The French command reacts
on February 25, 1916, Joffre decided to send the Second Army to Verdun, which had been placed in strategic reserve, and of which General Pétain had been the commander since June 21, 1915. He entrusted him with the command in chief of the sector of Verdun.
Having to inform him of his appointment, his orderly finds him in a hotel with a mistress. Pétain is a trained infantryman who has respect for fire. Doesn't he constantly repeat "fire kills"? For him the progression of the infantryman must be done with the support of the artillery. The previous year, the correctness of his tactics had been demonstrated. He is economical with the efforts of his men. He will take care to soften the harshness of the trials for his troops as much as possible.
At first, General Pétain reorganized the defense. It is articulated on both banks of the Meuse. Reinforced artillery as available covers line units. The forts are rearmed.
To spare his troops, he imposes "the turnstile". The troops take turns defending Verdun. By July, 70 of the 95 French divisions will have taken part in the battle.
Secondly, he reorganized the logistics. The only possible supply route consists of a winding railway line lined with a secondary road. The road is only seven meters wide and turns into a quagmire with the first rains. On these 56km of track, an uninterrupted succession of trucks will circulate day and night.
This vital artery for the Verdun front will be called “La Voie Sacrée” by Maurice Barrès. More than 3,000 trucks will travel there, one every fifteen seconds.
90,000 men and 50,000 tonnes of ammunition will be transported each week. Quarries are opened in the surrounding limestone. Locals and civilians permanently gravel the road. Thousands of tons of stones are thrown under the wheels of trucks going up and down the front. The two rows act as a steamroller and ram the stones.
A draconian regulation governs the use of this road. Parking is prohibited. Driving is bumper to bumper, day and night. The flow must not be interrupted under any circumstances. Any broken down vehicle is inexorably pushed into the ditch. Finally, he reorganized the artillery. The remaining heavy artillery is recovered. An autonomous group is created directly under the orders of General Pétain. This makes it possible to concentrate the fires on the most threatened points. These changes made to this part of the front raised the morale of the troops, who saw in Pétain a real leader who supported them in effort and suffering.
For the first time since the start of the war, the air force was to intervene in a truly organized manner with the creation of the first major fighter unit, responsible for clearing the sky of enemy machines, and informing the command of positions and movements of the adversary:"I am blind, clear the sky and enlighten me", he will say to them. The Germans are stopped 4km from their starting positions, an advance which is not at all proportionate to the means they have committed.