What happened at Le Mort Homme during the Battle of Verdun?

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French soldiers in uniform rest and eat on a grassy field behind the front lines during the Battle of Verdun in World War I, with gear and rifles stacked nearby. — Battle of Verdun French soldiers resting away from the front line at the Battle of Verdun, 1916.

During the Battle of Verdun, Le Mort Homme (meaning "the Dead Man") served as a critical pillar of the French defensive line on the west bank of the Meuse River.1

Following the capture of the Bois de Cumières on March 10, 1916, German forces launched an assault on the hill. The fighting resulted in tens of thousands of casualties for both sides. On March 14, the Germans successfully captured the lower crest of the hill, while the higher crest, known as Peak 295, remained a contested "No Man’s Land" that neither side could hold.1

By April 8, the French front line had been pushed back, with the new defensive position passing through the southern reverse of Le Mort Homme. Later in the battle, on June 15, French forces managed to reclaim approximately one kilometer of trenches on the hill. These engagements, characterized by enormous loss of life for minimal territorial gain, exemplified the brutal nature of trench warfare on the Western Front.1