DESTROYED VILLAGE OF VAUX DEVANT DAMLOUP

Vaux-devant-Damloup is a unique destroyed village since, being at the edge of the "red zone," it has managed to gradually rebuild a new small village close to the old destroyed village, which shares the same characteristics as its eight unfortunate companions.

Belonging to the Chapter of Verdun before the Revolution, it has always been a prosperous village throughout its history.

The presence of Fort Vaux nearby has always somewhat disrupted the village's history. Indeed, from its construction between 1881 and 1884, the village was heavily involved in accommodating the numerous workers rotating through; similarly during the significant reinforcement works undertaken on the Fort from 1888 to 1912.

In 1915, the decision by the general staff to partially disarm all the forts transferred the defensive effort particularly to the villages. Thus, Vaux, located to the north of its Fort and in contact with the Woëvre plain, naturally became an important point in the defense system of the Verdun entrenched camp.

During the great German offensive launched at the end of February 1916, it became one of the major German objectives after the capture of Douaumont, which fell on March 2, and before the capture of Fort Vaux.

After fierce fighting within its walls, the village fell into German hands on March 31, 1916. The French bombardments of April then followed the German bombardments of March, only intensifying the complete annihilation of the village. After the village fell, the 50th German division hastened to seize Fort Vaux, which heroically resisted from June 2 to 7, 1916, under the command of Commander Raynal.

This tragic episode became a forever famous feat of arms, as the garrison, running out of drinking water and fighting in the fort's galleries for days, eventually surrendered to the Germans, who, admiring the bravery of the surviving soldiers, decided to grant them military honors upon their exit from the Fort.

In 1918, the village of Vaux-devant-Damloup found itself within the limits of the infamous "red zone," prohibiting any reconstruction.

In 1919, it was also listed among the destroyed villages and, during the interwar period, its war memorial and the Saint Philippe and Saint Jacques shelter chapel were built, similar to the other eight destroyed villages. However, its location at the edge of the zone and the presence of the Eastern Railway Company's railway, which obtained permission to house its ten service agents on the site of Vaux-devant-Damloup, allowed the village to gradually regain new life over the years, starting from the interwar period. It now has a very active life oriented towards the future, especially the Internet, while not denying the tragic past of the old destroyed village, still present at its doorstep and in the memory of its 70 inhabitants.

To see:

• The Saint Philippe and Saint Jacques shelter chapel;
• The war memorial in honor of the soldiers who died in Vaux (it bears the inscription: "They shall not pass");
• Fort Vaux;
• The Vaux pond;
• The war memorial of the 1st Battalion of Foot Chasseurs near the pond;
• The memorial stone for the aviator Dussumier-Latour, shot down on June 2, 1916, on the pond's dam.