Now all roads lead to France and heavy is the tread
Of the living; but the dead returning lightly dance.
Edward Thomas, Roads

Thursday, September 26, 2024

The Unforgettable Monument at Mort Homme—A Roads Classic





Depiction of the Fighting
at Mort Homme
The famous Mort Homme Skeleton Memorial commemorates those of the French 69th Division, who bore the brunt of much of the fighting during the critical period. The monument, by Froment-Meurice, was unveiled in 1922. It bears the famous words Ils N'ont Pas Passe ("They Did Not Pass") in response to the rallying cry Ils Ne Passeront Pas! ("They Shall Not Pass!) of General Robert Nivelle's Order of the Day for 23 June 1916.

Atop Mort Homme is also a memorial to the men of the French 40th Division, in the form of a tall obelisk with a sword engraved on the front and the words Mort Homme inscribed on the top. There is no commemorative for the thousands of Germans who also fell on the hill.

After three months of ferocious fighting, Mort Homme was secured by German forces on 29 May 1916. The hill was the site of further back and forth action after the official end of the Battle of Verdun.  French forces finally secured the hill on 20 August 1917. A year later it would be immediately behind the jump-off line for the American Meuse-Argonne Offensive. During the 1916 fighting, American Field Service ambulances had helped evacuate wounded from the Mort Homme and Cote 304 sector on the left bank.

3 comments:

  1. Mort Homme shows the significance of how the French army's 69th and 40th divisions tried to stop the German advance." Ils Ne Passeront Pas" made the battle symbolic where the French continued to stop the advance on Mort Homme because it was strategically significant, where the victors would be able to see the battle from all sides of the hill. The haunting memorial reminds future generations of the human impact World War One had on the world. Therefore, the Mort Homme monument represents the sacrifice and steadfastness men had to make to protect their country.

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