- The German 24th Brandenburg Infantry Regiment storms the Fort of Douaumont at Verdun; shocked and demoralised residents begin to evacuate the city. The Germans capture 10,000 prisoners with the help of a lethal new weapon, the flammenwerfer (flamethrower)
- French soldiers launch a counter-attack at Poivre Hill, where they manage to repulse the Germans
- Russian forces occupy Sakhne and Bideswikh Passes, Kashan and Ispir in Persia