BAN DE SAPT

NECROPOLIS OF LA FONTENELLE

Route

Description

It was on the hill of la Fontenelle, a kindergarden before the war, that the front was established on 12. September 1914. The French occupied the summit, at contour line 627. The Germans dug in firmly on the Eastern flank, constructing powerful trenches from which attacks were the regularly launched. On 23 June 1915, with the help of the explosions of underground mines and the reinforcement of well-equipped heavy artillery, the Germans inflicted a severe defeat on the French by reaching the summit. However, on 8 and 23 July of the same year, two violent counterattacks saw the French troops regain a foothold on the hill. 1500 prisoners were taken. After 25 July, mine warfare subdued while raids replaced frontal attacks in the trenches. Despite the determination of the Germans, the heights of la Fontenelle remained in French hands. In 1925, a monument was inaugurated near the cemetery that hosts the remains of 2348 French soldiers. The German soldiers were brought together at the cemetery of Senones.