Christina Holstein : The German capture of Fort Douaumont 25 February 1916
The surprise capture of Fort Douaumont was as much a triumph for the Germans as it was a shock for the French and its effect on the battlefield was immediate. For the next eight months the Germans fought to hold on to their prize despite constant bombardment, a massive internal explosion and French assaults. The talk describes the almost accidental capture of the most important fort in the Verdun system, what purpose it served and what it was like to be inside during eight months of battle.
Christina returns to tell us about another aspect of the Battle of Verdun.
She is an independent multilingual historian now based in Britain. Although she studied Law at University, Christina’s main interest has always been military history, and living in Luxembourg allowed her to develop her interest, which has largely centred on the Argonne-Verdun fighting in the Great War, which is relatively unknown in the UK. Christina was the founding Chairman of the Luxembourg WFA – now longer active – and has published six books in Pen & Sword’s Battleground Europe series. A seventh will be published next year.