Country of Longuyon - Cannon of Duzey

A site of the great war ( 14-18 ) little known, is situated close to LONGUYON (10kms. Its visit is fitted out and free since 1999.

It is about the cannon of DUZEY, the cannon of navy, a SKL / 45 MAX / 380mm (14.961 in.). Made by factories Krupp to equip a cuirassier of the German navy, this 20 ton cannon, the called "MAX", fired hundred of shell from 1650 lb. to approximately 16.777 mi, on VERDUN. The tub where based the cannon is 75 ft. diameter and a 13 ft. depth approximately. Its installation, begun in September, 1915, ended in October, 1915, and on February 21st, 1916, in the release of the battle of Verdun, it touched the cathedral of the city.

The site is classified Ancient memorial in 1924. It is situated in the wood of Warphemont, between the village of SORBEY and the village of MUZERAY. A railway network, in normal ways up to the farm of Handeville then in narrow gauges up to the cannon, connected it with the railroad line Longuyon-Nancy by the stations of NOUILLONPONT and SPINCOURT.

Unsettled in January, 1917, we can nevertheless realize, by visiting the site, the impressive size which owed represented this cannon.

A circuit of 0.35 mi in undergrowth, arrowed and containing numerous explanatory panels allows to complete the visit by the discovery of vestiges of period.
Another site of this war, the Marguerre camp situated in a few kilometres of the cannon, on the territory of the village of LOISON, deserves a bend. This village built in full wood behind the German front served as center of experiment and as production of reinforced concrete. An arrowed route equipped with panels allows to discover safely numerous perfectly preserved individual and collective constructions.This visit allows to imagine the everyday life of the German soldier before and during the battle of VERDUN. These singular constructions were named " village Negro " by mockery, by the French soldiers of period.