The heights of ''Le Mort Homme'' or Dead Man's Hill (german: Toter Mann) lie within the French municipality of

Cumières-le-Mort-Homme Cumières-le-Mort-Homme is a ghost commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Since the end of the Battle of Verdun in 1916, it has been unoccupied (official population: 0), as have Bezonvaux, Beaumont-en-Verdunois, ...

around north-west of the city of

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The hill became known during the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

as the site of much fighting.

Location

The hill has two summits which are named after their height in metres: the northern crest is 265 and the southern one is 295. These names were not used at the time, setting aside that modern survey has measured their heights at 287 and 280 metres respectively. It overlooks the villages of Béthincourt to the north-west, Crow Wood and Cumières to the east and

Esnes Esnes () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry Monuments *Castle See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic. The communes ...

to the south. The hill rises north of the village of Chattancourt. It was a great vantage point - the field of view from the hill in all directions was remarkable.Horne, Alistair. ''The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916''. London: Penguin, 2007.

History

In late February 1916, following German attacks on the right bank of the

River Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

during the Battle of Verdun, the French had established artillery batteries on the hills on the left bank commanding the opposite, right-hand bank. The French artillery caused so many casualties that the Germans decided to attack southwards along the left bank of the river simultaneously to capture and its neighbouring hills. Over the next few months, the Germans made repeated attacks, pounding the French lines, rushing their positions and ejecting the French from their wrecked trenches. French artillery would then pulverise the Germans and counter-attacks would drive them out again, the French infantry re-occupying the shell holes where the trench systems had been.Klekowski, Ed and Libby Klekowski. ''Eyewitnesses to the Great War''. Jefferson: McFarland, 2012. pp. 68-71. Despite the cost, the Germans had identified in March that the key to taking Le Mort Homme was 304, which dominated the approach to and was able to fire on the Germans attacking the hill. German attacks on 304 had begun on 23 March but the French defended it stubbornly, fighting off many attacks. On 9 April, the Germans launched a second assault on both hills, once again the French held and the attack failed. It was not until 6 May that 304 fell, following a 36 hour bombardment that had begun on 3 May and bitter hand-to-hand fighting. On 24 May, the Germans took the second summit, 295. 265, labelled on German, but not French, maps as the (). After three months of bitter fighting Le Mort Homme was in German hands. The hills would be retaken by the French in August that year.

Today

Le Mort Homme rises {{cvt, 1.55, km, mi, 0 north of the village of Chattancourt. From there it is accessible via road. On the summit is a memorial site with monuments, dominated by the 1922 skeleton sculpture by Jacques Froment-Maurice that commemorates the French 69th Division. On the northern hillside are the remains of the German Kronprinz Tunnel (Gallwitz tunnel complex).''Rabenwald - Ravin du Corbeaux''
at www.verdunbilder.de. Retrieved 30 Dec 2016.

References

External links

''Höhe Toter Mann (Le Mort Homme)''
(German)

(German) History of Lorraine Battle of Verdun France in World War I Landforms of Meuse (department)