24 February 1916. Day 4 - German advances, French losses

By the end of the third day of the battle it was beginning to dawn on French commanders that they were facing an increasingly desperate situation.

In his book 'The First World War: An Illustrated History' (1963) AJP Taylor  recounts a peculiar tale involving the French Prime Minister, Briand, and the Commander of French forces on the Western Front, Marshal Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre. A more detailed analysis of this event will eventually appear elsewhere on this blog.

The German focus on the fourth day of the battle remained concentrated on the right bank of the Meuse. French artillery on the left bank, still unmolested by German bombardments began to concentrate fire on German movements to the east of the river.

As the fourth day of the battle came to a close, German forces had occupied a number of key strategic points to the north of the city. These included Cote 344, the Bois de Fosses, the Bois de Chaume and the village of Ornes.

A German postcard of the aftermath of the Battle in the Bois de Fosses.

The Bois de Chaume - February 1916.

The village of Ornes joined the list of east bank communities that were not re-built after the war and becomes one of the 'ghost villages' of Verdun. Even though a few houses and a handful of permanent residents remain, the village is classified as having "died for France".

Ornes - before and after 1916

A note on the geography of the battle . . . 

The River Meuse cuts through the centre of the city of Verdun.
Accounts which refer to the 'left bank' of the Meuse are focussing mostly on the 'west' bank.
References to the 'right/east' bank are usually referring to events that are to the north of the city.