World One War: The ‘Voie Sacree’ (Sacred Way) The Saviour of France!
60Memorials to Verdun
They shall not Pass!
The battle of Verdun in 1916 was the Armageddon of battles and ultimately one of the key battles of the First World War.
The battle became the iconic and ultimate symbol of French defiance, at any cost, in the face of German aggression.
The iconic words “They shall not pass!” of General Robert Nivelle became one of the symbols of Frances determination to triumph.
The ‘Voie Sacree’ or Sacred Way was a road that connected Bar-Le-Duc to Verdun. The road was given its name at the end of the war because it saved the French Army and possibly France itself.
In early 1915, the German High Command believed that although a breakthrough of the allied lines was no longer capable, an offensive designed to draw the French army in and annihilate it was.
Prior to this titanic battle of attrition, the German army cut all supply lines to the French stationed and garrisoned around Verdun. Ultimately the French were surrounded on three sides, unable to advance or retreat.
Since the battle, it has become clear that the French were unprepared for the assault in February 1916. In the following 10 months of slaughter, Verdun became the battle of attrition in which artillery dominated the battle.
Following March 1916, the single 45 mile road, later called Voie Sacree, allowed 3,900 trucks to pass day and night supplying Verdun. During the crisis between 21st February and 22nd March, 600 trucks per day delivered 48,000 tons of ammunition, 6,400 tons of materials and 263,000 men to the battlefield.
The situation became that bleak, that from the 21st February all horse-drawn traffic and troop movements were ordered off the road. The following month, one truck passed every 14 seconds, the road being the only route open to the French. The road subsequently suffered greatly from wear, and as a counter measure, quarries were opened to supply the road with crushed stone. Over the course of the whole battle, 8,500 men from 16 Labour battalions worked around the clock to keep the road working.
In order to compensate for the heavy use of the road, the road was widened in 1915 to 23 feet. This rustic road and organisation of transport systems was what saved Verdun in 1916.
The maintenance of the road and its vehicles was paramount. In particular a key unit was responsible for controlling traffic and servicing of vehicles, the unit numbered 8,500 men and 300 officers. Breakdown trucks were stationed along the road 24 hours per day. Those vehicles which were disabled were immediately moved to the side of the road in order to not disrupt the flow of supplies.
This vital road also had a vital rail link. Le Chemin De Fer Meusien was a narrow gauge railway which ran parallel to the road and was capable of transporting over 1,000 tons of supplies per day.
From March 1916, a standard gauge railway was created under forced construction. Then during the summer of 1916 it reconnected Verdun to the regional standard gauge network.
Ultimately, the Voie Sacree is still used as a road in the 21st century. In 2006, the route was renumbered RD1916, as a token to its importance of the most critical year of the French Army.
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