“ VISIT TO BELLEAU WOOD.
It was in the region that the tourist is about to visit that the Americans performed, at heavy cost, one of their most glorious feats of arms. The many graves seen on the way make the journey a veritable pilgrimage.
Leaving Château-Thierry by the Avenue Clemenceau (N. 3) , pass under the railway bridge, taking another glance at the completely destroyed hamlet of Courteau on the left. At the top of the stiff rise, leave the main road (which runs to the left) , and go straight along G.C. 9 towards Belleau and Torcy. ”

“ Crossing over the railway the road turns to the right, rising above the valley of the Marne. Montreuil is next passed through.
Just before entering Le Thiolet (the first ruined village on the tour) , along the left side of the road, there is an American Cemetery.
Shortly after, Vaux is reached, but before coming to it, another American Cemetery will be seen to the left of the road.
This village, which is situated in a hollow, was literally wiped out (photo, p. 60) . The ruins in the bottom of the valley, to the right of the road, are most impressive. ”

“ To the east of the salient thus formed, the French front extended along the Verneuil-Ville-en-Tardenois line, whence it linked up with the Janvry and Gueux positions.
The resistance of the French stiffened and became increasingly effective. Ever on the watch, General Pétain, with that shrewd discernment of which he had given numberless proofs since the Battle of Verdun, realised that this was not a mere enemy feint, and brought up reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Germans continued to engage their reserves in the battle. ”

“ The Allies’ resistance, so far from abating, stiffened, while each attempt of the enemy to advance was checked with heavy loss. The Germans were already beginning to show signs of exhaustion when on July 18 the Allies’ great counter-offensive, which the German press had declared to be impossible, was launched against the right flank and in the rear of the German divisions, who were struggling desperately to reach Epernay. ”

“ On June 1, 1918, the town was retaken by the German Conta Corps, after fierce street fighting, in which the French Colonial Infantry, gallantly supported by American troops, inflicted severe losses on the enemy. The defence of Château-Thierry is one of the episodes of which the Americans are justly proud. ”

“ The church is on the right.
Throughout the whole of the region covered since leaving Jaulgonne the Americans fought with great bravery on both banks of the Marne.
On May 28, 1918, the second day of the German Offensive, the German High Command changed its original plans, which were to limit the operations to the taking of the heights south of the Vesle, and then to cause the fall of Soissons and Rheims. The Franco-British resistance on the two wings, and the rapid advance of the Germans in the centre, caused the German High Command to attempt the thrust towards the Marne. ”

“ Recklessly throwing masses of men into the battle in an attempt to reach his objective quickly by sheer weight of numbers, he launched five powerful attacks in five different places. Considered in the whole, these attacks were unsuccessful, while in the Ardre Valley the enemy was vigorously counter-attacked. Meanwhile, four French divisions began an offensive in the region of Dormans.
In spite of protecting smoke screens, the bridges across the Marne were unceasingly bombarded by the Allied aviators and artillery, and sometimes destroyed. ”

“ To save their guns and organize their retreat the Germans stubbornly opposed the American advance. However, foot by foot, they were obliged to give way before the impetuous onrush of the Americans. From the 23rd to the 26th the latter, after a prolonged struggle, captured Charmel and the whole of the heights running parallel to the Marne. The German prisoners captured in Ris Wood declared that their orders were to hold out at all costs, to allow of a counter-attack by two divisions of the Guards. ”

“ In the meantime, French and Italian forces continued their counter-attacks on the other side of the “pocket” without, however, making appreciable progress.
At 4 a.m. on the 19th the infantry and tanks attacked again. The enemy was in a critical position as, were Soissons to fall and Mangin’s Army to slip in along the Aisne, Von Boehn’s communications would be cut and his army taken in the rear. The Germans engaged their last available reserves (four divisions) , and, clinging desperately to their positions on the River Crise in front of Soissons, counter-attacked furiously. ”

“ From June 5 onwards, enemy action was purely local, the Germans being often compelled to defend themselves against French counter-attacks. To the north, the Moroccan Division recaptured the Amblény positions by night. Hard fighting continued all along the Savières Stream, from Troësnes to Longpont, where the French recovered part of the lost ground, and to the north-west of Château-Thierry on the Dammard-Veuilly-la-Poterie-Belleau-Bouresches line, where the American troops, co-operating with French divisions, gave signal proofs of their courage and determination. ”

“ 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. ”

“ In the course of the battle the aeroplanes and tanks vied with the infantry in valour and intrepidity. From July 15 to 20, French, British and American aviators attacked the enemy unceasingly, flying in all weathers, sometimes in violent storms, as on July 17. In less than a week, in addition to the losses inflicted on the enemy infantry and artillery, the Allied aviation services destroyed or drove down out of control 137 German aeroplanes and 23 observation balloons, besides dropping 222 tons of bombs on enemy objectives. ”

“ Fresh divisions were also brought up to the south-east of the town, with orders to check the German push at all cost, which they did to the last man. The 9th Battalion of Chasseurs (4th Division, to quote one example only) resisted heroically at Hartennes and Taux, in which region the Germans were unable to make appreciable progress. In the centre, the enemy’s effort southwards enabled two of their corps to reach Fère-en-Tardenois and advance beyond that town.{9}
Further to the east, they continued to advance along the Valley of the Ardre. ”

“ On the 22nd, the front was quiet between the Aisne and the Ourcq, but between the Ourcq and the Marne violent enemy counter-attacks temporarily drove back the Allies. However, at the end of the day the Allies had progressed beyond the Château-Thierry-Soissons road. On the Marne, French troops, moving eastwards under enemy artillery and machine-gun fire, enlarged their bridgehead on both banks. ”

“ On the evening of July 18, 1918, near Vierzy, this battalion displayed exceptional courage and bravery in withstanding the attack by the enemy’s 3rd Brigade. Advancing with the attacking infantry waves the battalion, by adroit firing, crushed the German resistance and destroyed strongly defended nests of machine-guns, thereby giving effectual assistance to the infantry in the course of its brilliant attack. ”

“ ANOTHER VIEW OF THE RUINS OF MONT-NOTRE-DAME CHURCH IN 1918.
Compare with photo below.
Mont-Notre-Dame, an isolated hill, sugar-loaf in shape, dominates all the surrounding country. It formed an excellent position for the artillery during the fighting in this region and was used by both sides.
In the village turn to the left and skirt the hill, then take the steep rise on the right, which leads to the top. On the right, caverns are visible in the hill-sides. The church, now a mere heap of stones, is next reached. The cemetery is behind. ”

“ The broken, rocky ground lends itself naturally to defence, and, by filling it with machine-guns, the Germans had made it well-nigh impregnable.{51}
The attack was begun on June 10, 1918, by the American Marine Brigade—the first of Uncle Sam’s units to land in France (June 27, 1917) —300 prisoners being taken. Operations were successfully continued on the 13th, when a powerful German counter-attack, with orders to drive out the Americans at all cost, was repulsed with heavy enemy loss. ”

“ Degoutte’s Army captured Neuilly-St.-Front, the plateau east of Monnes, and the heights north-east of Courchamps, progressing beyond the Priez-Givry line. In two days about 17,000 prisoners and 360 guns were captured.
The situation of the German Army was becoming more and more critical. In the neighbourhood of Parcy-Tigny, the Allies were only about a mile from the Soissons-Château-Thierry Road, and within nine miles of the Fére-en-Tardenois Railway Station. ”

“ The Germans, who were preparing their offensive of July 15, between Château-Thierry and Rheims, attached great importance to this position, which covered their right flank and dominated Château-Thierry. From July onwards the Allies, by a series of local operations, approached the town. On the night of July 1-2, the Americans captured the village of Vaux (which the tourist passed through before entering Château-Thierry) , taking 400 prisoners belonging to the 201st German division. Enemy counter-attacks failed to win back the village. ”

“ All along the road are small dug-outs. The Germans, in their retreat, left behind huge quantities of shells and empty cartridge-cases.
Rather less than two miles from Rocourt, in a small wood which borders the road on the left, the Germans had installed batteries of three-inch and four-inch guns. The wood contains ammunition shelters and an underground chamber full of shells. In the sloping land, at the side of the road, small dug-outs can still be seen. A little further on, near a ruined house, are heaps of burnt cable-drums, gun limbers, motors, etc. ”

“ It was customary for the Kings of France to stay over-night at Fismes, when on their way to Rheims to be crowned. In 1814, on the eve of invasion, Napoleon I. called the nation to arms at Fismes.
Fismes in 1914.
The Germans occupied the town on September 2, 1914, as the last French columns were withdrawing along the road to Epernay. The Mayor and several town councillors were taken as hostages. Meanwhile, the Kommandant Von Kron ordered eight beds to be prepared in one of the rooms of the Hôtel-de-Ville, and dinner for ten officers ”

“ Below the road are the ruins of La Grange Farm. The table-land near the top of the hill, on the right, served as an aviation park during the War. In May, 1919, the remains of twenty burnt aeroplanes were still to be seen there.
At the fork take the right-hand road (I. C. 30) . Here the road was crossed by wire entanglements and trenches. Fierce fighting took place over the whole of this tableland. On the left is Beaurepaire Farm, which was little damaged. ”

“ The French stood the bombardment heroically and made a desperate resistance. Near Laffaux, the 21st (Territorial) Regiment fought to the last man rather than fall back. However, in spite of heroic resistance and heavy sacrifices, the German onrush bore down the Allies by sheer weight of numbers.{7}
To the west, a German corps with a division of reserves outflanked Pinon Wood and converged towards Laffaux Plateau, but were unable to reach the Aisne, whilst another corps gained a footing on the Chemin-des-Dames and advanced slowly towards Vailly. ”

“ By a frontal attack, Ludendorff aimed at separating the Allied Armies of the north from those of the east, by outflanking Verdun (via St. Menehould and the upper Aisne Valley) on the one hand, and Rheims and the Mountain of Rheims (via the Marne Valley) on the other hand.
WHAT THE GERMANS EXPECTED FROM THEIR “FRIEDENSTURM.{17}”
Once this result obtained, the Germans would then march on Paris, which would be unable to make a prolonged resistance. ”

“ With indefatigable energy and courage this regiment gallantly supported the 2nd Division in the attack of July 18, S.W. of Soissons. Always eager to push forward their guns, in spite of heavy enemy bombardment, it constantly overwhelmed the enemy by the violent destructive fire of its 6-in. guns. After the relief of the 2nd Division, this regiment, on July 20, remained in the line and gallantly fought with the French 58th and 12th Divisions. ”