have one of those three. Mostly intact with a large crack and steel worn thin by 70 years of exposure. In the 80's we were on our own walking around the woods with Alistair Horne's The Price of Glory and a French IGN topo map.@@merlijnveijk855

[@jasonmickey1613]

These video are fantastic and incalculable in getting a better glimpse from an historian. Thanks a lot. The day i win the big-one lottery (lol), I'm taking a 3-4 month trip to WW1 battlefields!

[@sommerzane]

Always good JD. I appreciate you.

[@Giovanni-33]

17:50 Disney made a movie called 'Valiant', about war pigeons in WW2. Pretty good film.

[@ldg1030]

Thank you JD, for another informative video. Were you the only one visiting because I didn’t see/hear anyone else?

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

There were a few others that day, but not many.

[@TBDE845]

I watch every video...great family content yet i dont get the notifications when he posts....cmon youtube...ever since the german and nazi trip i stopped getting the notifications....you are amazing story teller and historian...i wish i could have your path in youtube

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Been hearing that quite a bit. Thanks for watch though!

[@attorneyreel1181]

The horrors of that war and the bravery of the men holding out in the fort stand in sharp contrast to the trivialities of the commercial breaks during this film.

[@natbarron]

Man, why you gotta make me all emotional with those B-Rolls! 😂

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

🙂

[@surfinbird71]

I sure hope the next video will be about Meuse Argonne WW1 Cemetery. Many notable people there.

[@cyndiebill6631]

Very cool place. Love the pigeon story. Loving this series.👍😁

[@wildcolonialman]

Thank you. Fine telling, remarkable scape.

[@marvwatkins7029]

Why are there so few other visitors around when he visits these spots? Is it because he visits on weekdays or dod he arrange with the management to have the places closed just for him?

[@japt2357]

Good stuff! Hope you add an episode on WWI aerial combat

[@gravellegb]

Speaking of obsolete forts, have you visited the Maginot Line? How about Fort Knox in Maine?

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Not yet.

[@Hardbody94]

enjoying the WW1 content. Bless

[@Danjones1330]

Thanks

[@nourishEL]

This is absolutely Interesting, imagine how difficult was for the soldiers to fight in there, everything looks so cramped and there are any people, if we go back to that time where there was more than 600 soldiers inside... I mean... damn!

[@duanelawrence78]

Wow J.D. amazing history thanks for sharing!!✌️🇺🇲

[@lt.clifforthz3942]

Subscribed! Thank you for doing this. and in a very well articulated way pls do more ww1 stuff! Keep safe!

[@terryeustice5399]

Fort Vaux was another bad battle for the French. And a carrier pigeon getting an award. Is pretty cool. Sounded like bad strategy again. There was a lot of this in WW1 taking back and forth. Thanks for sharing! 💯👍

[@TheNinjaPicker]

Great series, I wonder what Verdun was like during WW2?

[@Wreckdiver59]

Funny how they were stripping the forts before WWI but went all in on the Maginot Line before WWII.

[@elloco6544]

Take a trip to the german Bundes festung of Ulm. It's all original, never had to be defended in an attack. It was built between 1842- 1859 by the prussian fortressmagician, named Major Freiherr Moritz Karl Ernst von Prittwitz und Gaffron. Some kind of concrete refreshing has been done on the outer works between 1870 and 1914. Ulm, what a f****n refreshing town, from the middle ages until now, is a story for its own. But all the work to see, how shity was life in some rural locations, far away from civilisation , corners, dug out in the last years by some motivated volunteers... Respect & chapeau!!!

[@michelclz9809]

Valiant, is an American-British animated film produced by Vanguard Studios and released in 2005. It is inspired by the story of the real pigeon Valiant, the last of the four pigeons of commandant Raynal.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@rebelscumspeedshop]

I believe JD intentionally doesn't show everything so he has a valid reason to go back to France 😅😅😅

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Ha! Busted.

[@fandoria09]

Did you do an indepth cover of the Neuengamme Concentration Camp in Hamburg, Germany? I'm seeing very few documentary on it. The reason I'm interested in it is because the dentist the Frank family took in when they were in hiding. He died at Neuengamme Concentration Camp. It's sad that not much is known about the 8, being the only surviving person out of the 8 was Otto Frank, and beyond what Anne had written. Could you please do a documentary on the 7 who lost their lives that Anne wrote about?

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

I’ll put it on the list.

[@jasonandholliehuffman8291]

Were these forts used for anything during WW2?

[@ernestbetz5982]

those nest do they have a tunnel to each of them?

[@lennardsturgess7200]

JD do you know the name of the person that is in the water reservoir

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Couldn’t go down there. I’m not 100% sure that was even a grave.

[@blank557]

Alistair Horne's book. "The Path to Glory" is the go-to book on the battle of Verdun. Personal accounts from both sides. What makes Verdun so horrific was that the Germans offensive was not designed to obtain an objective, like capturing Paris. It was designed to be a meat grinder to create a body count to break the French. An artillery war, where soldiers where used as pawns to hold lines and replaced over and over as they where blown to pieces. 1 Ten months of this, and not even Stalingrad lasted as long or created the same number of combined casualties. Yet we learned nothing from this folly, and did the same thing in Vietnam, with "body counts" to break the will of the Viet Minh to fight. The Pentagon Papers revealed this strategy wasn't working, because the entire population of North Vietnam, men, women, and children, were considered by the regime as replacements to draw from. We would have to genocide the entire nation, in a fight that was not even a declared war.

[@ezpzlemonsqueezy90]

The idea that it was originally supposed to be a meat grinder and not an actual objective to take was in Falkenhyns memoir which he wrote after the war and his dismissal, which he passed off the idea it was to be attritional battle but in reality capturing Verdun would have been hugely motivating for Germany.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

What's in the lower levels???

[@StevenJeNova]

Unbelievable amount of suffering & sacrifice - that's Fort Vaux. Worth it? Probably if you're defending your country. But the battle-moral of the French soldiers were probably close to non-existent at the end. Until recapture. Thank you!

[@Thug-12Na]

So lil info then so much now

[@steveparker7240]

I can't help but wonder exactly what kind of threat these forts posed if the Germans had simply bypassed them. Did they control a vast area with their guns, or were they oriented only out? Walk past them in the dark and take the town. Or walk around the whole thing and go to Paris.

[@frankmarullo228]

" check mate king to , this is white rook over " I guess you can tell I'm OLD do you know what series that was from ? Always been a history nut. THANK YOU FRANK FROM MONTANA.. PS If you remember please tell me. ( I know ) ...anyone.?