The Fortifications of Verdun 1874-1917

by Clayton Donnell, Brian Delf (Illustrator)

Overview

Featuring illustrations throughout, this concise volume explores the development of the fortress of Verdun and the climactic battle that took place around it.

The ring of fortifications protecting the city of Verdun on the Meuse River would become critical in the infamous battle of World War I. This book examines these fortifications, including the famous forts of Douaumont and Vaux that saw some of the fiercest fighting during the battle.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782002093
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/20/2012
Series:	Fortress , #103
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Clayton Donnell has had a life-long fascination with European fortifications. He spent his early years living in Switzerland and Belgium, and often visited the sites of the forts. His books include two previous titles in the Osprey Fortress series: The Forts of the Meuse in World War I and The German Fortress of Metz 1870–1944. Clayton is retired from the US Military and lives in Pennsylvania.

Brian Delf began his career working in a London art studio producing artwork for advertising and commercial publications. Since 1972 he has worked as a freelance illustrator on a variety of subjects including natural history, architecture and technical cutaways. His illustrations have been published in over 30 countries. Brian lives and works in Oxfordshire.
Clayton Donnell has had a life-long fascination with the Brialmont forts built at Liège and Namur. He spent his early years living in Belgium, and often visited the sites of the forts. Over the years he has amassed a large collection of material relating to this period, and has translated much of it from French to English. He has previously co-written Modern European Military Fortifications, 1870-1950: A Selected Annotated Bibliography (Praeger, 2004), and has created websites on the forts of Liège and Namur, and the Maginot Line.
BRIAN DELF began his career producing artwork for advertising and commercial publications. Since 1972, he has worked as a freelance illustrator on a variety of subjects, and books which he has illustrated have been published in more than 30 countries.

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Chronology 7

Design and Development 8

Tour of the Site 24

Principles of Defence 29

The Living Site 24

The Site in Wak 41

The fall of Fort Douaumont

Fort Vaux

The Froideterre Works

Fort Douaumont in October

Aftermath 54

The Site Today 57

Bibliography 62

Glossary 63

Index 64

Editorial Reviews

Certainly one of the best books in English on the Verdun fortifications... This is one of those books in the series that can be listed as a 'must have' for the fortification enthusiast.” —J.E. Kaufmann, SITEO

From the Publisher