22 Voie Sacree, Souilly France, December 2018.
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22 Voie Sacree
The 1916 headquarters for Field Marshal Philippe Pétain during the 1916 Battle of Verdun. Located in the village of Souilly France, 20km south of the city of Verdun.
French Marshal Philippe Pétain and Commander in Chief Joseph Joffre at 22 Voie Sacree in 1916, photo Wikipedia
A plaque on the side of the building reads:
It was in this town hall that during the night of February 25 to 26, 1916, the Marshal Petain, then General Commandant The 2nd Army set up his headquarters and took the strength of the battle of Verdun. From May 1st, 1916 and until September 21st, 1916 the command of the 2nd army was exercised successively by Generals Nivelle Cuillaumat Hirschauer.
This same building served as the headquarters for US General John J. Pershing and the American First Army in 1918 during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
A memorial behind the building lists the citizens of Souilly that were lost in the Great War.
It was a pretty early morning when I visited the village. Some of the town folk were walking down the street towards the coffee shop and shot me a strange expression, probably wondering what this tourist was doing in their village at this early hour.
March 12, 2019
