Émile Driant Memorial
This memorial honors the French writer and officer Émile Driant who died during the opening stages of the battle in February, 1916. Driant was an outspoken critic of Joseph Joffre's decision to disarm the forts around Verdun in the years prior to the battle and emphasizd the threat of a possible German attack in the region. On the second day of the battle, February 22nd, he was leading a battalion of roughly 1200 french troops, when the Germans suddenly attacked in the Bois des Caures sector. The losses to the French were extreme, and only 200 or so managed to retret and survive the assault. Driant who was a captain, became the first high ranking officer killed in the Battle of Verdun. He was also the son in law of the controversial French politician Georges Boulanger. His memorial lies in the Bois des Caures near where he died.