Verdun Heights

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For the Battlefield 2142 map, see Verdun

Verdun Heights
Platform
Game	Battlefield 1
Game modes	Conquest Domination Rush Team Deathmatch War Pigeons Operations (Devil's Anvil - Map 1) Frontlines
Setting
Part of	World War I
Teams	German Empire vs. French Republic
Date	February 21–26, 1916
Location	Samogneux, Verdun, France
Terrain	Burning hillside
Combat	Large-scale infantry

This item has a Codex entry: Verdun Heights

"The opening barrage of the Battle of Verdun created massive forest fires in which players will fight for domination. This is an uphill battle towards the massive fortresses of Verdun. A constant grinding struggle where the artillery never stops."

— DLC Overview - Battlefield.com

Verdun Heights is a map featured in the Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass expansion. It takes place during the Battle of Verdun in the year 1916.

Overview

The major feature of Verdun Heights is a previously-forested hillside in French territory, set ablaze by a recent artillery barrage. The aforementioned heights consist of French-controlled hills (côte in French), which have been heavily fortified with trenches, bunkers, and machine gun positions, and overlook the village of mostly intact village of Samogneux at the bottom of the hill. A creek bed runs between hills at the base of the valley. The ground itself is a morass, thouroughly churned by shellfire, and glowing embers fill the air from the burning remains of forests annihilated by artillery barrages.

Verdun Heights is one of two maps included in the They Shall Not Pass expansion that excludes mobile vehicles of any sort, the other being Fort De Vaux.

Behemoth

Instead of a Behemoth, four Elite Kits spawn for the losing side: one Flame Trooper kit, one Trench Raider kit and two Sentry kits, one wielding the Villar Perosa, the other wielding the MG 08/15. Along with the Elite Kits, each side will also receive access to the BL 9.2 Siege Gun, which can cover everything but beyond La Fontaine Ruin for either side. The Elite kits and siege guns are also used on Rush.

Control Points

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Control Point	Frontlines	Conquest	Domination	Operations	Rush
German Deployment
Samogneux North				1A	Sector 1A
Samogneux Village	A	A			Sector 1B
Samogneux South				1B
Mormont Trench		B			Sector 2A
La Fontaine Ruin	B	C		2A	Sector 2B
Côte 344 Observatory		D		2B	Sector 3
Côte 378 Fortification	C
Mess Hall			A		Sector 4B
Raynal Blockhouse			B		Sector 4A
Côte 378 Trench Lines		E		3A
Côte 378 Battery			C	3B	Sector 5
French Deployment

Conquest

Conquest on Verdun Heights takes an unusual S-shaped path through the map, with deployments tucked behind high ridges away from the main axis of battle. The map configuration allows the BL 9.2-inch siege guns at each team's deployment to cover their respective half of the map should the battle turn in their enemy's favor.

Deployments

German Deployment

The German headquarters is located in the forest west of Samogneux Village outskirts. A dirt road takes the team through the woods straight through the town.

French Deployment

The French deploy from the Côte 378 Battery. The infantry and Elite Kits spawn in the first row of trenches downhill from the crest and the siege gun itself.

Flags

Samogneux Village

The village of Samogneux sits at the edge of the valley. The rural community is made up of more than two dozen structures, with the largest buildings being found alongside the bridge over the riverbed to the east. On the north side, the hillside obscures vision into the valley leading to Côte 378. In Conquest, the flag and its capture zone lie to the east of the village, in the middle of a courtyard. The nearby houses can provide cover when capturing the flag, or be used to defend the walled-off yard from outside attack. A pair of observation balloons hang in the air over this objective, being tied down on the south side of the capture zone.

Mormont Trench

A short trench line located up the valley wall, across the river to the north of Samogneux Village, that blocks access to the empty valley beyond. The position overlooks a section of the village destroyed in the bombardment, with the area surrounding the capture zone left a ruin of half-standing cottages. The flag itself is found on a section of high ground that can be used to project force over the valley floor and the nearby objective of La Fontaine Ruins.

La Fontaine Ruins

The remains of a large church stands on a small mound in the middle of the valley floor. On the surface, the ruined outer walls of the building still stand, concealing a devastated interior strewn with debris. The massive stone columns and archways are resistant to small arms and explosives, but players inside the ruin may still be bombarded through the completely open roof. Below, the building's mound conceals a basement used for storing supplies - entry to which is granted by stairwells on the north, west, and south sides of the structure's foundations. The flag can be captured from either level.

Côte 344 Observatory

An observatory is located halfway up the hillside opposite of Côte 378 and its defenses. This blockhouse uses a layout similar to those at Côte 378: Two entrances at either end leading underground, linked by a series of rooms, and interior staircases leading up to "cloche" observation posts that allow occupants to look and fire outside through loopholes. The cloche bell can be destroyed by explosives or artillery, turning the position into another point of access.

Côte 378 Trench Lines

The Trench Lines are the next defensive line leading up to the battery. The position is comprised of two blockhouses, to the north and south of the flag itself, with a pillbox and row of sandbags emplaced within the gap between them. The capture zone is relegated mostly to the trenches outside the northern structure, allowing the flag to only be seized from the surface. Both blockhouses have interiors, however, and cloche-protected fighting positions overlooking the hill climb to the west.

Operations

Verdun Heights is the first map featured in Operation "Devil's Anvil". Although short with only three sectors to overcome, the uphill struggle is often fairly bloody for the attackers. As a result, German battalions are made up of 350 tickets on this map instead of the usual 250.

Sector 1

The German team launch their assault from the woods towards the village of Samogneux. Objective A, Samogneux North, is on the edge of the forest and consists of a cluster of residences and farm lofts located on the western side of the settlement. On the east side is Samogneux South, the flag being near its Conquest location inside a walled courtyard bordered by tall buildings.

German forces have little choice in their approach on Samogneux. To the south, the fields have been tilled of hay—the bales providing some rudimentary cover that can be destroyed by explosives. Attackers may attempt to scale the hills to the south in order to storm the village from the high ground, but may find the hill already occupied as the French are not restricted from climbing it as well. A field of bare trees forms the central, most direct approach, which the team may utilize in order to quickly overwhelm the opposition through weight of numbers. In this area, tree roots have carved shallow ditches into the earth which, aside from the trees themselves form the only cover in this treacherous advance. Once inside the town, close-quarters fighting is often necessary to push the French out, with explosives or artillery being the optimal way to clear defenders from buildings.

Sector 2

Having lost the village, the French fall back across the dry river towards the valley center. Objective A, La Fontaine Ruin, is found inside the demolished church east of the creek. Objective B is atop Côte 344, the western hill peak, and the Observatory fortifications found there.

In this phase, much of the map opens up allowing more diverse flanking routes, but the terrain of the valley can still throttle the German advance as heavy machine gun nests litter the high ground. Taking La Fontaine can be done from both the surface and the basement, which means a team can hold the flag from either of these positions. The route to the Observatory is inevitably long, but the objective is isolated from the French deployment in this sector. Once the bunker is taken from outside or within, it can be difficult for the defenders to counterattack from the valley floor. Blowing the cloches on the exterior can provide much-needed access against a strongly entrenched enemy.

Sector 3

The third and final sector of the map sees the Germans attack the French lines around Côte 378. The first objective is the Trench Lines around the blockhouses at the base of the hill, the second being at the summit around the siege gun Battery. Côte 378 Trench Lines has a large capture zone, encompassing the entire length of the line between the two blockhouses and the pillbox interior. However, the flag cannot be captured the inside of these underground fortifications. The Siege gun battery has a similarly large capture zone, granting many opportunities for access, although its close proximity to the enemy spawn can cause problems for the attacking team, should they even reach the heights.

Once the Germans have reached this stage, the French gain access to a BL 9.2 Siege Gun for indirect fire support, but irreparably lose the gun if it's destroyed. Otherwise, an impressive number of heavy machine guns can be found along the hillside, such on top of the blockhouses or in log bunkers at the hill crest, which can similarly useful for long-range suppression.

In the event of a German victory, with Côte 378 cleared of defenders, the Germans advance on Fort De Vaux.

Frontlines

Frontlines on Verdun Heights involves three flag objectives between each team's headquarters.

Flags

German Base

The German forces' fallback point is on the eastern limits of Samogneux. Objective A is in the central block, while Objective B is in one of the hillside houses.

Samogneux Village

The Frontlines objective of Samogneux lies within the flattened section of the village on the east side of the river creek, in front of Mormont Trench.

La Fontaine Ruins

The battle begins at La Fontaine Ruins, the central map objective. As in other game modes, both the cellar and the above ground are viable locations from which to capture the flag.

Côte 378 Fortification

This objective comprises the two blockhouses at the foot of Côte 378. The trenches directly east of the flag fall within the capture zone, as do the interiors of the blockhouses.

French Base

The French forces' fallback point is the Côte 378 Battery, with Objective A in the northeast corner of the battery, and Objective B behind the machine gun nest.

Rush

Rush on Verdun Heights takes place over five sectors, pushing through Samogneux up to the French defenses on Côte 378. As in Operations, the attackers receive more tickets than the standard on other maps, amounting to 120 per wave instead of 75.

Sector 1

The German Army starts in the southwest forest, and must clear the village of Samongeux. Objective A in the first long farmhouse, and Objective B outside of the two-storey central building east of the courtyard.

The German BL 9.2 Siege Gun becomes available halfway through the battle, along with four elite kits (Trench Raider, two Sentries, and Flame Trooper).

Sector 2

French forces fall back in their attempt to hold the church and the route to Côte 344.

The German siege gun can still be used to attack Objective A, which sits on the western hillside. Objective B is found in the cellar under La Fontaine.

Sector 3

Battle resumes at Côte 344, with Objective A outside the observatory's southern entrance, and Objective B at its center.

Sector 4

With the threat of a rear assault cleared, the Germans advance up Côte 378. Objective A is inside the northern bunker, and Objective B is in the southern blockhouse's mess hall.

Sector 5

With the blockhouses overrun, the French set up their final defenses at the battery. Objective A is tucked behind the central machine gun nest, in front of the siege gun.

A siege gun and elite kits are made available, this time for the French forces. While the German intruders may potentially take up the siege gun for themselves, the elite kits are kept in the French deployment.

Domination

Combat takes place on Côte 378, between the blockhouses and the battery.

Mess Hall

Located in the southern portion of Côte 378's blockhouses. Kitchens in the eastern rooms serve the dining rooms in the west, and two cloches rise up to the valley side.

Raynal Blockhouse

The northern of the two blockhouses. Barracks quarters are available to either side of the hallway. A cloche can be accessed at the southwest corner, and an exterior hardened pillbox stands to the south.

Côte 378 Battery

Site of the French Siege Gun atop Côte 378. The flag is actually placed near the machine gun nest on the ridgeline forward of the gun battery, amongst sandbag fighting positions and wooden lean-tos. This objective overlooks the other two at the foot of the hill.

Team Deathmatch

Team Deathmatch takes place within the same area as Domination.

War Pigeons

War Pigeons uses the same map boundaries as Domination and Team Deathmatch.

Gallery

Concept art

Concept art

Promotional art

Clear

Smog

Trivia

• In Samogneux, an easter egg can be triggered by finding and breaking a series of wine bottles concealed near the fence lines, then shooting at weather vanes on top of three buildings. Looking west, a house will then be seen carried aloft by three colored balloons. This is a reference to the movie Up, discovered by easter egg hunters on Discord.
• Raynal Blockhouse is likely dedicated to Sylvain Eugène Raynal, who as a major led the defense of Fort De Vaux, holding out for six days against forces led by Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia.
• Near the French deployment, a structural foundation forms the outline of a small-scale reproduction of Fort Douaumont.
• In the game files this map is named MP_Verdun.