Verdun WW1 Battlefield site, Verdun-sur-Meuse, France. March 2014
Seen here: French Officers including Marshall Petain on his horse and Soldiers, some from French overseas dominions line the Voie Sacree south of Verdun towards Bar le Duc.
The Voie Sacree or Sacred Way between Verdun and Bar le Duc. The road played a vital role in supplying Verdun during WW1. Every one of the 57 Kilometres a commemoration stone has been placed capped with a Poilu helmet. At the nothern end of the road at the junction of the N3 and the N35 west of Verdun is the Voie Sacree Memorial where there is a carved depiction of the raod in action in 1916. Towards Souilly are a series of life size photographic cut outs of leading figures involved in the French defense of Verdun including Marshal Petain on his horse.
The Battle of Verdun lasted 9 months, 3 weeks and 6 days between 21 February and 20 december 1916. It was the longest and one of the most costly battles in human history; recent estimates increase the number of casualties to 976,000.
Caption information below from wikipedia:
The Voie Sacrée ("Sacred Way") is a road that connects Bar-le-Duc to Verdun (Meuse), France. It was given its name after the end of World War I because of the vital role it played during the Battle of Verdun.
History
After March 1916, along the 72 km (45 mi) of the "Voie Sacrée", transport vehicles were on the move day and night ferrying troops, armaments, and supplies to the Verdun battlefield. During the initial crisis of 21 February to 22 March, 600 trucks per day had already delivered 48,000 tons of ammunition, 6,400 tons of other material and 263,000 men to the battlefield. Beginning on February 21, all horse drawn traffic and troop movements on foot had been ordered off the road leaving it open for truck and motor car traffic only. After March 1916, one truck passed every 14 seconds, submitting the road to considerable wear and tear. Quarries had to be opened nearby to supply the road with crushed st