Fort de Souville –
Deutsches Alpenkorps (German Alpine Corps) against the bulwark of Verdun

In the months from June to August 1916, the area north of Fort de Souville was the scene of the heaviest fighting at the height of the Battle of Verdun. With maximum effort, the Germans wanted to reach the inner fortress ring around the city of Verdun through the capture of the village of Fleury, Fort de Souville, and the Thiaumont and Froideterre works, and advance to Forts Belleville and St-Michel on the Belleville Ridge. Then, a direct bombardment of Verdun and the Meuse bridges would have been possible. The city as well as the entire eastern bank of the Meuse would have become untenable for the French. Above all due to the heroic resistance of the garrison of Fort de Souville, these plans failed and the offensive efforts of the Germans before Verdun came to an end.