La Voie Sacrée

The supply road that fed the 1916 battle, marked with helmeted milestones

The Voie Sacrée — the Sacred Way — was the single road on which the entire French defence of Verdun depended. The Germans had cut every railway line into the city; for ten months the road from Bar-le-Duc was the lifeline, with thousands of trucks moving men and shells around the clock.

The road itself can still be driven. Concrete milestones every kilometre are each topped with a stylised infantry helmet (the Adrian helmet, introduced in 1915). The route starts in Bar-le-Duc and joins the D1916 just south of Verdun; an hour's drive end to end.

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A story
The single road from Bar-le-Duc to Verdun — 56 km of country lane — was the only French supply line to the battle. Trucks ran one every 14 seconds, day and night, through 1916, carrying 90,000 men and 50,000 tonnes of munitions a week. After the war it was officially renamed La Voie Sacrée — the Sacred Way — and milestone markers, each topped with a French infantry helmet, were placed every kilometre.

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