The mayor of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, France walks amongst the ruins of the village during World War One. 1915. From October 1914 to October 1915, the hill of Lorette was the object of fierce fights between the French army and the German army. This dominant position, which rises only 165 m above sea level, offers an exceptional observatory on the mining basin to the north, and the plain of Arras to the south. In one year, 188,000 soldiers, including 100,000 French, died to defend or take the spur of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette.

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Photo credit: © World History Archive / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: ., 1915, ablain-saint-nazaire, army, civilian, france, french, hill, lorette, mayor, notre-dame-de-lorette, ruins, village, walks, war, world, wwii