Editing Battle of Verdun (section)

====9–15 July====
[[Image:Soldats-français-attaque.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|left|{{centre|French troops attacking under artillery fire}}]]
Fort Souville dominated a crest {{cvt|1|km|order=flip}} south-east of Fleury and was one of the original objectives of the February offensive. The capture of the fort would give the Germans control of the heights overlooking Verdun and allow the infantry to dig in on commanding ground. A German preparatory bombardment began on 9 July, with an attempt to suppress French artillery with over {{nowrap|60,000 gas}} shells, which had little effect, since the French had been equipped with an improved M2 [[WWI gas mask|gas mask]].{{sfn|Doughty|2005|p=298}}{{sfn|Holstein|2010|pp=94–95}} Fort Souville and its approaches were bombarded with more than {{nowrap|300,000 shells,}} including {{nowrap|about 500}} {{cvt|14|in}} shells on the fort.{{sfn|Holstein|2010|pp=94–95}}

An attack by three German divisions began on 11 July, but German infantry bunched on the path leading to Fort Souville and came under bombardment from French artillery. The surviving troops were fired on by sixty French machine-gunners, who had emerged from the fort and taken positions on the superstructure. Thirty soldiers of Infantry Regiment 140 managed to reach the top of the fort on 12 July, from where the Germans could see the roofs of Verdun and the spire of the cathedral. After a small French counter-attack, the survivors retreated to their start lines or surrendered.{{sfn|Holstein|2010|pp=94–95}} During the evening of 11 July, Falkenhayn ordered Crown Prince Wilhelm to go onto the defensive and on 15 July, the French conducted a larger counter-attack which gained no ground; for the rest of the month the French made only small attacks.{{sfn|Doughty|2005|p=299}}