Chapter III: Part 3

_To visit the ruins, turn to the left at the first houses along the road, which runs past the quarries for 400 yards (photo below)._

_Return to G.C. 19. At the end of the village (photo above) the road divides. Leave the road lying straight ahead, which leads to Avocourt, and follow G.C. 19 on the left, through_ =Chéhémont Wood=, _and cross a great plain dominated by the_ Montfaucon Ridge.

_Five hundred yards before reaching_ =Montfaucon=, _take the road on the right which, at Montfaucon, joins the road from Malancourt_.

Montfaucon is 8 km. from Cheppy.

_Ruins of Cheppy in the background._]

Montfaucon

This very old market town, whose origin is said to date back to the end of the 6th century, grew up around a monastery founded by St. Balderic, son of Sigebert I., King of Austrasia.

It was below Montfaucon that Count Eudes, in June, 888 or 889, aided by several nobles, including Marc de Doulcon, is said to have inflicted a bloody defeat on the Normans. The Chronicler, Abbon le Courbe, tells how, after the defeat of the Normans before Paris, Eudes, pursuing them across Champagne and the Argonne, caught them up near Montfaucon. After a terrific struggle the Normans were cut to pieces and 19,000 of them were left on the battlefield. In 1081, Godefroy de Bouillon, Duke of Basse-Lorraine, built a castle-fortress there, which, however, he dismantled before leaving for the Crusade in 1096. Another castle was subsequently erected on the same site. In 1349 the Flagellants, who as a penance marched in procession, scourging themselves publicly, passed through Montfaucon under the leadership of Gilles de Rodennack, Lord of Chassepierre.

During the Hundred Years’ War the district was frequently ravaged by bands of robbers, in consequence of which Charles V. authorised the inhabitants to build a wall round the town. In 1387 the town suffered during the war between the burgesses of Verdun and three neighbouring lords. During the religious wars the town was taken and burned (1552). In 1591, Henri IV. razed the castle, of which not a trace remains.

In 1636, Montfaucon was once again ravaged by war, the enemy burning the whole town, one house only being left standing. The Parish Church of St. Laurent caught fire, and a number of the inhabitants who had taken refuge there perished in the flames.

_Overlooking Montfaucon Wood, Cheppy Wood, Hesse Forest, and Clermont Argonne._]

On September 9, 1792, Montfaucon was occupied by Prussian troops under Kalkreuth.

In 1914, after the battle of the Marne, the Crown Prince had his headquarters there for a few days, before establishing himself at Stenay. The French 40th Infantry Division, during the retreat at the end of September, forced the Bavarians to fall back on the woods of Montfaucon, but the Germans quickly consolidated their positions on the ridge, from which it was impossible to dislodge them.

_The Itinerary follows I.C. 4, on the right to Cierges._]

From the end of 1914 to 1918 they continued to improve the defence-works of this naturally strong position, making it the centre of their intermediate positions between the Hindenburg line and the “Kriemhildestellung,” or second line of defence. It also provided them with a splendid observation-post, from which to survey the whole of the surrounding French lines. Another observation-post had been installed in the church, from which the enemy could see Verdun, and this post played a great part during the battle. The village, frequently pounded by the French heavy batteries, was reduced to ruins.

It was retaken by the Americans on September 26-27, 1918, after desperate fighting with the German 37th Division, but only when it had been surrounded, and Septsarges, Nantillois and Ivoiry had fallen.

The site of Montfaucon is an unusual and striking one; unfortunately, the town was almost entirely ruined.

_At the junction of the road from Malancourt, turn to the left, passing shortly afterwards in front of_ a concrete observation-post (_photo, p. 79_). _Keep along the principal street as far as the fork, where take the uphill street on the right, turning immediately again to the right, and coming out at the top of the ridge near the ruins of the church._ Several observation-posts may be visited, including one inside the church (_photo below_).

The old Collegiate Church was surrounded by 17th century houses, built on the site of the old cloister, and inhabited by the canons. Below this part of the town several underground tunnels, since walled-up, were made.

The porch and the vestibule of the church dated from the 14th century, the other parts were rebuilt or restored in 1597 and 1781.

In the steeple a stone staircase of eighty steps led to the belfry, whence wooden stairs ascended to a platform in the spire, in which six openings gave a far-reaching view over the surrounding country. This platform, 170 feet above the base of the church, had a total altitude of about 1,240 feet. In the direction of Verdun the forts of Marre and Dugny could be seen, and, still further away (about 25 miles), the heights which dominate Souilly. To the south-west lie the plains of St. Menehould, and on the west the plain and plateaux of Champagne. In the same direction, in clear weather, the Fort of Berru, near Rheims, is visible. The panorama further embraces the following: _on the north-east_, the whole of the region of Grandpré; _on the north_, Carignan and Montmédy; _on the east_, the heights of the Meuse, seven miles away, shut in the horizon, hiding Damvillers and the Woëvre. From the top of the ridge may be seen: _on the south_, the 1916 battlefield of Verdun; _on the north_, the terrain of the offensive of September 26, 1918. Between the Meuse and the Aire, from Brieulles-sur-Meuse to Grandpré, the line of villages, woods and hills, which, after being fortified, formed the formidable German position known as the “Kriemhildestellung,” should be noticed. Certain points in this line were only carried in October, and even at the beginning of November, 1918. Several of them, like Hill 299 to the north-east of Cunel and north-west of Brieulles, were taken, lost and retaken several times by the Americans.

_Return by the Rue de l’Eglise to I.C. 4, which take to the right down the hill. Half-way down, at the fork, take I.C. 4, on the right, to_ =Cierges= (_4 km. 500 from Montfaucon_).

From 1914 to 1918 the Germans had an aviation camp at Cierges. The camp and station were frequently bombed by the Allied aviators. In September, 1918, during the first days of the American offensive, fires broke out in the village, to which the Germans held on stubbornly. On the 28th, they launched several counter-attacks, but at the beginning of October were forced to abandon the village. On October 4, the capture of Gesnes (through which the tourist passes on his way to Exermont) finally cleared Cierges.

_On reaching the Rue de l’Eglise, turn along the first road on the left, which, 1 km. 300 beyond Cierges, runs into G.C. 2 bis._

_Turn to the right and follow G.C. 2 bis for 1 km., then take the Chemin Vicinal (local road) on the left--German dug-outs, 200 yards away on the left--which leads to the interesting village of_ =Gesnes=, lying in a little valley. Many of the houses were destroyed.

_The road passes in front of the church, then turns to the left, skirts_ a German cemetery, _then goes straight to_ =Exermont= (_8 km. 800 from Cierges_). Numbers of German dug-outs, sometimes forming veritable villages, are met with on the way.

The folklore of the district, like that of many villages in the Argonne and the Ardennes, is rich in stories of fairies, demons and witches. Near the well called Fontaine-St. Germain, about a kilometre north of the village, is a place called “Ronde-de-Danses,” where the grass never grows. Here, the fairies of the “Château d’Ariétal,” near the spring of the same name, used to meet and dance all night.

Exermont was retaken by the Americans on September 28 1918.

_Beyond the church turn to the left and at the fork_, 300 _yards after the last houses, take the left-hand road (I.C. 4). After crossing the river and over Hill 183, the road cuts N. 46. passes over the river Aire, then the railway (l.c.), and after joining the Apremont road, enters_ =Châtel-Chéhéry= (_4 km. 300 from Exermont_).

This village, which suffered little (_photo, p._ 84), was abandoned by the Germans without much resistance, on October 7, 1918. in the face of the advance by the Americans, who had, however, encountered great difficulty in capturing the outskirts.

Gérard de Melcy, one of the heroes of the siege of Sebastopol, was buried in the cemetery which surrounds the church.

During the Franco-American offensive of September, 1918, the Americans found among the papers of the German Town-Major the following document.

_Behind the latter, I.C. 4 leading to Exermont._]

which throws light on the German methods of treating the inhabitants of occupied districts:--

“33rd General Divisional Headquarters, “10th May, 1916.

“We have absolutely no reason to be lenient with the French population.

I order a fresh examination of the taxable capacity of the inhabitants, and no misplaced feeling of sympathy with the people of the district must be allowed to affect that enquiry. It would be well to consider whether, with this end in view, we might not occasionally imprison some of the inhabitants.

“(Signed) Vollbrecht.”

_Pass in front of the church and keep straight on. Cross the Boulasson Stream and follow the road past the foot of the promontory on which the_ =Château of Cornay= _used to stand_. This castle comprised several forts: Camp-Crochet, Vieux-Château, Grand Bel, and Petit Bel, all separated by deep trenches and connected by underground passages. A cross called “Croix-de-Bayle” now stands on the site of the “Grand Bel.” There is a tradition that this cross was erected to commemorate “the extinction of heresy,” Protestants having been numerous in the district. The fortress is said to have been destroyed during the Wars of the League.

_I.C. 4 leading to Marcq._]

The pretty little village of =Cornay= (_photo above_) which _is soon reached, is 2 km. from Châtel_.

Burned down by the troops of Charles-Quint in 1552, it was rebuilt beside the ruins.

The church dates from the 12th century, but was frequently restored. The last restoration dates from 1854, and is in harmony with the original style of the building.

_Opposite Cornay, on the right bank of the Aire, is_ =Fléville=, which possesses a fine 16th century château. This village was taken by the Americans on October 4, 1918, whilst Cornay and Marcq, the next village, were only evacuated by the Germans on October 9 and 10.

_Leave the Church of Cornay on the left and at the fork at the end of the village, take the left-hand road_ (_I.C._ 20) _which crosses the valley_ (traces of artillery emplacements). _At the first houses of_ =Marcq= _the road crosses that from St. Juvin._ _At the crossing there is a_ large German cemetery.

_Many of the houses at Marcq_ (_2 km. 800 from Cornay_) were destroyed.

_Pass through the village and keep straight on to_ =Chevières= (2 _km_.), completely burned down by the Germans previous to their departure (_photo above_).

_Two kilometres beyond Chevières the road crosses the railway (l.c.) and runs into the Senuc road. Turn to the right and cross the Aire._ =Grandpré=, a pretty little town, many of whose houses have been destroyed, _is next reached_ (_2 km. 900 from Chevières_).

Grandpré

Grandpré lies at the eastern end of the pass formed by the Valley of the Aire, which cuts deeply into the Argonne. The town is very old. To the south, on the Nègremont Mountain, there are traces of a camp which is supposed to be Roman. Attila, after his defeat in the _Champs Catalauniques_, also camped there, and long after him, Dumouriez. The village was possibly founded or extended by a follower of Clovis, who built a château there, but of which nothing now remains. Grandpré was pillaged in 884, by the Normans; during the Hundred Years’ War, by the English; and, under the League, by the rival troops of the Marshal of St. Paul, Mayenne, and Henri IV. The latter stayed there in 1591. His letter of October 3, 1591, in which he relates the events of the preceding days, was dated from Grandpré. During the _Fronde_ the country was again ravaged, and at a later date, pillaged by the Dutchman Growenstein.

In 1792, Dumouriez had his headquarters at Grandpré, and after the battles of Croix-aux-Bois and Montcheutin, the headquarters of the King of Prussia were transferred there. In October of the same year, during the Prussian defeat, Grandpré was crowded with enemy sick, struck down by dysentery.

According to Goethe, the castle was at that time the abode of pestilence and death; the neighbourhood of the village, thickly strewn with corpses and graves, was one gigantic cemetery.

During the war of 1914-1918 the German camps and military works at Grandpré were frequently bombed by the Allied airmen. Only at the end of September, 1918, did the Franco-American troops recapture the village after a long and severe struggle.

On a terrace, in grounds to the north of the village, stands a château in the style of Louis XIII., which is but the main entrance of an old and larger castle belonging to the Dukes of Joyeuse. This castle, in which Charles VI. lodged when on his way to the Ardennes, was rebuilt by _Louis de Joyeuse_, assisted by the generosity of Louis XI. Joubert, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Italy, was married to Mlle. de Montholon Senonville in this castle on the 7th Messidor of the year VII. (June 26, 1799). The castle was destroyed by fire in 1834.

_The road passes slightly to the right of the Church_--a large, handsome building of yellow stone (_hist. mon.--photo above_), which suffered greatly from the bombardments.

Dating from the 13th century, when it formed part of the old Priory of St. Médard, it had frequently been restored and altered. The pulpit and the choir-stalls were composed of fragments of magnificent 16th century woodwork, brought from the Abbey of Belval. The church contains the tomb of Claude de Joyeuse, a remarkable monument in black marble.

_One hundred yards beyond the village, turn to the left, into I.C. 15, which leads to_ =Termes= (_3 km. 500 from Grandpré_).

Many of the houses in Termes were destroyed. _Pass in front of_ the church, which has lost the top of its steeple (_photo, p._ 89). In the interior there is an old holy-water basin shaped like a mortar.

_5 km. north of Grandpré._]

_Opposite Termes, stands the village of_ =Senuc=, which dominates the junction of the Aire and the Aisne.

In 1918 the position of Senuc, strongly fortified by the Germans, was taken by the French troops after a long struggle.

_I.C. 15 at the corner of Olizy road._]

_Keep along I.C. 15, which leads straight to_ =Mouron= (2 _km._ 700).

It was between Termes and Mouron that, on October 2, 1792, the Prussian Army, retreating after the Battle of Valmy, recrossed the Aisne on two pontoon-bridges. Goethe, who was standing between the two bridges, watched the disappointed and exhausted troops go by.

The King of Prussia and the Duke of Brunswick, with their staff, brought up the rear. “Both,” wrote Goethe, “paused for a moment before crossing the bridge, as if reluctant to abandon the Plains of Champagne, where they had just suffered a humiliating defeat.”

Mouron and Vaux guard the entrance to the Grandpré Pass--the easiest pass of the Argonne.

In 1792, Dumouriez concentrated the greater part of his army there, leaving practically undefended the passes of Les Islettes, Croix-aux-Bois and Chesne.

In 1918, the Germans clung desperately to these positions, from which the French had to drive them by main force.

The Church of Mouron is modern, but contains some interesting 17th century woodwork.

_On leaving the village, take the left-hand road, which soon crosses first the Aisne (photo above), then the railway (l.c.), reaching_ =Vaux-lez-Mouron= (_1 km. 200 from Mouron_).

_The road runs along the south side of Vaux Church, and after passing the portal, goes straight ahead._

_About 100 yards beyond the church, leave the Challerange road on the right, and continue for another 800 yards, where the I.C. 21 joins up. Turn into the latter on the left._

1 _km. 800 further on, after crossing the I.C._, the edge of Autry Wood _will be reached_. _On the right will be seen_ a village built by the Germans (_photo above_).

_I.C. 21 now runs through the wood, which was strongly fortified by the Germans from 1914 to 1918._

_On leaving it at the fork in the road, turn to the left; 500 yards further on, at another fork, turn again to the left, reaching_ =Autry= _soon afterwards_ (6 km. 300 _from Vaux_).

_50 yards to the left of G.C. 66 (coming from Autry) and 150 yards this side of Binarville._]

Autry, like all the surrounding villages, has had a chequered history.

It was besieged and taken by the English in 1359. At the beginning of the 17th century it was practically a deserted ruin.

Under the _Fronde_ it suffered again. The Lord of Autry was one of the four knights who bore the canopy of the Sacred Ampulla during the consecration of the kings at Rheims.

_The road winds round the rock on which stands_ the ruined church. St. Lambert’s Chapel in the cemetery contains some interesting frescoes.

The château, which is below the church, dates from 1635.

_Along G.C. 66, below site of destroyed Church._]

_Leave Autry by two bridges across the Aisne._

_Beyond the second bridge and the second house, there is a German structure under the cliff, on the right._

_On the left is the road to_ =Lançon=, the village where the French and American troops effected their junction during the offensive of September-October, 1918.

_Keep along I.C. 21 in the direction of_ =Binarville.= _1 km. 700 beyond Autry, leave the road to Condé-les-Autry on the right. 500 yards this side of Binarville and 200 yards before the fork with G.C. 66 coming from Varennes, there is_ a French military cemetery _on the left_.

_G.C. 66, between Servon and St. Thomas._]

_Just before reaching Binarville, fifty yards to the left of the road, are_ two large German concrete structures, a post of commandment, and a telephone exchange (_photo, p._ 92).

The village of Binarville, and the adjacent hamlet of =Mare-aux-Bœufs=, were occupied by the Germans from 1914 to 1918, and were only recaptured in September, 1918, by the French 4th Army.

Binarville was completely destroyed.

_Outside the village, leave on the left the (impassable) road from Vienne-le-Château, and keep straight on along G.C. 66._

_Two kilometres further on_, a few houses in ruins mark the site of Mare-aux-Bœufs. _Keep to the left, leaving on the right the road from Condé-les-Autry._

_Fire hundred yards beyond Mare-aux-Bœufs, on the left, there is_ a German post of commandment in concrete, with rooms, shelter and telephone exchange. An Iron Cross is carved on one of the doors.

_Keep along G.C. 66, past numerous defence-works and shelters, some in concrete._

This region, an excellent artillery position and a veritable stronghold, from which the Germans launched many counter-attacks against the right flank of the French 4th Army, during the offensive of September 26, 1918, was liberated by the French on September 30, after a heroic struggle.

_Five kilometres beyond Binarville is_ =Servon.=

It was near Servon that, on August 25th, 1786, the aeronaut Blanchard, on his way from Lille to Paris, where he hoped to present a bouquet to the King, was forced to descend after being carried out of his course by contrary winds.

Occupied by the Germans since September, 1914, and strongly fortified by them, the village and surrounding country were attacked by the French on September 25, 1915, during a minor offensive, intended to cover the main attack in Champagne. The French, after a short advance, were forced to retire on their original positions, in consequence of counter-attacks debouching from Servon.

The village was only retaken on September 26, 1918, by the French 4th Army, which, on the evening of the same day, reached the wood 1 km. 500 to the north-east of the village, after a fierce struggle.

To-day Servon is an absolute ruin. The cemetery alone, on the left of the road, indicates the site of the village.

Below the ruins of the church, which stood on the top of the hill on which the village was built, several German shelters (_photo, p._ 92) may still be seen _along G.C._ 66.

_Alongside the road from Servon._]

Immediately beyond these shelters _turn into the road on the left, which runs through the village;_ on both sides are other defence-works.

_Outside the village, leave the (impassable) Vienne-le-Château road on the left, and keep straight on._

_G.C. 66 runs alongside the Aisne as far as_ =St. Thomas=, _then passes by_ trenches and barbed-wire entanglements--the remains of the old German front lines.

_Shortly afterwards_, the old French front lines _are reached_. _To the right, on the left bank of the Aisne, is seen_ the hamlet of =Melzicourt=, which the French retook on October 25, 1914.

All through the trench warfare the French line ran through the Melzicourt Ford.

_Two kilometres beyond Servon, by the side of the road_, are large shelters of stone and cement (_photo, p._ 92). _Opposite is_ a French military cemetery (_photo, p._ 95). _Two kilometres further on_ =St. Thomas= _is reached_.

(_St. Thomas’ Sector._)]

The little village of St. Thomas formerly possessed a rich priory, founded in 1096 by Robert, Abbot of St. Méry, and Manassés, Archbishop of Rheims.

The modern church was built on the site of the Priory Chapel, destroyed during the Revolution.

The village has completely disappeared; of the church only a few broken fragments of wall remain.

_On leaving St. Thomas, G.C. 66 winds down into the valley of the Biesme, passes near_ a military cemetery, _crosses the valley, then divides_. _Take the left-hand road (G.C. 67) which soon passes near_ the farm of La Renarde, _then alongside_ a large military cemetery, _finally reaching_ =Vienne-le-Château= (_3 km. beyond St. Thomas_).

_Seen from G.C. 66 going towards Servon._]

Vienne-le-Château

This very picturesque, industrial and forestal village was a royal provostship before the Revolution.

In the 6th century it belonged to the Bishops of Verdun.

The castle-fortress on the hill which dominates the town to the west was razed in 959 by the Count of Grandpré.

Later, it was several times rebuilt and demolished. Fragments of the ramparts may still be seen.

In the 12th century the district was purchased by the Count of Bar.

Vienne-le-Château was shelled by the Germans, especially in 1914 and 1915. The greater part of the village was wiped out, but the church and neighbouring Town Hall did not greatly suffer.

The church dates from the 15th century, with the exception of the façade, which is 18th century.

_G.C. 67, after turning to the right, passes by the Town Hall, and follows the valley of the Biesme._

This almost straight river is often called “the canal” by the inhabitants.

The road hereabouts is very picturesque, and one of the finest in the Argonne. It runs south of the woods of =Gruerie=, =Bolante= and =Chalade=, _i.e._, through that part of the forest where, in 1914-1915, the battles which have made the Argonne famous were fought. Of the many famous places in this forest those most accessible to tourists are mentioned and described in the order in which they may be visited without unduly prolonging the itinerary.

_One kilometre from Vienne-le-Château, take on the left a road, made during the war, which crosses the Biesme, and then follow the right bank, past_ numerous constructions and shelters (_photos above and below_), to =La Harazée.=

In this village, completely ruined, near a French military cemetery, _G.C._ 67, _coming from the left bank of the Biesme, is joined_.

_Take the small path which first runs alongside a stream, then climbs towards_ =Gruerie Wood=, for 500 yards, to see the battlefield. The wood, which was hacked to pieces by the shells, contains numerous defence-works of all kinds, and makes an impressive sight. _Further along the road are_ the German front lines.

_At back_: GRUERIE WOOD]

Gruerie Wood in 1914-1915

Gruerie Wood, which the _poilus_ called “Tuerie Wood” (Slaughter Wood), was one of the most active and dangerous sectors on the Western front from September, 1914, to the end of 1915. The conditions of warfare there were particularly trying. Attack followed attack almost without a pause, generally preceded by mine explosions, and often developing into ferocious hand-to-hand struggles. In this wood, sectors like the _Pavillon de Bagatelle_, and the valleys of the _Fontaine-aux-Charmes_ and _Fontaine-Madame_, were the most fiercely contested.

From Bagatelle a path leads to Fontaine-aux-Charmes, following the stream of that name (which falls into the Biesme at La Harazée), and then running beside the stream of Fontaine-Madame. These two streams, on the south-east of Bagatelle, enclose a plateau broken by ravines and hills, along which the French advanced in September and October, 1914, threatening the German lines of communication through the Argonne. The Germans repeatedly tried to force them back south of the Servon-Varennes road, and to slip in through the valley of Fontaine-aux-Charmes, towards La Harazée. In December, 1914, they attacked Fontaine-Madame six times and Bagatelle three times. In January, 1915, attacks and counter-attacks occurred almost daily. From the 16th to the 26th, fifteen German attacks were launched in succession between Fontaine-Madame and St. Hubert, lying to the south-east, on the stream of Fontaine-au-Mortier. The French replied by immediate counter-attacks, and in the terrible fighting which followed each side gained a hundred yards or so of trenches. On the 27th, the Germans launched three attacks in the direction of Bagatelle, while two days later the whole of the XXVIIth Wurtemberg Division, previously drugged with alcohol and ether, hurled themselves against the same position. The French left gave way, but retook part of the lost ground after six counter-attacks. The struggle continued on the following days, and, after heavy losses on both sides, the Germans were repulsed twice during the night of January 29, once on January 30, once on February 1, three times on the 2nd, twice on the 4th and 7th. On February 17, 1915, while a French offensive was developing in the district of Hurius-in-Champagne, the French troops in the Argonne attacked the enemy, to prevent reinforcements being sent from that part of the front. On the right bank of the Fontaine-aux-Charmes stream they blew up a German blockhouse, and subsequently shelled the gun-emplacement with a 65 mm. gun at 400 yards range. The most important operation was directed against the German position of the _Blanleuil Croupe_, lying between _Sec Ravin_ and the _Ravine of Fontaine-Madame_, from which it was possible to enfilade the Bagatelle salient. Three mine chambers were made under the German lines. The attacking troops were divided into three waves: the first (one company), after the explosion of the mines, was to seize the position, pass it, and push on; the second (one company) was to consolidate the captured position; the third (a battalion) was to reinforce the attacking party and exploit the success. Each assaulting column was preceded by a bomb-thrower and followed by sappers with sand-bags and entrenching tools. At 8 a.m. the mines were fired, one of them blowing up a German mine. Two

_Awaiting inspection by General commanding Sector._]

minutes later the three assaulting columns, led by their officers, dashed forward. The position, attacked from three sides, was taken, and a hundred Germans were killed in the trenches. Four prisoners and a machine-gun were captured. At 8.30 the French held 350 yards of the German trench, and reached the second line, which was full of Germans. The enemy then launched fierce counter-attacks, which gave them back their second line. On the French side the second wave had arrived to reinforce the first company in the captured position. Two machine-guns mowed down the advancing Germans, but were in turn put out of action by the enemy, who renewed their counter-attacks with grenades. The French were reinforced by two companies of the third wave, the third company being used to revictual the combatants with grenades, bombs, and sand-bags. The Germans renewed their counter-attacks, but were driven back. Between 1.30 and 3 p.m., after a violent bombardment with artillery and _minenwerfer_, which churned up the ground, the enemy counter-attacked the French right in force with bayonets, but were checked. The attack was renewed with grenades and bombs, and this time the Germans advanced through all the trenches in the vicinity. After a heroic resistance the French had to give way, and at about 4.30 p.m. the position was lost. The enemy then attacked the rest of the trench on the flank; under an incessant hail of bombs, the French were forced to withdraw, retreating step by step--200 yards in two hours--with a loss of 40 per cent of their forces. Little by little, their ammunition exhausted, and in the face of the impossibility of bringing up supplies, they were obliged to abandon the position and return to the trench from which they had started. A company of Chasseurs fought for two hours with German rifles and ammunition, and with unexploded German bombs. On March 1 another desperate struggle took place at Blanleuil. At about 7.15 a.m. three enemy mines exploded under the French trenches, and the Germans rushed into the craters, overwhelming two companies in the first line, the survivors of which fought hand-to-hand. The Germans, heavily reinforced, made considerable progress in Fontaine-Madame ravine, but a counter-attack by a French battalion stopped and held them. At nightfall another battalion counter-attacked in a snow-storm, and after four hours of bayonet fighting recaptured the greater part of the lost ground. Very few prisoners were taken on either side. On March 22, at Bagatelle, after the explosion of three mines, two French companies took a German trench and repulsed a strong attack, while 500 yards away the enemy also exploded mines, threw themselves into the French trenches, and in a hand-to-hand fight were beaten and driven back. From June 30 to July 15 the sector was affected by the German offensive between Four-de-Paris and Binarville road. On July 28, and on August 4 and 17, three German efforts against Fontaine-aux-Charmes broke down. On September 9, a fresh and more powerful attack ended in a desperate struggle. The Germans, repulsed, renewed the attack a second time without success. On the following day the sector was heavily bombarded with big shells. From 1916 this sector became quieter, the fierce and prolonged struggle of 1915 giving place to a mutual shelling of the trenches with occasional grenade attacks and raids on both sides.

_Taking the soup to troops in first-line trenches._]

Another sector, that of St. Hubert, was the scene of frequent struggles from October, 1914, to September, 1915. In December, 1916, the Germans attacked St. Hubert five times. After alternately advancing and retreating, the French succeeded in maintaining their positions.

Between January 16 and 27, 1915, some fifteen enemy attacks took place in this region. At the beginning of July the battle became more violent. On August 2, the Germans made use of liquid fire in an attack. Subsequently the sector became quieter, like the rest of the Argonne.

Not far from St. Hubert the French line described a pronounced salient, known as Marie-Thérèse, in the enemy positions to the north of Fontaine-la-Mitte. This name was given to the position by the _poilus_, probably on account of the proximity of the lodge of a gamekeeper who had a daughter named Marie-Thérèse. Surrounded on three sides by the German lines, the Marie-Thérèse salient was difficult to hold, and the Germans frequently endeavoured to reduce it. On January 19, 1915, they exploded two mines in front of the French trenches, but the French immediately occupied the craters. On the 22nd, after having pushed sap-heads as close as possible to the French lines, the German grenadiers suddenly emerged from them at about 10 a.m., each throwing two large bombs. Then one of their battalions attacked the three sides of the position, killed the machine-gunners, and at certain points penetrated into the French second line. At 2 p.m. a battalion of French Chasseurs counter-attacked, and partly reoccupied the first line, but was then repulsed by German reinforcements. A third counter-attack in the evening and a fourth on the following morning regained some of the lost positions after a terrific struggle. All day and all night the fight went on with bombs, grenades, bayonets, knives, pickaxes--anything the men could lay their hands on--with equal ferocity on both sides. A hundred Frenchmen, nearly all wounded, were taken prisoners. At about 9.30 a.m. on February 10, the Germans mined some of the French trenches, and then attacked in considerable force, but although they occupied part of them, the attack was arrested almost immediately by a counter-attack, and in the evening the enemy was partially driven back. The fighting here was ferocious. The Germans, mostly drunk or drugged, murdered some prisoners after disarming them. About midday on the 12th, the enemy, in columns four abreast, on a front of 300 to 400 yards, once more hurled themselves against the Marie-Thérèse salient. However, after being brought to a stand by rifle fire, then scattered by an artillery barrage, they retreated with very heavy losses. Two hours later, two companies of French Chasseurs attacked in their turn, but suffered severely from the machine-gun fire, only one party succeeding in getting into contact with the enemy in a trench to which they clung. Twice on May 12, several times in the beginning of July, on August 2 (when they used liquid fire), on August 12 and 24, and twice on August 29, the Germans attacked this so greatly coveted and so well defended salient. Finally, there, as elsewhere, they abandoned all hope of breaking down the resistance of the French, and thereafter “Marie-Thérèse” was seldom mentioned in the communiqués.

_After visiting Gruerie Wood, return to and proceed along G.C. 67. The road passes beside_ two large French cemeteries, _then_ a row of dug-outs. The forest becomes more and more denuded of trees, which were smashed by the shells. _The site of_ =Four-de-Paris= _is soon reached_, though not a trace of the village remains (_photo, p. 104_). _Four-de-Paris is 2 km. from La Harazée._

Four-de-Paris

It was against the Four-de-Paris sector that the first efforts of the Germans, after their retreat of September, 1914, were directed. No sacrifice, however costly, was considered too great to recapture this essential position on the road to Les Islettes.

In two days (November 27-28) seven enemy attacks were launched to the north of Four. Three times on December 5 their troops, to the sound of fife and drum, returned to the charge, but without success. On the 18th, after blowing up a trench, they again attacked. On January 5, 1915, by way of a diversion, the French 2nd battalion of the 4th Foreign (or Garibaldian) Regiment carried out an operation in this sector, while, further to the east, the rest of the regiment delivered the main attack at Courte-Chausse. At 10 a.m., the Garibaldians, supported by some bomb-throwers belonging to the 9th Battalion of Chasseurs and French 91st Regiment of the Line, and by two sections of the engineers, attacked the enemy trenches on a front of 400 yards, but, decimated by machine-gun fire, they were unable to reach them. On February 16-17 and on March 9 there were renewed and violent struggles. From June 29 to July 15 the battle broke out again in this sector, interrupted from time to time by terrible bombardments with gas shells.

_The road in the foreground leads from Four-de-Paris to Varennes._]

In 1916 and 1917 this sector, like the rest of the Argonne, quieted down. Mining operations continued from time to time, but there were no battles properly so called. In the occasional surprise attacks which took place, the French generally got the better of the enemy.

_From Four-de-Paris, instead of going to La Chalade by the direct road through the valley of the Biesme (2 km. 500), the Itinerary follows a number of roads (17 km. 500 in all) through the forest, in order to visit_ certain picturesque spots and at the same time to see places like =Bolante=, =Les Meurissons=, =La Haute-Chevauchée=, =Fille-Morte=, =Pierre-Croisée= and =Courte-Chausse=, made famous by the war. All these places were the scene of fierce conflicts in 1914 and 1915.

In December, 1914, many engagements, in which the French made slight progress, took place in this sector. It was to the east of Bolante Wood, in the wild ravine of La Fontaine-des-Meurissons, that the Garibaldian Regiment--raised by the Republicans of Italy to fight in France, and placed at the disposal of General Gérard (commanding the 2nd Active Corps)--received its baptism of fire. On December 26, 1914, the 2nd Garibaldian Battalion was detailed to carry a German trench. The attacking front was limited, about 150 yards, but the position was strongly held and protected by a deep entanglement of barbed wire. After an artillery preparation lasting from midnight until dawn, the Garibaldian companies rushed forward, one behind the other, to make a breach at all costs, but were held up by the uncut wire. At

one point an opening was made and a few men got through to the edge of the German trench, only to be killed there. It was during this engagement, which cost the 2nd Battalion 30 dead, 17 missing, and 111 wounded, that Second-Lieutenant Bruno Garibaldi--a grandson of Giuseppe Garibaldi, “the old red bird” whom, in 1870, the Prussian General Werder confidently expected to “catch in his nest” in the Vosges, but failed in the attempt--was killed. Bruno Garibaldi, though in reserve, advanced to the assault with the 2nd Battalion, his sword drawn, his green tunic unfastened, showing the traditional and symbolic red shirt. Wounded in the hand, he went back to the trench to have it dressed, then returned immediately to the fight. Struck by a bullet he continued to urge his men forward, until another laid him low. Before dying, he embraced a wounded comrade near by, saying, “Kiss my brothers for me.” On January 5, 1915, further to the right, on the Courte-Chausse plateau, the 1st and 3rd Garibaldian Battalions had their revenge. Eight mines, the galleries of which, forty to fifty yards in length, ran under the German trench, were charged with about 6,000 lbs. of explosives during the night. At 7 a.m. the next morning the mines were fired, one after the other, after which, to the sound of bugles and drums, eight Garibaldian companies took the shattered enemy front line in a single charge, threw a German counter-attack into disorder, took and retook the second line, and penetrated into the third German line. This they were unable to hold, but they had nevertheless made an important advance, taken four machine-guns, two _minenwerfer_, and 200 prisoners of the 135th, 26th, and 24th German Regiments--most of them Pomeranians. By a strange coincidence it was the flag of a Pomeranian regiment--the LXIst--that had been taken in 1870 at the Battle of Dijon by Ricciotti Garibaldi, Bruno’s father. The Garibaldians’ losses that day were heavy. Among the dead was Adjutant-Chief Costante Garibaldi, Bruno’s brother. Some days later a violent battle took place in the Meurissons ravine. On January 7, after a half-hearted German attack, which was easily beaten off, rough trenches were dug on the plateau--in view of a possible retreat--by men belonging to the 46th French Regiment of the Line, who worked under heavy fire. General Gouraud, commanding the 10th Infantry Division, who came to examine the position, was wounded in the shoulder by a machine-gun bullet. On the following day a violent German artillery preparation began at dawn. At 7.30 a.m. three regiments of fresh enemy troops (Bavarian infantry) advanced to the attack. A trench held by men of the 89th Regiment of the Line was blown up, the French line was broken, and the Bavarians took on the flank the first and second lines held by troops of the 89th and 46th Regiments of the Line, who put up a fierce resistance. On the plateau the 11th Company of the 46th, which held the unfinished supporting trench, stopped the rush of the enemy. The Germans, unwilling to risk a frontal attack, turned the position on the right flank, and finally took the trench, but only after the gallant defenders had fired their last cartridges. The Germans penetrated into the ravine, capturing the regimental headquarters, and wounding the colonel and his staff. The 11th Company, however, still held on. On the crest, the cooks and the sick seized rifles and joined in the fight. At about 9.30 a.m. a blast of trumpets on the right announced the arrival of reinforcements. Units of the French 89th Regiment of the Line and 2nd Garibaldian Battalion charged through the undergrowth. A furious hand-to-hand struggle ensued in the copse-wood, no quarter being given. The French succeeded in saving their comrades of the 46th, and checked the enemy, who eventually evacuated the ravine. At dawn on the 9th, units of the 120th Regiment of the Line relieved the Garibaldians, who numbered among their dead the Regiment’s adopted child, Gaston Huet, a French boy of twelve, who had fought like a man. It was in vain that the Germans renewed their attacks; until nine o’clock in the evening they were repulsed and held. The remnant of the French 46th Regiment of the Line--some three hundred men--under the command of a captain clung for three days without supplies, to their positions. Their splendid resistance and sacrifice were not in vain, as reinforcements arrived in time to re-establish the position.

From March 9 to 19, several French attacks between Four-de-Paris and Bolante gave slight gains, in spite of enemy counter-attacks.

On August 7, part of a trench was taken by the Germans in a night attack at Fille-Morte. During the whole of that month, at Courte-Chausse, Les Meurissons, La Haute-Chevauchée and Bolante, continual fighting took place with artillery, mines, trench-mortars, grenades and bombs. On September 27, during the French offensive in Champagne, the Germans attempted a diversion against Bolante and Fille-Morte. After a heavy bombardment with explosive and gas shells, a force of nearly two regiments attacked in four successive waves. At first they made some slight progress, but were soon almost everywhere repulsed with very heavy losses. From October, 1915, it was in this part of the Argonne that the activity was greatest, though here, as elsewhere, the fighting considerably diminished. In 1916, frequent mining operations gave rise to grenade fighting around the craters at Fille-Morte, Bolante, La Haute-Chevauchée and Courte-Chausse. In 1917, mine warfare was practically abandoned, but both sides frequently made raids into the opposing trenches, for the purpose of taking prisoners and destroying the works and shelters there.

_On reaching Four-de-Paris from La Harazée, take G.C. 38, on the left, towards Varennes._

_The road follows the valley of Les Meurissons_ (_on the right is_ =Bolante Wood=), _crosses_ Hill 265, _and passes by the_ original front lines.

_From here onwards_, veritable villages built by the Germans _may be seen on the sides of the hill, on the left bank of the Meurissons stream_.

The forest on the crest of the hill was cut to pieces by the shells.

_Almost at the top of the hill the road runs past_ a German cemetery containing a curious monument (_4 km. from Four-de-Paris; photo above_).

_One kilometre further on, at the Meurissons cross-roads_, =La Haute-Chevauchée=, an old Roman road, _is reached_.

_Follow La Haute-Chevauchée_--_a very interesting road, but in bad repair--driving slowly and carefully for the first 2 km._

_The road passes through_ =Jardinet Wood=, which is full of dug-outs, shelters and gun-emplacements.

_On leaving the wood_ the view is impressive. Hill 285, opposite, is literally ploughed up by the shell fire, while not a single tree is left (_photo below_).

This is the sector of the Fille-Morte, Pierre-Croisée and Courte-Chausse.

_The road goes round the hill, passing_ a succession of shell-craters on the crest.

_Shortly afterwards, after entering Chalade Wood, the road improves._ On both sides are French structures of stonework.

(_The car is going towards the Croix-de-Pierre cross-roads._)]

_One kilometre beyond Hill 285 is the Sept-Fontaines cross-roads, where stood_ a French dressing-station, _facing the road going towards the Mont-de-Villers_.

_Keep straight on: 1 km. 800 further on, at the cross-roads, near the site of the Forest Keeper’s Lodge, there is_ a large military cemetery. The Lodge was completely destroyed.

_2 km. 300 further on, Croix-de-Pierre cross-roads is reached. Fifty yards this side of the cross-roads, on the left, is_ the shelter where Lieutenant de Courson met a glorious death in 1915 (_photo, p._ 110).

_At Croix-de-Pierre cross-roads, where the Neuvilly road (on the left) and the Clermont road (in front) start, turn to the right into the road leading to Chalade (called Chemin des Romains)._

_Pass an old camp (Camp Monhoven), then 1 km. beyond Croix-de-Pierre leave the Claon road on the left._

_Two kilometres further on there is a sharp descent leading to G.C. 22, which take on the right for 1 km. to_ =Chalade.=

The village of Chalade grew up around a monastery founded in 1120 by Robert and Riouin, monks of the Abbey of St. Vanne at Verdun.

The Abbey, occupied first by the Benedictines, and afterwards (from 1127) by the Cistercians, was placed under the care of the Bishops of Verdun, protected by the Lords of Vienne-le-Château.

The monks drained the marshes of the valley of the Biesme and cultivated the slopes.

The Abbey church, begun in 1275, was never finished.

There is a legend that the prior, who had given up all hope of finishing the church, received a visit from the Devil, who offered to finish the building for him, on condition that he should have the soul of the first Christian who crossed the threshold of the completed church.

The prior having refused this offer, the Devil scattered in all directions the houses which had until then been grouped around the monastery, and reduced to dust the blocks of “gaize” in the quarries.

Since that time the houses have remained scattered, and there are no more blocks of “gaize” to be found in the neighbourhood.

This legend is doubtless a naïve explanation of natural phenomena, “gaize” being a silicious clay peculiar to the district.

The Abbot’s house in the enclosure is in ruins. South of the church, monastic buildings, probably erected in the 17th century, are still standing, though in a dilapidated condition.

The Abbey church became the church of the parish. The windows and rose-window were restored in the 19th century. The nave has lost two of its bays, and the steeple has been pulled down.

The Gothic nave is large and high, the springing of the vaults resting on sculptured capitals. Fragments of old stained-glass, still to be found in some of the windows before the war, were destroyed by the bombardments.

At the end of the nave there is a fine rose-window, the mullions of which are said to have been taken from the old Abbey of St. Vanne at Verdun.

_Return by G.C. 22, continuing along this road to_ =Claon= (_3 km_).

This little village served as a cantonment during the war, and was also a revictualling centre.

_Take the road to the right in the village, returning to Sainte-Menehould, via Florent (9 km)._

_Before entering Sainte-Menehould, the road passes by_ a large French military cemetery containing 9,000 graves.

_with monument to the defenders of the Argonne_ (_10th and 18th C._)]

CONTENTS

PAGE

FOREWORD 5

THE ARGONNE, 1792-1870--HISTORICAL 6

THE GREAT WAR, 1914-1918 8

THE OPERATIONS OF 1918 13

THE FRANCO-AMERICAN OFFENSIVE OF SEPTEMBER 26, 1918 19

ITINERARY

THE FIRST DAY 31

The Second Day 70

MICHELIN ILLUSTRATED GUIDES TO THE BATTLEFIELDS (1914-1918)

THE AMERICANS IN THE GREAT WAR

VOLUME I. THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE MARNE (CHÂTEAU THIERRY. SOISSONS. FISMES)

_A PANORAMIC HISTORY AND GUIDE_

_Price_ =$1=

MICHELIN & Cie., CLERMONT-FERRAND MICHELIN TYRE Co. Ltd., 81 Fulham Road. LONDON. S. W. MICHELIN TYRE Co., MILLTOWN, N. J. U. S. A.]

MICHELIN ILLUSTRATED GUIDES TO THE BATTLEFIELDS (1914-1918)

THE AMERICANS IN THE GREAT WAR

VOLUME II. THE SECOND BATTLE OF SAINT MIHIEL (ST MIHIEL. PONT-à-MOUSSON. METZ)

_A PANORAMIC HISTORY AND GUIDE_

_Price_ =$1=

MICHELIN & Cie., CLERMONT-FERRAND MICHELIN TYRE Co. Ltd., 81 Fulham Road. LONDON. S. W. MICHELIN TYRE Co., MILLTOWN, N. J. U. S. A.]

PRINTED IN THE U. S. A.
BY ESSEX PRESS, INC., NEWARK, N. J.

BEAUTIFUL FRANCE

_Paris and its Environs_

_PARIS_--home of grandeur, elegance, and wit--plays a part in France probably unequalled in any other country, and may be considered, in many respects, as the chief city of Europe, and one of the greatest in the world. Above all, it possesses eminently national qualities which ten centuries of refinement and taste have handed down to contemporary France.

It is impossible, in a few lines, to paint the exceptional charms of Paris which the whole world admires.

Its vistas of the Champs-Elysées seen from the Tuileries and the Arc de Triomphe; of Notre-Dame and the point of the City Island seen from La Concorde Bridge; of the River Seine, the Institute, the Louvre, seen from the Pont-Neuf embankment; Notre-Dame and its quays, seen from the end of St. Louis Island; the panorama of the city seen from the top of Montmartre Hill; the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Boulogne itself, etc., etc.--all are of incomparable beauty.

The city’s historical monuments are of inestimable value, and the most famous art treasures are to be found in its Museums.

The surroundings of Paris join the charm of their landscapes to the world-wide fame of their parks and castles: _Versailles_, whose palace and park recall the splendour of the Louis XIV. period, and where the “Trianons” have preserved graceful traces of the Court of Marie Antoinette; _St. Germain_, with its castle and forest; _St. Cloud_ and its park; _Sèvres_ and its world-renowned art porcelain factory; _La Malmaison_, home of Bonaparte before he became Napoleon I.; _Rambouillet_, _Fontainebleau_, _Chartres_ with its marvelous cathedral, _Maintenon_, _Dreux_, etc.--all these form a girdle round Paris such as no other metropolis in the world can boast of.

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* * * * *

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