Attractions and Places To See around Récicourt - Top 14

This hill in the Argonne was the scene of fierce mine warfare between French and German forces during WWI. From 1915 to 1918, both sides dug extensive tunnel networks under the hill, causing hundreds of explosions and thousands of deaths. Today, impressive craters, trenches and underground passages can be seen – a poignant reminder of life and fighting underground.

Ravin du Génie: Located in the woods of Lachalade, less than 1.2 km from the front line, this ravine was an important logistical camp for the French engineers during WWI. Soldiers found rest there, and equipment was stored for mine warfare in the Argonne. Today it is an open-air museum with the remains of barracks, warehouses and trenches – a tangible reminder of daily life behind the front. Free access with information panels.

Villages détruits, Cumières-le-Mort-Homme is one of the nine villages that were destroyed during the Battle of Verdun. Historical context: Nine villages: Beaumont-en-Verdunois, Bezonvaux, Cumières-le-Mort-Homme, Douaumont, Fleury-devant-Douaumont, Haumont-près-Samogneux, Louvemont-Côte-du-poivre, Ornes and Vaux-devant-Damloup. They were all in the “Red Zone” of the front line in the Battle of Verdun. The villages were wiped off the map and never rebuilt. Erected chapels remind passers-by of this war horror. Triggered to the disappeared villages? Click through to https://www.landofmemory.eu/nl/sites-historiques/vernielde-dorpen/#:~:text=Vernielde%20dorpen,-In%20de%20Maasstreek&text=Deze%20dorpen%20zijn%20Beaumont%2Den,geveegd%20en%20never%20weer%20opopbouw.

At this location, you are standing in front of the memorial of Blessed Jeanne Gérard, a nun with the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, who devoted her life to the sick and the poor and met a tragic end. In fact, she was beheaded during the Terror. Jeanne Gérard was the first of the four nuns to be guillotined on 25 June 1794. In 1920, they were all beatified by Pope Pius X. Historical context: Because Jeanne Gérard refused to take the constitutional oath, she was arrested and transferred to Cambrai in 1794, where she was guillotined. She was beatified in 1920 and given the title of ‘Blessed’. A monument was erected in Cumières in her memory in 1960. A bas-relief of her image is still visible.

The German offensive to conquer Verdun began in February 1916. In early March, the fighting took place on the heights of Mort-Homme. The French put up a heroic resistance under a torrent of fire. In this sector, 10,000 poilus died. Monument du Mort-Homme, by sculptor Jacques Froment-Meurice. The soldier's skeleton detaches itself from its shroud and lets out its cry of victory. On one arm, he carries a flag, the symbol of the nation for which he sacrificed himself, and on the other arm, he waves the torch of victory. At the foot of the monument, the phrase "They have not passed" recalls the sacrifice of French fighters for the possession and preservation of this observation hill on the left bank of the Meuse. The village of Cumières, declared a "dead village for France", became Cumières le Mort-Homme in 1922. In memory of the village, the Saint-Rémi chapel was built with the stones of the old church, in the middle of an enclosure, preceded by a monument to remind us that there was a peaceful village here. More information on https://www.tourisme-verdun.com/decouverte/post/site-du-mort-homme

https://verdun1916.eu/?p=7570 The hill of Vauquois (Butte de Vauquois), about 25 kilometers northwest of Verdun, is 295 meters high and was, due to its location, an excellent vantage point for those who wanted to defend the northern Argonne, together with the hill of Les Eparges, which is about the same distance southeast of Verdun. The Germans had already captured the village of Vauquois and the hill without a fight in September 1914. The village and the hill were immediately fortified. Caves and underground passages were cut and dug in the limestone soil. The total length of the passages was no less than 15 km. With loopholes one could cover a large area, and one could count on artillery support from Cheppy and Montfaucon. It was an excellently built defense line. The French were keen to recapture this hill, partly because Verdun was threatened by it. First Battles for Vauquois The French attacked on 28 October 1914 without artillery support, and ran straight into a barrage of bullets and shells. Within an hour the attackers were out of action. The next day there was another attack, but this time with artillery support. It was another failure on this well-defended position. Until the end of February, attacks were made repeatedly on the village and the hill, with or without artillery support. The losses were enormous, especially on the French side.

Cumières-le-Mort-Homme (with the predestined name) is one of the eight completely destroyed villages in the red zone of Verdun. It was in February 1916 that the heaviest fighting took place. 10,000 hairy people died in this sector. In 1922, the town was declared a "dead village for France". Two kilometers in the woods of the hill, you find the statue of the sculptor Jacques Froment-Meurice which is related to the event.

During the First World War a 'mine war' literally pulverized the hill: the mine craters on the Butte de Vauquois. A monument marks the site of the old destroyed village.