Fort Douamont was one of a string of French forts built along the Cotes de Meuse hilltop range, which became a focal point of bitter fighting between the German and French armies during the World War I Battle of Verdun in 1916. Essential Links to Prepare a Trip to France, WW1 Memorial Sites in France the Honor ANZAC and Common Wealth Troops, We Won’t Mention Memorials to French Soldiers, Annie talks about things to see in London, The First Battle of the Marne in Sept 1914, about 750,000 casualties, The Battle of the Somme in July to November 1916, over a million casualties, The Battle of Verdun in February thru Dec 1916, 700,000 casualties. respects your privacy. World War I Sites in France Perhaps the most significant WWI site in France is the Somme Valley, where the infamous Battle of the Somme was fought in 1916 and the Allies marched to victory in 1918. So, what were the major battles of WW1 in France? U.S. casualties at the Battle of Argonne Forest totaled 117,000. The skeleton of a church stands at the site once occupied by the village of Ornes on August 27, 2014, near Verdun, France. When you visit the north east corner of France, you’ll run into a lot of memorials and monuments and small museums. The memorial is done tastefully, provides an informative booklet (if you read it, that is!) Soldiers from many countries fought and died in France during WW1. Poziers is one of the sites that make up the Circuit of Remembrance, a route along which visitors can explore the Battlle of the Somme. This touching memorial is dedicated to the British and South African troops that were reported missing in the Somme. Annie Sargent is the producer of the Join Us in France Travel Podcast. “World War I was the most colossal, murderous, mismanaged butchery that has ever taken place on earth. })(document, 'script', '//aff.bstatic.com/static/affiliate_base/js/flexiproduct.js'); Let someone else know because word-of-mouth is magnifique :-), EPISODE DATE: November 7, 2018  —  Episode Page LAST UPDATED ON May 20, 2019. The trenches at the site of the Newfoundland Memorial are some of the best preserved of their kind and offer visitors an invaluable insight into the conditions of the Great War. Copyright   : Website In today's episode, we start with the memorial in Pozières between Arras and Amiens. Bezonvaux, like a host of other villages in the region, was obliterated during the intense artillery and trench warfare between the German and French armies during the Battle of Verdun in 1916, and was never rebuilt. We’re a French-American family: Annie born and raised in France but lived in the US for 20 years, David born and raised in the US but living in France for over 13 years. There's a host of fascinating WWI Battlefields in France to visit and among the very best are the Somme battlefields, Verdun and  Pozieres. There are some spectacular memorials in Belgium too BTW. The Chapel of the Souvenir Francais is a memorial to French soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Somme. There are thousands of sites and I haven’t visited most of them yet! And even if you don’t want to make WW1 the theme of your trip, these are places that are worth a visit if you’re near Lille, Amiens, Arras, Verdun, the North of France and Alsace in general. WW1 is just as omnipresent in the north-east of France as WW2 memorials are in Normandy. Went to the Notre-Dame-de-Lorette International Memorial, at Ablain-Saint-Nazaire near Arras. It is estimated that, for every square meter of territory on the front from the coast to the Swiss border, a ton of explosives fell. Monash Center is nearby, it is a recent museum that shows multi-media presentations (bring your smart phone and some earbuds if you have them, they’ll also rent you some there). Mostly French casualties, so we won’t talk about that today. And yet, the village is back, along with poignant memorials to the memories of the 10,000 mostly Australians who gave their lives there. There are several things you can visit in this area: Musée Jean & Denise Letaille : This is a private collection from someone who is passionate about keeping the memory of Commonwealth soldiers who gave their lives in France. The memorial is set amidst the site of this battle and the surrounding landscape bears the scars of the war, including mine and shell craters. The preserved trenches and craters are part of the grounds on which the Newfoundland regiment made their unsuccessful attack on July 1, 1916, the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. #, Stone crosses marking the graves of German soldiers are overtaken by time and and the growing trunk of a tree in Hooglede German Military Cemetery on August 4, 2014, in Hooglede, Belgium. The other reason why I hesitated to do this episode is because this is so complicated to put together. This year will mark the passing of a full century since the end of World War I—a hundred years since the “War to End All Wars.” In that time, much of the battle-ravaged landscape along the Western Front has been reclaimed by nature or returned to farmland, and the scars of the war are disappearing. The Menin Gate, also known as the Ypres Memorial, is situated in Belgium and is one of the most important war memorials in the country and indeed the world. An unexploded World War I shell sits in a field near Auchonvilliers, France, in November of 2013. When in Bullecourt you can visit 3 sites: There aren't as many WW1 memorials in France because America didn't send as many troops as other countries. The U.S. suffered approximately 10,000 casualties in the month-long battle. A tree grows in the World War I London trench at Douaumont near Verdun, France, on March 30, 2014. It’s not huge, but it looks like a wonderful memorial place. It’s also one of the most iconic Parisian landmarks and is one that’s probably on your travel bucket list already. We haven’t talked about most of these places yet on the show, they are not the most “touristy” places in France, which doesn’t mean they’re not interesting if you’re in the mood for something off the beaten track in France. Nearly 100 years before U.S. soldiers, including marines from the 6th Regiment, repelled repeated assaults from a German advance at Belleau Wood only 60 miles from Paris. And these figures do not include the civilian deaths due directly or indirectly to the effects of war. The remains of trenches are seen in the Newfoundland Memorial Park at Beaumont Hamel on May 17, 2016, near Albert, France. with all the information from this web site and locations of Australian Burials.Also follow @anzacsif on Twitter for reminders of the events detailed here.. #, Part of the fort of Douaumont on the battlefield of Verdun, in Douaumont, eastern France, on May 17, 2016. This is the place where Australians entered into the fighting for WW1 and almost 6000 of them were slaughtered in that one battle. A drone's-eye view of the preserved World War I battlefield at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Monument in Beaumont-Hamel, France, on June 10, 2016.