From Sarajevo to the Great War

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History and Culture

On the 28th of June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo. Conflincting alliances plunged Europe into war ... On the 3rd of August, Germany declared war on France.

In the early days of the conflict, the Germans took position at the foot of the Côtes de Meuse hills, a few kilometres from Verdun.

Skirting around the fortified city of Verdun, the army of the Kronprinz of Prussia crossed the Meuse and advanced along the left bank.

The French victory at the Battle of the Marne halted Germans' advance on Paris.

The two sides fought bitterly, throughout 1914 and 1915, to gain control of the heights of Vauquois in Argonne and Les Eparges.

The front line stabilised as the two armies sought the most advantageous positions.

To compensate the severe lack of artillery in Artois and Champagne, the decree of 5 August 1915 ordered the partial disarmament of the Forts of Verdun, in spite of their effectiveness in battle.