Part 12

Châtillon Church Spot from whence the above panorama was taken Railway line

PANORAMA OF THE CHÂTILLON POSITIONS]

_Once more on the_ N. 34, _turn to the right_. The slope served as a protection for the Germans, who dug many individual shelters there. One of these may be seen in the foreground of the preceding photograph. We begin to realise the difficulties which the French had to surmount when we remember that after the battle, on the front of a single battalion, 11 officers and 4 non-commissioned officers lay dead, killed while leading their men.

_Leaving behind, on the left, the park which adjoins the road_, we perceive on the right the great common grave of Esternay (view above), where lie buried the heroes of the 73rd who fell during the attack. The turning movement mentioned on page 152 led across the road at about 3 km. from this spot, at the other extremity of the wood. The village of La Noue, to the north of the road, was carried, and the Second Division then turned back towards Esternay.

(_Sézanne is only 10 km. from this point by_ N. 34, _but the tour indicated hereafter, which leads across part of the line where the direct attack on this town was broken, makes a circuit of 34 km. The remainder of the line will be explored to-morrow._)

We retrace our steps. A little wood fringes the road on the right. The German machine-guns were installed there, and cut down the French who attempted to leave their shelter on the other side of the road. About 100 yards further on the wood gives place to a field, on the edge of which, at about 20 yards from the road, in the midst of the trees, is the grave of an unknown French soldier--a pathetic sight. A little further on, in the field, are to be seen the isolated graves of two German officers, one of them of the family of the Chief of the General Staff, Von Moltke (view below). Between these graves and the border of the castle park many Germans lie buried. The fighting was very violent here in the trenches which the enemy had dug at right angles to the road. Outflanked on the north by the turning movement we have spoken of, the castle and the farm, as well as the park, were carried at the point of the bayonet. From this moment, Esternay, situated in the hollow, could offer no serious resistance, and the French entered it without difficulty.

_Re-cross the railway line and take the first road on the right, leading into Esternay and to the Place de l'Église (48 km.)._ The church was transformed into an ambulance station by the Germans.

The following evidence given by the deputy-mayor and other witnesses before the Official Enquiry Commission recalls painful incidents of the occupation by the enemy.

"On September 6 the Germans pillaged nine-tenths of the houses in the town. This pillage was organised, objects of all kinds, linen and other belongings, being placed on carts."

Another witness declared: "About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, thirty-five or forty Germans came out of the church shouting, and leading with them M. Laurenceau, aged 52 years. The latter on arriving at the road made a movement as if to escape and was immediately felled to the ground. Then, although he lay quite still, he received three bullets."

A third witness declared: "On the night of September 6 I was with my two daughters and Mme. Lhomme in hiding under the stairs of the cellar of Mme. Macé, a widow. Groups of German soldiers kept passing round the house, and some had even come into the cellar without discovering us. Between 11 p.m. and midnight, one of these bands having found women's clothes in a cupboard, came towards our hiding-place. As they had seen us, Mme. Macé exclaimed: 'Do you wish to kill old women?' To which they replied: 'No, no harm to grandmother,' and pushed her on one side. They next tried to push me aside, crying 'Fraulein all naked,' but could not move me. One of them then shouldered his rifle. I raised my arm to strike up the muzzle, but he was too quick for me, and, taking advantage of the space thus disclosed between the young girls and myself, lowered his arm and fired. Mme. Lhomme was wounded in the left arm by a ball which then shattered the left arm of my daughter Marcelle, aged 27 years. She died between 4 and 5 o'clock on the afternoon of September 7."

_In the Place de l'Église, turn to the right, then immediately afterwards to the left towards Champguyon. The road_ (G.C. 48) _shortly afterwards traverses a level-crossing and passes alongside the cemetery_ which contains the remains of many French soldiers. This road was the one followed by the Germans when they fell back on Montmirail, before the French.

_Traverse the long street of =Champguyon= (53 km.)_ which suffered much from the bombardment, but more from the fire started by the enemy. The view above was taken in the courtyard of a farm, which stands on the left of the road, a little this side of the church. The view below shows a ruined house, being one of a group about 1 km. further on.

Several of the inhabitants were murdered. The widow of one, Mme. Louvet, thus related the death of her husband:

"About 5 p.m. on September 6, my husband, whom the Germans were dragging along and striking with sticks, called to me, exclaiming: 'My wife, my poor wife.' I ran and kissed him through our garden gate, but was roughly repulsed by his captors, and fell. My poor husband was in a piteous state, blood streaming from his ears. He begged for mercy and asked: 'What harm have I done you?' He also cried out: 'Colonel, colonel.' I could not help him, for the Germans who were torturing him were from ten to fifteen in number, and kept their rifles pointed at my throat. They bore off their victim to the end of the village, doubtless to put an end to him. The next evening about 5 p.m., I found the unfortunate Louvet. His head was horribly smashed, one eye was out of its socket, and one of his wrists was broken. He was almost unrecognisable."

_Continue to follow_ G. C. 48, _then take, on the right at the cross-roads_, G. C. 46 _leading to =Morsains= (56 km.). Arrived at the latter, turn to the right beyond the church. This road is the_ G.C. 47. _Cross through the village, and before arriving at Perthuis, turn to the left at the cross-roads. At Perthuis (58 km.) turn to the right, and, traverse the locality, turning again to the right on leaving it._ We thus leave the theatre of operations of the First French Corps and enter that of the Tenth Corps. On the right of the horizon may be seen the Forest du Gault, on the borders of which the Tenth Corps engaged furious combats with the Tenth German (Reserve) Corps.

_On reaching =La Rue-le-Comte= (59½ km.) traverse it throughout, as also a level-crossing, in order to arrive at =Le Gault-la-Forêt= (60½ km.). Pass through it._ Several of its houses were burnt by the Germans, who also shot the old rural policeman.

_At the cross roads at the end of the village, turn to the right, then immediately afterwards to the left, going round the church. After reaching the hamlet of_ =Le Recoude= (63 km.), the western portion of which was damaged by bombardment, _turn to the left on entering and traverse the village from one end to the other_.

During the morning, on September 6, the left of the Tenth French Corps, after penetrating the Forest du Gault, reached the road which the tourist has been following between La Rue-le-Comte and Le Recoude. In the afternoon it was obliged to retire into the forest, but on the following day it attacked again, took numerous prisoners in the forest, and carried the line which it had occupied the day before. It was from this line that it set off on the 8th to continue its advance to the north-east. G. C. 47 _continues in the direction of Charleville. Before entering the village, stop the car at the mile-stone "6 km. 2," 20 yards before arriving at the first isolated house._

_Take on foot the path on the left, which leads_ to the grave seen in the photograph on p. 155, and which is about 150 yards distant. This grave made in a sand-pit contains the bodies of 180 officers and men who fell in the engagements at Charleville. 50 _yards further on_ may be seen from the path and to the left, the view shown in the photograph on p. 155.

The French occupied a trench dug under the line of trees seen on the left; the Germans were installed on the hills which shut in the horizon. It was only on September 8, after three days' fighting, that the 20th Division was able to dislodge the enemy from these slopes.

_Return to the car and enter_ =Charleville= (66½ km.). The church, seen in the photographs on p. 155 and opposite, was much damaged by the German bombardment. _Walk round it, then enter._

Although the neighbouring villages of La Villeneuve and Le Recoude changed hands several times, Charleville, which had been taken on the 6th by the 20th Division, remained in the possession of the French. The fighting was extremely fierce all round the village, and particularly on the spot indicated above where the 2nd Infantry Regiment distinguished itself.

_Continue to follow G. C. 47, leaving on the right the road which leads through the village. At the next cross-roads bear to the right and continue until =La Villeneuve= (68½ km.) is reached_.

Numerous houses were destroyed by the French and German bombardments. The church, as may be seen in the photograph below, is in ruins. La Villeneuve was where the Fifth and Ninth French Armies joined. It was occupied by the 42nd Division on the evening of September 5. On the 6th it passed from hand to hand: lost at 8 a.m., retaken at 9 a.m.; lost again towards midday, and finally re-conquered at nightfall by the French.

On the 7th the struggle was equally obstinate and violent. La Villeneuve was again taken and retaken. It was only on the 8th that the 42nd Division succeeded in breaking the German resistance, and advanced northwards. The principal obstacle had been a howitzer battery installed beyond the Morin, near Le Thoult (5 km. from La Villeneuve.) It rained shells on this locality and also prevented the Tenth Corps from advancing from Charleville.

This battery was marked down, thanks to the knowledge of the country possessed by the "curé" of La Villeneuve, l'Abbé Laplaige. From an attic window he discovered, by means of field-glasses, the spot from which the shots were fired, and pointed it out to the officer commanding the French batteries. The Germans were soon reduced to silence, and progress became possible for the 42nd Division at La Villeneuve and the Tenth Corps at Charleville.

_Near the middle of the village, take on the left, skirting the drinking-pond, the "Chemin vicinal" leading to Corfélix and Le Thoult._ The windmill pump, seen in the photograph above, will soon be perceived, near a group of ruined houses. It was from the upper platform of the pump that the officer commanding the French artillery, guided by the Abbé Laplaige, directed the fire which destroyed the German battery at Le Thoult, The rising ground of the left bank of the Morin, which attains a height of 670 ft. directly north of La Villeneuve, hid the whereabouts of the German guns on the right bank on Hill 189. The elevated structure of the pump made an ideal observatory and compensated for the height of the ground on the left bank of the river.

_Return by the same path to the drinking-pond and take, on the left_, G. C. 47, _leading to Chapton_. On the right of the road are the woods of Bois-de-la-Ville, on the left those of La Braule. The troops of the 42nd Division fought desperate engagements in these woods during the alternatives of retreat and advance from September 6 to 8. _Pass through_ +Chapton+ (_72½ km._), which marked the utmost limit of the direct German advance on Sézanne.

_Shortly afterwards, on arriving at the main road_ (N. 51), _turn to the right and descend into Sézanne_, which suddenly comes into view at the foot of the hill, and makes a pretty picture. It was to attain this edge of the plateau, which commands a wide horizon, that the Germans made such desperate efforts on either side of N. 51, efforts which were, however, rendered vain by the admirable resistance of the 42nd Division.

_Enter Sézanne (80 km.) by the Rue d'Épernay, then turn to the right into the Rue de la Halle leading to the Place de la République._ Here is the church (view opposite). _From thence we seek out the hotel where we intend to dine and sleep (see plan, p. 158)._

SÉZANNE

VISIT TO THE TOWN

The most interesting sight is the church (historical monument), a view of which is given on p. 157. It dates from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. To visit the interior, enter by the little door opening on to the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, and opposite an old well enclosed within a wrought-iron railing.

The stone reredos, against the wall on the left on entering, is worthy of note. An interesting walk is to follow the line of the ancient fortifications now changed into a public promenade. The most interesting part is the "Mail des Cordeliers" to the north.

THE MARSHES OF SAINT-GOND

=TOUR IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF SÉZANNE= (65 km.)

via +Broyes+, +Allemant+, +Broussy+, +Bannes+, +Coizard+, +Congy+, +Champaubert+, +Baye+, +Saint-Prix+, +Oyes+, +Reuves+, +Mondement+.

_This part of the tour should be done in the morning, for the region of the marshes is devoid of hotels, even of inns, and, tourists must therefore return to Sézanne for lunch. After lunch, we set out for Fère-Champenoise, ascend the valley of the Somme, to arrive at Châlons-sur-Marne for dinner and bed._

_Leaving the hotel, re-cross the Place de la République and take on the left the Rue de la Halle, continued by the Rue de Broyes. The latter turns suddenly to the left (the street which continues in the former direction is the Rue de Châlons). The road_ (G. C. 39) _skirts the cemetery and mounts towards =Broyes=, through which we pass, leaving the church on the left (5½ km.). On a level with the church, take the street on the right, and 300 yards further on we encounter the old "Castle des Pucelles," seen in the photograph above._

General Humbert, commanding the Moroccan Division, established his headquarters in this castle on September 7, Mondement Castle having become uninhabitable. It was from here, when Mondement had been taken by the Germans, that he directed the counter-attacks which drove them from it. The "Castle des Pucelles" is perched on the edge of the plateau dominating almost vertically the immense plain of the Aube. Mondement is only 3½ km. distant. One can easily realise how tragic was the situation during the days of September 8 and 9, 1914, of the troops standing at bay at Broyes, and understand the savage fury with which they attacked Mondement.

_Quitting the "Castle des Pucelles," continue straight along_ G. C. 39, _leaving on the left the "Chemin vicinal" leading to Mondement (we shall follow it in the opposite direction on our return)_.

_Traverse =Allemant Woods= and the village of that name, through which we pass, leaving the church (9 km.) on the right_. From its steeple in 1814 Napoléon watched the battle which was raging in the plain below. _After the first group of houses comes a fork in the road; the one on the right descends into the plain, that on the left goes towards the marshes of Saint-Gond._

_Before taking the latter, turn to the right on the crest for a few steps in order to contemplate in its entirety the beautiful view reproduced in the_ panoramas on pp. 160 to 163.

The plain which stretches at our feet, as far as the eye can reach, right up to the Aube, and of which the panoramas on pages 160 to 163 give a good idea, was the stake in the battle which for five days engaged the army of Foch and those of Von Bulow and Von Hausen. The heights whose crest we have been following since leaving Sézanne assured its control. From there the Germans with their powerful artillery would have been able to destroy the French Corps which had withdrawn to the plain. They would also have been able to manœuvre freely in order to fall on the rear of the army of Espérey on the west, and that of Langle de Cary on the east. The whole plan of the battle of the Marne would have collapsed. The nature of the ground permits us to understand the particular violence of the struggle at this point: the Germans ready to sacrifice everything in order to attain the heights, the French disputing fiercely every inch of the ground.

While attacking the height on its front, from the south bank of the Marshes (see the panorama on pages 182-183), the Germans also tried to outflank it on the east.

We have seen in the general account of the battle how prodigious were their efforts to cross the Somme, which formed a covering line, and then to debouch from Fère-Champenoise. This locality is hidden behind Mont Chalmont, on the left of the panorama above. This manœuvre very nearly succeeded. During the day of September 9, the soldiers occupying the promontory, where stands the tourist, saw to the north in the direction of the Marshes, the advancing Germans arrive within firing distance of the farthest trench. If they turned their eyes eastwards, they saw the 17th Division falling back on Mont Chalmont (panorama above) and the artillery take up its position on the western slope. Further south, debouching from the screen formed by this ridge, the firing line came into view spreading towards Linthes and Pleurs. The terrible anxiety of these hours of waiting only ceased when the 42nd Division came into action.

The fine strategic movement of the 42nd (_see p. 14_) is easy to follow. The Division gained the plain from the plateau north of Sézanne which we traversed yesterday. The infantry descended the slopes of Broyes and Allemant. The military wagons followed the N. 34 and the railway which skirts this road. The batteries stopped on the way at Broyes, in order to take part in the bombardment of Mondement Castle. The division formed up between Linthes, Linthelles and Pleurs, and it was from this point that it began its attack. The tourist may picture to himself these red and blue columns marching eastwards under a violent artillery fire, and causing the German troops, bewildered by the arrival of these unexpected French reinforcements, to disappear again behind the ridge. The villages of Péas (panorama II) and Saint-Loup (panorama III) served as shelters for the reserves of the Ninth Corps. Much-tried companies withdrew there to reform. It was from Saint-Loup that the 77th Infantry Regiment started forth to take Mondement. Leaving their dinner which was warming, these gallant fellows stormed the slopes of Allemant and of Broyes in order to take in this action the heroic part explained on p. 117.

_Rejoin_ G. C. 39. _The long dike of the marshes of Saint-Gond becomes visible almost immediately._ From this distance nothing indicates the marshes, whose reeds are lost to view among the crops; one can only distinguish the line of the Petit Morin, marked by poplar trees, which traverses the depression from one end to the other.

After passing a small group of houses, take, at the cross-roads, the road on the left descending towards the marshes. We can perceive Mont-Août first in front, then to the right. This solitary little hill played an important part in the battle. There, until September 9, the 17th Division resisted all attacks from the north and from the east.

_Follow_ G. C. 39, _and arriving at =Broussy-le-Grand= (16 km.), pass through it._ Held first by the Moroccan Division, Broussy was carried by the Germans after a fierce struggle. The French troops were thrown back on the slopes of Allemant which we have just descended. There are still many ruined houses in Broussy.

_The road now turns towards =Bannes= (19 km.)._ Across the plain which stretches south and east of Bannes, the 17th and 52nd Divisions fought desperate engagements to prevent the Germans from breaking through the marshes. On the 8th, the French front, which followed the boundary of the marshes from east to west, was pushed back with violence. The left remained in the neighbourhood of Bannes, but the centre drew back to Mont-Août, and the right to the south of this hill. On the 9th, Mont-Août fell in its turn. Between Bannes and Mont-Août, in a trench, numerous letters and telegrams and a box bearing the address of Prince Eitel, son of Wilheim II., were found.

Many new roofs are to be seen in Bannes, a proof of the violence of the bombardment.

_At the cross-roads at the entrance to the village, turn to the left towards the Marshes and Coizard, to which_ G. C. 43 _leads us_.

The above photograph gives an aspect of this marshy region. The line of poplars crossing it follows the course of the Morin. The heights on the horizon are those of Toulon-la-Montagne and Vert-la-Gravelle. They were occupied on September 6 by the outposts of the 17th Division, who, however, could not hold them. The Germans then installed batteries there which swept all the south-east portion of the marshes. In spite of this fact, on the same day a battalion of the 77th Line Regiment tried to retake the heights.