A Very Quick Post: Inside Fort Vaux

Verdun being a very apt topic just now, I found my eye snagged in passing by some photos from the Hammerhead 2016 game event that happened last weekend in the UK.

One of the games put on show was one of the fighting inside Fort Vaux. The fort was part of the defenses of Verdun, north and east of the city. Like many of the supporting defenses, it was stripped of its guns so they could be used elsewhere, and the garrison had to hold out with resort only to their own small arms and support weapons. In June, after bombarding the fort, the Germans assaulted it several times, with the fighting in its underground galleries being referred to by some as the first battle fought entirely underground. Only after being shelled for six months and being cut off and repeatedly assaulted, out of food and water and with many casualties unable to evacuate to hospital did the fort surrender. Four months later, the Germans abandoned the fort without a fight after a heavy bombardment by French artillery, including 40cm guns. The French repaired the damage they and the Germans had done and extended the defenses of the fort, which they held for the rest of the war.

So, a chap named James Morris created what looks like a wizard wargame depicting the German assaults inside Fort Vaux. There are some photos on this Wargames Illustrated page, about halfway down, showing the map of the galleries the game designer used and an overview of the barracks block and nearby tunnels used in the game.

This blog entry at Steve's Paintingshed also has some photos, including more closeup shots of the model barracks and tunnels.

This looks like a great and imaginative game. Congratulations to Mr Morris on an impressive piece of work!

Wikipedia's Fort Vaux page

Some photos of present-day Fort Vaux

De Eerste Wereldoorlog page on the fighting over Fort Vaux, giving a detailed account of the German assault.