Fort de Tavannes
Fort de Tavannes, built in the 1870s following the defeat of the Franco-Prussian, was part of a belt of defensive forts between Vaux and Moulainville. The structure sits in close proximity to the Tavannes tunnel, a railway line which provided valuable supplies to the forts and served as a makeshift troops barracks. In September of 1916, a grenade depot being stored in the tunnel caught fire resulting in a violent explosion which took the lives of some 500 french soldiers. Although Tavannes was shelled frequently throughout the duration of the battle, its rear position meant that German forces were never able to successfully capture the position. Much of the damage to the structure which can be seen today is a result of a 1927 film about the battle which used explosives to recreate the action of 1916.