The final stage of the offensive was to follow the meeting of the British and French armies, having broken through the German lines, then the pursuit of the defeated German armies towards the German frontier. French infantry advance on the Chemin des Dames. England, 1915 ... A captain of the 1st regiment of zouaves keeps a German wounded at bay during the attack on the Mont Cornillet, in Champagne . Most of the objectives had been reached by the evening of 10 April, except for the line between Wancourt and Feuchy around Neuville-Vitasse. Côte d'Ivoire has a general copyright term of 99 years and Honduras has 75 years, but they do implement the rule of the shorter term. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. [14], On the second day Nivelle ordered the Fifth Army to attack north-eastwards to reinforce success, believing that the Germans intended to hold the ground in front of the Sixth Army. [39], Zero hour had been set for 5:45 a.m. but a German message ordering the front garrisons to be ready at 5:30 a.m. was intercepted and zero hour was moved forward to 5:15 a.m.[40] Rain began to fall at 6:00 a.m. and a force of 63 Schneider CA1 and Saint-Chamond tanks, were impeded by mud and many bogged down. Åstrupvej 72. Two days later a battalion of the 166th Division staged a demonstration and on 20 May, the 128th Regiment of the 3rd Division and the 66th Regiment of the 18th Division refused orders; individual incidents of insubordination occurred in the 17th Division. Mont Cornillet . [24][25], The army, politicians and public were stunned by the chain of events and on 16 May, Nivelle was sacked and moved to North Africa. Boehn chose to defend the front positions, rather than treat them as an advanced zone and conduct the main defence north of the Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne. [44] Fighting continued on the lower slopes on the east side of the ridge until 14 June. The Third Army consolidated and then advanced on Monchy-le-Preux. The Fren… After the costly fighting at the Verdun and on the Somme in 1916, General Robert Nivelle replaced Marshal Joseph Joffre as the commander of the French armies on the Western Front in December. [34] The French captured Bois d'Avocourt, Mort-Homme, Bois Corbeaux and the Bismarck, Kronprinz and Gallwitz tunnels, which had connected the German front lines to the rear at Mort-Homme and Côte 304. Il fut aussi le théâtre en 1917 d'un des épisodes les plus meurtriers de la guerre. Towards the end of the offensive, the 2nd Division arrived on the battlefield drunk and without weapons. The development of a large artillery piece was ordered in July of 1915 after seeing the success of German 420mm pieces against Belgian fortifications. Ludendorff wrote that the French army had "quickly overcome its depression". On 4 to 5 May Brimont was to be captured, which would have been of great tactical value to the French; the attack was postponed on the orders of the French government and was then cancelled. Original file ‎(1,067 × 577 pixels, file size: 140 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg). The failure of the Nivelle strategy and the high number of French casualties led to mutinies and the dismissal of Nivelle, his replacement by Pétain and the adoption of a defensive strategy by the French, while their armies recuperated and were rearmed. Fader Hans Detlef Blohm – pens. The plan had been in development since December 1916 but the preparations were plagued by delays and information leaks. Tunnels and caves under the ridge nullified much of the destructive effect of the French artillery, which was also hampered by poor visibility and by German air superiority, which made French artillery-observation aircraft even less effective. The VI Corps advanced on its west of the Oise–Aisne Canal with its right wing but the left wing was held up. French advance between Mont Cornillet and Mont Blond (Champagne). Nivelle offered his resignation but it was refused, despite Nivelle's authority having been undermined. [22] From 16–17 May, there were disturbances in a Chasseur battalion of the 127th Division and a regiment of the 18th Division. [1] The Russian Revolution, the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line and the likelihood of a declaration of war by the US, made some assumptions of the plan obsolete. [8], Groupe d'armées du Nord on the northern flank of Groupe d'armées de Reserve (GAR) had been reduced to one army with three corps and began French operations with preliminary attacks by the Third Army on German observation points at St. Quentin on 1–4, 10 and 13 April, which took some of the German defences in front of the Siegfriedstellung (Hindenburg Line) in preliminary operations. The number of communication trenches in the defensive zones had been increased, trenches and dug-outs deepened and huge amounts of concrete used to reinforce the fortifications … 51 . By the end of 5 May the Sixth Army had reached the outskirts of Allemant and taken c. 4,000 prisoners, by 10 May 28,500 prisoners and 187 guns had been taken by the French armies. [41] On 25 October the village and forest of Pinon were captured and the line of the Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne was reached. To the north-east of the hill the advance reached a depth of 2.4 km (1.5 mi) and next day the advance was pressed beyond Mont Haut and Mont Cornet was captured on 5 May. Sturm-Kompagnie, Sturm-Abteilung Rohr was one of the first casualties of the most famous assault units of the war. [29] In 1919, Pierrefeu gave French casualties from 16 to 25 April as 118,000, of whom 28,000 were killed, 5,000 died of wounds, 80,000 were wounded, 20,000 of whom were fit to return to their units by 30 April and 5,000 were taken prisoner. Forty-nine infantry and five cavalry divisions were massed on the Aisne front with 5,300 guns. Please edit this file's description and provide a source. The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. No need to register, buy now! Find the perfect French Zouaves stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. A man's passion for his cornet is a source of unending trouble to his wife, who is drudging along trying to do all the work of the house and mind her baby girl. From the beginning German machine-gunners were able to engage the French infantry and inflict many casualties, although German artillery-fire was far less destructive. The ending of the battle is usually given as mid-May but Uffindell called this politically convenient, since it excluded the Battle of La Malmaison, in October, making it easier to blame Nivelle. He is also represented in various collections at Lefranc-Bourgeois; Le Mans Banque Populaire, Nantes and the Collection ville de Saint-Grégoire. Engeland, 1915. [31] In 1939, Wynne wrote that the French lost 117,000 casualties including 32,000 killed in the first few days but that the effect on military and civilian morale was worse than the casualties. From the woods behind the quarters we can see Mont Cornillet, Mont Haut and the ridge above Moronvilliers, a few miles northwest of us. [2][3] Preparing the Nivelle Offensive was a huge and costly undertaking, involving c. 1.2 million troops and 7,000 artillery pieces on a front between Reims and Roye. The right flank guard to the east of Suippes was established by the 24th Division and Aubérive on the east bank of the river and the 34th Division took Mont Cornillet and Mont Blond. March 20th, 1915. [30] In 1920, Hayes wrote that British casualties were 160,000 and Russian casualties 5,183 men. [29] From 20 to 26 August the French conducted the 2ème Bataille Offensive de Verdun (Second Offensive Battle of Verdun). He dies in October 1915 in an attack on the Schratzmännle. On 6 April a division was seen encamped near Arras, troop and transport columns crowded the streets, more narrow-gauge railways and artillery were seen to have moved closer to the front. The principal effort was an attack on the German positions along the Chemin des Dames ridge, in the Second Battle of the Aisne and an eventual link with the British. [13], The attack on the right flank of the Sixth Army, which faced north between Oulches and Missy, took place from Oulches to Soupir and had less success than the Fifth Army; the II Colonial Corps advanced for 0.80 km (0.5 mi) in the first thirty minutes and was then stopped. Nivelle believed the Germans had been exhausted by the battles at Verdun and the Somme and could not resist a breakthrough offensive, which could be completed in 24–48 hours. The French infantry reached the new German positions with an advance of 6.4 km (4 mi). Warrant instituting "Order of the British Empire" published. The Second Battle of the Aisne began on 16 April but the duration and extent of the battle have been interpreted differently. The canal was crossed further north and Bermericourt was captured against a determined German defence. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. The British Third and First armies achieved the deepest advance since trench warfare began, along the Scarpe river in the Battle of Arras, which inflicted many losses on the Germans, attracted reserves and captured Vimy Ridge to the north. A preliminary attack was to be made by the French Third Army at St. Quentin and the British First, Third and Fifth armies at Arras, to capture high ground and divert German reserves from the French fronts on the Aisne and in Champagne. In late October, the French conducted the Battle of La Malmaison (23–27 October), a limited-objective attack on the west end of the Chemin-des-Dames, which forced the Germans to abandon their remaining positions on Chemin des Dames and retire across the Ailette valley. [4], Nivelle left Petain in command of Groupe d'armées de Centre (GAC) and established a new Groupe d'armées de Reserve (GAR, Joseph Micheler) for the attack along the Chemin des Dames with the Fifth Army (General Olivier Mazel), the Sixth Army (General Charles Mangin) and the Tenth Army (General Denis Duchêne). hovedlærer Drengeborgerskolen, Has´le (pens 1902) også Åstrupvej 72. The main attack on 13 April made very little progress, against a German defence relying mainly on machine-gun fire and local counter-attacks. død 28.6.1917 Mont Cornillet (sammenstyrtning) NØ for Reims. [33] Most of the new French Schneider tanks were destroyed by artillery fire. The Monts were held against a German counter-attack on 19 April by the 5th and 6th (Eingreif divisions,) the 23rd Division and one regiment between Nauroy and Moronvilliers. Passé aux 328e régiments d'infanterie le 1er juillet 1915 ; Passé au 48e régiment d'infanterie le 21 septembre 1915 (en exécution de la dépêche 212 M. du général commandant la 11e région, du 16 septembre 1915) Soldat de 2e classe ; Tué à l'ennemi le 4 mai 1917 au mont Cornillet ; Avis 11 - et n° bis 371013 du 9 juin 1917 ; Campagnes By the end of May more units of the 5th, 6th, 13th, 35th, 43rd, 62nd, 77th and 170th divisions mutinied, revolts occurred in 21 divisions in May. [47] The resistance of the German 4th Army, unusually wet weather, the onset of winter and the diversion of British and French resources to Italy, following the Austro-German victory at the Battle of Caporetto (24 October – 19 November) allowed the Germans to avoid a general withdrawal, which had seemed inevitable to them in October. The Third Army attack on the German defences either side of the Scarpe river penetrated 6,000 yd (3.4 mi; 5.5 km), the furthest advance achieved since the beginning of trench warfare. Herr Hoffmann, Swiss Foreign … Mont de Champagne entrée du tunnel de Cornillet.jpg 1,065 × 605; 282 KB Mont du casque 73714.jpg 1,306 × 882; 488 KB Mont sans nom transport de munitions 20 avril 09973.jpg 2,109 × 1,452; 517 KB The Fifth Army was not able substantially to advance on 17 April but the Sixth Army, which had continued to attack overnight, forced a German withdrawal from the area of Braye–Condé–Laffaux to the Siegfriedstellung, which ran from Laffaux mill to the Chemin des Dames and joined the original defences at Courtecon. The French held a bridgehead 20 km (12 mi) wide on the north bank of the Aisne, south of the Chemin des Dames, from Berry-au-Bac to Fort Condé on the road to Soissons. Select from premium French Zouaves of the highest quality. An attack by the Tenth Army took Vauclair and the I Colonial Corps took the ruins of Laffaux Mill, before operations were suspended again on 8 May. Click HERE Jul 11, 2016 - View and license Weapons World War One pictures & news photos from Getty Images. [28], Grand Quartier Général (GQG), the French general headquarters had predicted c. 10,000 casualties and French medical services were overwhelmed when the offensive began. Panorama showing the view from the Dragon's Cave, German trench destroyed by a mine explosion, Pétain: A Crisis of Morale in the French Nation at War, 16 April – 23 October 1917, Armistice between Russia and the Central Powers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nivelle_Offensive&oldid=996302013, Battles of the Western Front (World War I), Battles of World War I involving the United Kingdom, Battles of World War I involving Australia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 December 2020, at 19:20. Soupir N° I National Cemetery, near the Chemin des Dames. Nivelle claimed that a massive barrage on German lines would bring France victory in 48 hours. [43] 19 of the mines were fired on 7 June at 3:10 a.m. British Summer Time. On the north bank of the Aisne the French attack was more successful, the 42nd and 69th divisions reached the German second position between the Aisne and the Miette, the advance north of Berry penetrating 4.0 km (2.5 mi). [5] The ground at Brimont began to rise to the west towards Craonne and then reached a height of 180 m (590 ft) along a plateau which continued westwards to Fort Malmaison. I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publish it under the following license: (1,067 × 577 pixels, file size: 140 KB, MIME type: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0. This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. This page was last edited on 10 October 2020, at 02:18. Microsoft Windows Photo Gallery 6.0.6001.18000, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mont_Cornillet_1915.jpg&oldid=485524220, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [49] The German submarine bases on the coast remained but the objective of diverting the Germans from the French further south, while they recovered from the failure of the Nivelle Offensive, succeeded.[50]. The French part of the offensive was intended to be strategically decisive by breaking through the German defences on the Aisne front within 48 hours, with casualties expected to be around 10,000 men. The French General Robert Nivelle experienced a meteoric rise and fall in 1916 and 1917, soaring from his original position leading the Third Army Corps to command of the Second Army, then commander of all the French armies in northern France, before plunging to discredit and disgrace – all in a little over a year. [10], To the north the First Army attacked from Ecurie north of the Scarpe to Vimy Ridge. [35], German attacks were conducted against Côte 304 and Mort Homme on 29 and 30 June, beginning a period of attack and counter-attack which continued into July and August. The Luftstreitkräfte arranged to meet the attack but it was cancelled. Dawn reconnaissance had been ordered, to scrutinise French preparations and they gave the first warning of attack on 16 April. German attacks on 30–31 May prompted a French counter-attack on 18 June and another German attack on 21 June. truetrue. Please edit this file's description and provide a source. [21] The operation had been planned as a decisive blow to the Germans; by 20 April it was clear that the strategic intent of the offensive had not been achieved. Hiking info, trail maps, and trip reports from Mont Cornillet (202 m) in France When the infantry advanced over the far edge of the ridge, German artillery and machine-guns on the valley floor had direct observation over the British, whose artillery was less able to provide covering fire. [873 x 1227] Will van der Vaart Hard Drop. First World War, mobilization, declaration of war: a group of soldiers with a cloth to throw one of them into the air during preparations for the battle at the front. General Franchet d'Espèrey called La Malmaison "the decisive phase of the Battle...that began on 16 April and ended on 2 November....". General Smuts to attend War Cabinet meetings. Courcy on the right flank was captured but the advance was stopped at the Aisne–Marne canal. The main attack on the Aisne would be preceded by a large diversionary attack by the British Third and First armies at Arras. The right flank guard to the east of Suippes was established by the 24th Division and Aubérive on the east bank of the river and the 34th Division took Mont Cornillet and Mont Blond. The rear edge of the German battle zone along the ridge had been reinforced with machine-gun posts; the German divisional commanders chose to fight in the front line and few of the Eingreif divisions were needed to intervene in the battle in the first few days. The capture of the Dragon's Cave marked the beginning of the Battle of the Observatories proper, which lasted all summer, as both sides fought for possession of the high ground on the Chemin des Dames. By 28 May, mutinies had occurred in the 9th Division, 158th Division, 5th Division and the 1st Cavalry Division. ), which is a place in Champagne (approximatively 20 kms in the east of Reims) where german pioniers have dug a … 25 septembre – 13 octobre – Retrait du … Birthe Laursen Art Agency. Next day Côte 304, Samogneux and Régnieville fell and on 26 August the French reached the southern outskirts of Beaumont. No need to register, buy now! The French part of the offensive was intended to be strategically decisive by breaking through the German defences on the Aisne front within 48 hours, with casualties expected to be around 10,000 men. By 16 May the British had made significant advances and captured 254 German guns but had been unable to achieve a breakthrough. [34], On 25 June, a French attack by the 164th Division supported by flame-throwers, captured the 70 ft (21 m) deep Dragon's Cave shelter at Hurtebise and adjacent positions, from which they repulsed a German counter-attack at the end of June. At Vauxaillon at the west end of the Chemin des Dames, German attacks took place on 20, 22 and 23 June with French counter-attacks on 21 and 24 June. Political, etc. At a meeting on 6 April, despite the doubts of other politicians, the army group commanders and the British, Alexandre Ribot, the new French Prime Minister supported the plan. Po ustálení fronty na podzim 1914 následovaly krvavé bitvy jako první bitva na Marně (září 1914), první bitva v Champagne (únor/březen 1915), druhá bitva v Champagne (září/říjen 1915), bitva o masiv Mont Cornillet (duben 1917) nebo spojenecká ofenzíva (září/říjen 1918). This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. Date: circa 1915 . From 16 April – 10 May the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Tenth armies took 28,500 prisoners and 187 guns. Note that a few countries have copyright terms longer than 70 years: Mexico has 100 years, Jamaica has 95 years, Colombia has 80 years, and Guatemala and Samoa have 75 years. [32] In 1962, G. W. L. Nicholson the Canadian official historian, recorded German losses of c. 163,000 and French casualties of 187,000 men. [45] The attack prepared the way for the main attack later in the summer, by removing the Germans from the dominating ground on the southern face of the Ypres salient, which they had held for two years. The French took 11,157 prisoners, 200 guns and 220 heavy mortars for losses of c. 10,000, from 23 to 26 October. The British remained on the offensive for the rest of the year fighting the battles of Messines, 3rd Ypres and Cambrai. The main French offensive on the Aisne began on 16 April and also achieved considerable tactical success but the attempt to force a strategically decisive battle on the Germans was a costly failure and by 25 April the main offensive had been suspended. Find the perfect cornillet stock photo. [26] Pétain had 40–62 mutineers shot as examples and introduced reforms to improve the welfare of French troops, which had a significant effect in restoring morale. Showing all 1 items Jump to: Summaries (1) Summaries. Un massif de 200 mètres de haut, à quelques kilomètres de Reims. The massive offensive that bore his name, launched on April 16, 1917, was supposed to be Nivelle’s crowning achievement, a master stroke that would shatter the German lines, end trench warfare and reo… [16], On 17 April the Fourth Army on the left of Groupe d'armées de Centre (GAC) began the subsidiary attack in Champagne from Aubérive to the east of Reims which became known as Bataille des Monts, with the VIII, XVII and XII Corps on an 11 km (6.8 mi) front. Sidste adr. You must also include a United States public domain tag to indicate why this work is in the public domain in the United States. The Nivelle Offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917), was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front in the First World War. A preliminary attack was to be made by the French Third Army at St Quentin and the British First, Third … 15 juin – 15 octobre – Occupation d'un secteur vers Auberive-sur-Suippe et la ferme de Moscou, réduit à droite, le 2 septembre, jusqu'à l'ouest d'Auberive-sur-Suippe (1) Le 25 septembre, attaques françaises sur le mont Sans Nom (2e BATAILLE DE CHAMPAGNE). [17] The attack began at 4:45 a.m. in cold rain alternating with snow showers. The Fourth Army attacks took 3,550 prisoners and 27 guns. [34] On 4 July, a German attack began on a 17 km (11 mi) front between Craonne and Cerny, followed by French counter-attacks on 7 and 9 July, from 5 May the Germans attacked seventy times in eighty days. GRzF (Garde Regiment zu Fuss -5. komp) 2) 16.1.1917-28.6.1917 – IR 442 (Infanteri Regiment – 9. komp) død 28.6.1917 ved Cornilletberg (Mont Cornillet) øst for Rheims. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. The Cornet (1915) Plot. [23] A record 27,000 French soldiers deserted in 1917; the offensive was suspended on 9 May. The advance of the Sixth Army was one of the largest made by a French army since trench warfare began. Waves of German troops ascended the northern slopes of the hills, joined the German infantry from the Mont Cornillet tunnel and Flensburg Trench and attacked the positions of the 34th Division. Min farfar var før krigen stationsassistent ved Kleinbahn’en. Uffindel wrote that the exclusion of La Malmaison was artificial, since the attack was begun from the ground taken from April to May. A captain of the 1st regiment of zouaves keeps a German wounded at bay during the attack on the Mont Cornillet, Marne, France. The French infantry and 21 tanks reached the German second position according to plan, the 38th Division captured Fort de Malmaison and XXI Corps took Allemant and Vaudesson. By 25 April most of the fighting had ended. Constituée le 15 juin 1915. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 [15] German attacks on 27 May had temporary success before French counter-attacks recaptured the ground around Mont Haut; lack of troops had forced the Germans into piecemeal attacks instead of a simultaneous attack along all of the front. Cornillet has won several awards e.g. The next stage of the Allied strategy was an advance to Torhout–Couckelaere, to close the German-controlled railway running through Roulers and Thourout. Unteroffizier Friedrich Pöhler, 2. Le mont Cornillet est un sommet du département français de la Marne culminant à 206 mètres d'altitude sur la commune de Prosnes, à l'est de Reims.. Il constitue un site de combats de la Première Guerre mondiale, en Champagne.En effet, cette position stratégique est occupée dès la fin de la première bataille de la Marne par les Allemands qui la fortifient puissamment. The main offensive was to be delivered by the French on the Chemin des Dames ridge (the Second Battle of the Aisne, La bataille du Chemin des Dames, Seconde bataille de l'Aisne and Doppelschlacht Aisne-Champagne), with a subsidiary attack by the Fourth Army (Third Battle of Champagne, Battle of the Hills, Battle of the Hills of Champagne). French engineers based theirs on the 340mm guns that armed the new French battleships (Bretagne-class); the guns had their bore considerably enlargened. [38], The Battle of La Malmaison (Bataille de la Malmaison 23–27 October 1917) led to the French capture of the village and fort of La Malmaison and control of the Chemin des Dames ridge. Jeg søger oplysninger om de 2 regimenter min farfar – Christian Blohm var tilknyttet under Den Store Krig – 1) 10.4.1915-15.1.1917 – 4. On the northern flank which faced east near Laffaux, I Colonial Corps was able to penetrate only a few hundred yard into the defences of the Condé-Riegel (Condé Switch Line). [9] On 9 April the British Third Army attacked to the east of Arras from Croisilles to Ecurie, against Observation Ridge, north of the Arras–Cambrai road and then towards Feuchy and the German second and third lines. [18] He was replaced by the considerably more cautious Pétain with Foch as chief of the General Staff; the new commanders abandoned the strategy of decisive battle for one of recuperation and defence, to avoid high casualties and to restore morale. Fighting known as the Battle of the Observatories continued for local advantage all summer on the Chemin des Dames and along the Moronvilliers heights east of Reims. By April 1917, the plans were well known to the German army, which made extensive defensive preparations, by adding fortifications to the Aisne front and reinforcing the 7th Army (General der Infanterie Max von Boehn) with divisions released by the retreat to the Hindeburg Line in Operation Alberich. [27] The French tactic of assault brutal et continu suited the German defensive dispositions, since much of the new construction had taken place on reverse slopes. ... May 1917. SCHMIT . British aerial activity opposite the 6th Army greatly increased and by 6 April Ludendorff was certain that an attack was imminent. Our division will not be on the hill at all but will occupy the trenches from Auberive, at its foot, to a point near Souain and Ferme de Navarin. [29], After the substitution of limited objectives for more breakthrough attempts, a French attack on 4–5 May by two regiments, captured Craonne and took the edge of the Californie plateau but was not able to cross the Ailette River. The "Monts" were held against a German counter-attack on 19 April by the 5th, 6th ( Eingreif divisions) and the 23rd division and one regiment between Nauroy and Moronvilliers. On 3 May the French 2nd Division refused to follow orders to attack and this mutiny soon spread throughout the army. The XX Corps attack from Vendresse to the Oise–Aisne Canal had more success, the 153rd Division on the right flank reached the Chemin des Dames south of Courtecon after a second attack, managing an advance of 2.01 km (1.25 mi). [37] By 9 September the French had taken more than 10,000 prisoners and fighting continued, with German counter-attacks on 21, 22, 27 and 28 August, 24 September and 1 October. [19], In 2015, Andrew Uffindell wrote that retrospective naming and dating of events can affect the way in which the past is understood. The village fell that day, although the German garrisons in some parts of Monchyriegel held out for several more days. Ground communication with the German artillery was made more reliable by running telephone lines along steep slopes and deep valleys which were relatively free of French artillery-fire; wireless control stations had been set up during the winter to link aircraft to the guns.