Verdun

This is a late-WWI or early post-war German game depicting the struggle for Verdun. The game board shows an oblique overhead view from the south of the town and citadel of Verdun, surrounded by hills, forts and batteries, and with airships floating over the distant northern horizon. The game appears to be one of point-to-point manoeuver, but the rules are not clear from the board alone. The playing grid consists of 36 numbered Forts or Batteries joined by a number of straight black lines (from 3 to a maximum of 8 leading to Fort de Belrupt. Each of these defensive positions is numbered from 1 to 12. The numbers are shown in groups of three, starting with three number 1s on Fort de Houdainville, Fort de Pozellier and a battery in between in the southeast corner of the map. These connect to three number 2s to the north, and so on, circling Verdun in a web of lines in a counter-clockwise direction. While the place names are in French, and no publisher or date is indicated, the board bears the phrase "Gesetzlich geschützt" (legally protected), indicating a German manufacturer. Also the back of the square board has four smaller game boards, a chess/checkers board and three named Festung, Mühle (Nine men's morris) and Wolf, suggesting that this was part of a Spielmagazin or box of games.