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Battlefield 1’s first downloadable content pack, “They Shall Not Pass” is just around the corner. The DLC expansion is based on the the cornerstone of Entente forces on the Western Front: The French Army.
We know two of the maps featured in the French They Shall Not Pass DLC are focused on the Battle of Verdun: Verdun Heights and Fort Vaux.
The “Verdun Heights” map is set during the early stages of the Battle of Verdun in 1916. The battle for the Verdun Heights began with a massive artillery barrage. This barrage set alight forests and fields surrounding Verdun, which are also featured in the upcoming “Verdun Heights” map. These fires give the map a unique, but sinister personality. Some french aerial observers who witnessed the bombardment described it as a “volcano,” while those on the ground knew it as “the Devil’s Anvil.”
The real world location of the “Verdun Heights” map in Battlefield 1 remains a bit of a mystery. Based on concept art and other information from DICE, it’s likely that the map is set in the heights near Samogneux, north of Verdun.
Despite no longer being able to recognize their own country and outnumbered about 5 to 1 in some cases, French forces fought valiantly to buy precious time while high command attempted to reorganize and form an effective defense. 1,200 of these soldiers under the command of Colonel Emile Driant held on to the nearby Bois de Caures for two days.
The French battalions were decimated, with losses at 90 percent. Driant was himself killed after finally issuing the order to withdraw to Samogneux and other nearby positions. He is regarded as a national hero in France, playing a pivotal role in preventing a catastrophic breakthrough.
The battle for the Heights was not the only example of a tooth and nail defense during the German effort to take Verdun. Fort Vaux is synonymous with French stubbornness and resolve in World War I and it is the setting for another one of the They Shall Not Pass DLC maps. I’ve talked about it in previous videos, but it’s a story that never gets old.
By late May, German forces had reached the outskirts of Fort Vaux, and began their assault in force. The fighting was severe for both sides.
German assaults with flamethrowers pushed the French defenders inside the fort itself.
By June 7th, the fighting had moved underground and was hand to hand among the galleries like those shown in Battlefield 1 promotional images. Medical, food and water supplies were all exhausted. Outisde, French relief forces desperately trying to push back the German attackers received one final message from Fort Vaux, it begged “don’t leave us.”
Unfortunately, with most of his men dead or wounded, Major Raynal finally requested the surrender of his garrison to the German attackers later that day. German soldiers described the french defense of Fort Vaux as “utterly reckless of their own lives,” and “defended to the very last gasp.”
DICE’s decision to include the battles over the Verdun Heights and Fort Vaux as maps was a wise one. The Battle of Verdun holds a special place in the cultural memory of France.
Source: Flakfire
