Chapter 9

RANCOURT.

The success was so complete and crushing that for a short time there was a gap in the German front line. Scattered units hastily got together were thrown into the breach where, crouching in the shell-holes, they resisted desperately with rifle and machine-gun, and held their ground for a whole day, without any reserve support.

On March 24, 1918, the German columns forced the line of the Tortille stream and entered Bouchavesnes, thereby bringing about the fall of Péronne—outflanked from the north—and the retreat of the British towards the Ancre. The village was reconquered on September 1 following, after sharp fighting.

After passing by Bouchavesnes, N. 37 ascends another crest(see fortified quarry on the left), from the top of which there is a magnificent panorama:on the left, the Valley of the Tortille (a small tributary of the Somme);in the valley, the Northern Canal and Village of Allaines;opposite, the Mont-St.-Quentin;on the right, the Valley of the Somme.

The portion of the National road which is now followed was the scene of furious, bloody fighting in 1916. In their attempt to outflank Péronne, the French encountered strong German forces which stubbornly held their ground. Traces of the desperate fighting are seen all along the way: stumps of shattered trees, mine-craters and shell-holes in the fields, soldiers' graves, etc.

BOUCHAVESNES.

NEAR PÉRONNE. RUINS OF BRIDGE OVER THE CANAL DU NORD, ON THE N. 37.

Cross the Northern Canal by temporary bridge.

THE CANAL DU NORD FORMED A BITTERLY DISPUTED LINE OF RESISTANCE.

This canal, which connects the Somme with the rivers of northern France, was not quite finished when the war broke out. Its bed was excavated, butnot yet filled with water, so that it formed a ready-made line of resistance. The Germans were unable to hold it in 1916, and the British were likewise driven from it by the German thrust in 1918.

WHAT THE GERMANS SAW FROM THEIR OBSERVATION-POST ON THE MONT-ST.-QUENTIN.

Immediately beyond the canal, the small, ruined village ofFeuillancourtis crossed. On September 12, 1916, the French gained a footing on Hill 76, west of the village. This was the nearest position to Péronne reached in 1916, to the north of the town.

Follow N. 37 toMont-St.-Quentin.

Built along the National road, 2 km. north of Péronne, on a hill having an altitude of 325-390 ft., the village of Mont-St.-Quentin possessed, until the Revolution, an important abbey, which was founded in the early Middle Ages.

The hill, now famous, rises in front of Péronne, and forms the immediate defence of the town. The Germans had, prior to the Franco-British offensive of 1916, posted their heavy artillery there and built powerful entrenchments.

From 1914 to 1917 the German pioneers consolidated the position. The hill was pierced from all sides by subterranean timber-propped galleries, some leading to immense and comfortable shelters, others to numerous invisible observation-posts, so placed as to command an extensive view in all directions.

A large number of camouflaged heavy guns were posted on the slopes of the hill, the neighbouring observation-posts ensuring great accuracy of fire.

Trenches had been dug all about, in the chalky soil. At the foot of the slopes, two first-lines completely surrounded the hill, and two similar lines ran round half-way up. Communication-trenches zig-zagged transversely,connecting the various lines of main trenches, while the intervening empty spaces were covered with deep entanglements of barbed wire andchevaux-de-frise. Lines of barbed wire protected the winding communicating trenches. At the corners, at regular intervals, concrete observation and special posts, all strongly fortified, were built for the machine-gunners and sharp-shooters.

GERMAN OBSERVATION-POST ON MONT-ST.-QUENTIN (IN THE CHÂTEAU PARK).Péronne and Maisonnette Hill are in the background.

GERMAN OBSERVATION-POST ON MONT-ST.-QUENTIN (IN THE CHÂTEAU PARK).

Péronne and Maisonnette Hill are in the background.

SPY-HOLE OF THE OBSERVATION-POST.

The village itself was powerfully fortified. An intricate system of trenches entirely covered the place, the castle forming the main strong-point. A maze of communication trenches and entrenchments ran throughout the park. A concrete observation-post on the terrace, near the enclosing wall, hidden among the lime-trees, commanded a view of the whole battlefieldnorth and south of the Valley of the Somme. A subterranean shelter beneath this observation-post connected the defences of the castle with those in the cellars of the village houses.

MONT-ST.-QUENTIN. RUINED HOUSES.

These powerful entrenchments have almost completely disappeared. Before evacuating the position in March, 1917, the Germans mined the defence-works of the hill, blocking up the entrance to the underground passages. They also set fire to the timber props which supported the roof and walls of the galleries and shelters; an immense fire was thus lighted inside the hill, which, for several days, had the appearance of a volcano in eruption.

MONT-ST.-QUENTIN. GERMAN DEFENCES.

Whilst in 1917 the Germans voluntarily evacuated Mont-Saint-Quentin, they were driven from it by main force in 1918. During the night of August 30, Australian units, slipping through the brushwood and barbed-wire entanglements which covered the steep slopes of the hill, succeeded in reaching the top, and quickly bombed the surprised garrison into submission, about athird of the defenders being taken prisoners. In spite of fierce counter-attacks, the Australians held their ground the next day. Several assaulting waves, composed of soldiers from the Prussian Guard, were successively launched against the hurriedly consolidated positions, but were each time mowed down by artillery barrages.

MONT-ST.-QUENTIN. VILLAGE IN RUINS.

Of the village of Mont-Saint-Quentin, nothing remains but the basements of the houses, with here and there bits of broken walls, tottering beams and heaps of rubbish. The church, a favourite pilgrimage, in memory of the former abbey, was totally destroyed, as was also the castle.

The ruins of the castle, and a German observation-post of concrete, with underground passages and shelters, are at the entrance to the village, on the left, about 50 yards from N. 37.

There is a fine panoramic view over the Somme Valley and Péronne.

On leaving Mont-Saint-Quentin, N. 37 descends toPéronne. Enter the town by the Faubourg de Bretagne.

MONT-ST.-QUENTIN. RUINS OF THE CHÂTEAU.

GERMAN SIGNS IN THE GRANDE PLACE.

Péronne, a sub-prefecture of the "Département" of the Somme, was one of the centres of the sugar and hosiery industries in France, with a pre-war population of about 5,000 inhabitants.

Built at the junction of the Rivers Somme and Cologne, which form a picturesque girdle of marshes and ponds before the walls of the town, Péronne was formerly a fortified city. Its brick ramparts and moats were being dismantled when the late war broke out.

Péronne, whose origin goes back to a Merovingian villa built there in the seventh century, became, in the Middle-Ages, an important fortified city, under the rule of the Counts de Vermandois. One of them kept Charles-le-Simple imprisoned there until his death (929). Philippe I. annexed Péronne to the Crown lands, but in 1435 Charles VII. gave the city to Philippe-le-Bon, Duke of Burgundy. In 1483, during the rebellion of the Liégois, Louis XI., who was then the guest of Charles-le-Téméraire, was kept a prisoner in the castle and compelled to sign a humiliating treaty—called the Péronne Peace—which he afterwards refused to fulfil.

In 1536, the Spaniards, under the leadership of the Prince of Orange, besieged the town for thirty consecutive days, but thanks to the bravery of the inhabitants, and the heroism of a woman named Catherine de Poix, or Marie Fouché, who was the soul of the resistance(photo, p.104), Péronne was saved.

The "Holy League," which marked the commencement of the Religious Wars, was founded at Péronne in 1577 by the nobility and clergy.

In 1870-71, the Germans besieged the town for thirteen days (December 28 to January 9), and subjected it to a violent bombardment, which caused considerable damage, though insignificant in comparison with the depredations of the late war. The church, especially the belfry, was greatly damaged, part of it collapsing, and a number of houses were either burnt or destroyed. During the occupation the enemy committed no excesses.

Péronne—whose arms bear the following device, "Urbs nescia vinci" (the undefeated city)—was decorated in 1913 for its gallant conduct in 1536 and 1870-1871.

In 1914, during their rapid advance on Paris, the Germans entered Péronne (August 28), but were driven out on September 15. They reoccupied the town ten days later (September 24), and remained there until March 17, 1917. A year later (March 25, 1918) the British were compelled to evacuate the town, outflanked as they were from the north and south by the ever-increasing numbers of the German columns marching on Amiens. They re-entered the town on September 1, after a series of very fierce engagements which lasted the whole day.

SAFE DYNAMITED BY THE GERMANS.

Péronne was totally destroyed, partly by the Franco-British artillery, but especially by the systematic destructions on the part of the Germans.

Before retreating in 1917, the Germans set fire to or blew up a large number of houses. Special detachments in charge of the destructions made large rents in the masonry-work, before firing the mines, to ensure total destruction.

The fighting in 1918 completed the ruin of the city, which will have to be entirely rebuilt. A few name-plates on the broken walls, and broken shop-signs alone made it possible to identify the heaps of ruins which lined the streets.

The streets leading from the castle to the southern part of Péronne, and thence to the suburb of Paris (completely ruined), were devastated. The long Rue Saint-Fursy, especially, was almost entirely destroyed.

To the east of the town, the railway-station—connected with Péronne by an embankment across the marshes of the Somme—has retained a portion of its shell-torn frame-work, but the bridges across the marshes, as well as the railway-bridge, were broken.

The cemetery(about 1 km. 800 beyond the town)was devastated. Many graves were desecrated, and trenches dug among the violated sepulchres. A battery of artillery was even posted on the site of ancient vaults. These profanations did not prevent the Germans from burying their dead in a corner of the cemetery, or erecting funeral monuments to their memory.

PÉRONNE. TRENCH IN CEMETERY.

Everywhere pillage preceded destruction. The houses, whose walls (more or less damaged) still remain standing, were completely emptied. The doors, partition-walls, windows and wood-work were taken out and burnt. All the safes, including those of the Banque de France, were broken open. All articles of any value were carried away, and the rest destroyed. In 1917, mattresses ripped open, battered perambulators and cradles, broken furniture, dislocated pianos, even books and family photographs, torn to pieces, were found among the ruins. In the gardens, the fruit-trees were either cut down or hacked at their roots.

PÉRONNE IN 1918. THE GRANDE PLACE. CAPTURED GERMAN GUNS.

Passing through Péronne

On reaching the town by N. 37, cross the Faubourg de Bretagne, the roadway of which was, in places, destroyed by mines. In 1917 this suburb had suffered less than the other parts of the town. Many of the houses could easily have been repaired, had they not sustained in 1918 new and much more important damage.

At the end of the suburb stands the Bretagne Gate, built of brick and stone. This interesting specimen of late sixteenth century military architecture—although the vaulting bears the date of 1602—is preceded by another eighteenth century gate, and surrounded by remains of the old fortifications. Although struck by shells several times, and rather severely damaged, its vital structure is still standing(photos, p.101).

Follow the Avenue Danicourt, which leads to the Rue Saint-Sauveur.

BRETAGNE GATE. EXTERIOR FAÇADE.

The Rue Saint-Sauveur and the Grande Place which prolongs it, formed the centre of the town, and there the finest shops were to be found. This part of the town was the most completely destroyed of all.

Some half-burnt, dilapidated house-fronts without roofs are still standing; the other buildings were destroyed by fire or explosions. The adjacent streets are in the same pitiable condition.

BRETAGNE GATE. INTERIOR FAÇADE.

The Hôtel-de-Ville, in which the Museum was installed, was built in the sixteenth century, but was restored and enlarged in the eighteenth century.

Of its Renaissance west front, facing the Grande Place, only the lower part—in ruins—remains, forming a porch with balcony(photos, p.103).

The carved salamanders which ornamented it were smashed with blows from hammers.

Two of the arcades of the porch collapsed in 1918(see second photo on p.103).

The Louis XVI. south front, facing the Rue Saint-Sauveur, was less damaged(photo below).

PÉRONNE. THE HÔTEL-DE-VILLE.The front facing the Rue Saint-Sauveur.

PÉRONNE. THE HÔTEL-DE-VILLE.

The front facing the Rue Saint-Sauveur.

The roof and the modern belfry which surmounted the building were blown up in 1917. An unexploded bomb with connecting wires was found in the broken frame-work, fixed to a beam. Before evacuating the town, the Germans fixed a large wooden board on the west front, bearing the following inscription:Nicht ärger, nur wundern(Don't be angry, only admire).

The roof fell in, breaking the ceiling of the rooms in which the Museum and Library were installed. Some statues were decapitated, and other works of art mutilated. Books, manuscripts, documents and municipal records were destroyed by the rain which fell through the gaping ceilings.

However, the most valuable works in the Museum were saved, as they had been carried off to Germany. A few famous paintings may be mentioned, including, "The Attack of the Railway Station at Strying," an episode in the battle of Forbach (Alphonse Neuville), another by the same artist, "Hunting in St. Pierre-Vaast Wood," in which De Neuville is shown surrounded by the notables of Péronne; and a painting attributed to Breughel Junior, representing aConference at the house of an attorney, at Cambrai; objects connected with the local history, an important collection of numismatics, and Gallic, Gallo-Roman and Merovingian antiquities were among the collection.

PÉRONNE. THE HÔTEL-DE-VILLE BEFORE THE WAR.The Renaissance Façade overlooking the Grande Place, and modern Belfry. On the right: The Rue Saint-Sauveur.

PÉRONNE. THE HÔTEL-DE-VILLE BEFORE THE WAR.

The Renaissance Façade overlooking the Grande Place, and modern Belfry. On the right: The Rue Saint-Sauveur.

Before the war an old fifteenth century house with statues stood in the Grande Place, at the corner of the Rue du Vert Muguet, near the Hôtel-de-Ville.

PÉRONNE. THE HÔTEL-DE-VILLE IN 1917.Note the German inscription on the ruined building which the enemy had deliberately blown up. (See text.)

PÉRONNE. THE HÔTEL-DE-VILLE IN 1917.

Note the German inscription on the ruined building which the enemy had deliberately blown up. (See text.)

In the Place du Marché-aux-Herbes which adjoins the Grande Place stood a statue of Catherine de Poix, known as Marie Fouché, the heroine of the siege of 1536. This statue—like that of General Faidherbe at Bapaume—was stolen by the Germans during the first occupation of the town. Whenthe 1st Warwickshire Regiment entered Péronne on March 17, 1917, they found a grotesque dummy figure on the pedestal(photo, p.105).

PÉRONNE. THE PLACE DU MARCHÉ-AUX-HERBES BEFORE THE WAR.In the background, on the right: Rue St. Fursy and the old house seen in the photograph on p.75. In the background: Statue of Catherine de Poix, heroine of the Siege of 1536.

PÉRONNE. THE PLACE DU MARCHÉ-AUX-HERBES BEFORE THE WAR.

In the background, on the right: Rue St. Fursy and the old house seen in the photograph on p.75. In the background: Statue of Catherine de Poix, heroine of the Siege of 1536.

At the end of the Place, near the entrance to the Rue St. Fursy, a late fifteenth century wood-panelled house(photo, p.105), ornamented with curious statues of saints and bishops, was burnt down.

THE PLACE DU MARCHÉ-AUX-HERBES IN 1919.In the foreground: Pedestal of Statue (see above) carried off by the Germans.

THE PLACE DU MARCHÉ-AUX-HERBES IN 1919.

In the foreground: Pedestal of Statue (see above) carried off by the Germans.

PÉRONNE. THE PLACE DU MARCHÉ-AUX-HERBES BEFORE THE WAR.Seen from the Rue St. Fursy. The 15th Century wooden house on the right, in the foreground, was burnt down. In the background: Church of St. Jean.

PÉRONNE. THE PLACE DU MARCHÉ-AUX-HERBES BEFORE THE WAR.

Seen from the Rue St. Fursy. The 15th Century wooden house on the right, in the foreground, was burnt down. In the background: Church of St. Jean.

There is a fine charcoal drawing of it by Alphonse de Neuville in the Museum.

On the other side of the Grande Place, at the entrance to the Rue St. Jean, stands theSt. Jean Church(Hist. Mon.), in fifteenth century flamboyant style, with three naves terminated by a rectangular apse, to-day in ruins.

Of the St. Jean Church only the gaping, crumbling walls of the main front remain. The northern front collapsed entirely.

PEDESTAL OF THE STOLEN STATUE OF CATHERINE DE POIX(see p.104).On the left: Part of the ruins of the St. Jean Church.

PEDESTAL OF THE STOLEN STATUE OF CATHERINE DE POIX(see p.104).

On the left: Part of the ruins of the St. Jean Church.

PÉRONNE. THE FAÇADE OF ST. JEAN CHURCH, BEFORE THE WAR.

The sixteenth century square tower, flanked by a round turret(photo above)has vanished.

The western portal with its three doors, decorated with fine fifteenth century carvings, was greatly mutilated(photo below).

The roof, frame-work, and interior vaulting, which was ornamented with very fine pendentives, collapsed.

Some of the pillars fell down, and most of the dislocated arches have gradually crumbled away under the action of the weather.

THE FAÇADE OF ST. JEAN CHURCH IN 1919.

The grand organ was greatly damaged; all the pipes were removed and sentto Germany. On the other hand, the seventeenth century, multi-coloured marble reredos of the high and Virgin altars were not severely damaged.

PÉRONNE. THE PLACE DU MARCHÉ-AUX-HERBES, AND THE RUE ST. GEORGES.In the background: One of the towers of the Château (see below.)

PÉRONNE. THE PLACE DU MARCHÉ-AUX-HERBES, AND THE RUE ST. GEORGES.

In the background: One of the towers of the Château (see below.)

The Rue Saint-Georges, at the south-west end of the Place, leads to the Château.

The four large sandstone towers with conical roofs, which faced the town, used to form part of the enceinte of Péronne.

One of the towers was destroyed; the other three are still standing, although in a greatly damaged condition.

The pointed door between the middle towers was mutilated.

PÉRONNE. THE FAÇADE OF THE CHÂTEAU AT THE END OF THE WAR.

THE DESTROYED BRIDGE ON THE OLD RAMPARTS.On the right is the end of the Rue St. Fursy.

THE DESTROYED BRIDGE ON THE OLD RAMPARTS.

On the right is the end of the Rue St. Fursy.

The other parts of the castle, posterior to the Middle-Ages, were either burnt or destroyed by explosions.

THE OLD RAMPARTS IN THE FAUBOURG DE PARIS.In the foreground: The destroyed bridge: In the background: The temporary bridge: On the right: The N. 17 going towards Villers-Carbonnel.

THE OLD RAMPARTS IN THE FAUBOURG DE PARIS.

In the foreground: The destroyed bridge: In the background: The temporary bridge: On the right: The N. 17 going towards Villers-Carbonnel.

Return to the Place du Marché aux Herbes and take on the right the Rue St.Fursy, which, after crossing the bridges over the old ramparts, leads to the Faubourg de Paris.

At the end of the Faubourg de Paris, take the road to Biaches (G.C. 1) on the right of N. 17; then,100 yards from N. 17, on the left, the G.C. 79, whichclimbs the slopes of a hill dominating the valley.

Follow this road for about 1 km., when the top will be reached, from which there is a fine panoramic view of the valley of the Somme, Péronne and Mont-Saint-Quentin(photo, pp.110-111).

Take on foot the path which starts from there, and leadsto the ruins of La Maisonnette Château,about 250 yards from the road.

The estate of La Maisonnette occupied the summit of a limestone eminence which dominates the battlefield south of the Somme (highest point, 320 feet).

THE BATTLEFIELD AT LA MAISONNETTE.

THE VALLEY OF THE SOMME. PÉRONNE AND MONT-ST.-QUENTIN SEEN FROM LA MAISONNETTE.

In 1870, the German batteries shelled Péronne from this hill. In 1916, they were determined to hold it at all costs, knowing by experience that the town would soon be untenable with French artillery posted there.

The fighting which took place for the possession of La Maisonnette was of the bloodiest, and made the ruins of the place famous.

The estate comprised a modern château and a park, a second residence close by, about a dozen houses in the vicinity, and some fine trees and orchards. All the houses, thickets and woods—including Blaise Wood, to the north—had been strongly fortified. A maze of entrenchments covered the whole park. A second continuous line of trenches ran round the castle. Loop-holes had been made in the ivy-covered walls of the château. At the corners, and at intervals, in the foundations of the castle, machine-guns were posted. The outbuildings of the estate were similarly fortified. The cellars, some 50 feet deep, were turned into armoured shelters, capable of successfully withstanding the most violent bombardments, and connected with one another and with the defence-works of Blaise Wood by a subterranean passage, which enabled the Germans either to fall back unseen towards the canal or approach for counter-attacks.

However, this did not prevent a French Colonial Regiment from carrying the whole position in an hour and a half on July 9. The cellars were clearedout with grenades, and the Germans, unable to withstand the impetuous charge of the "Marsouins," surrendered in large numbers. The fiercest fighting took place at Blaise Wood, the defence works of which connected La Maisonnette with Biaches. At this point a German detachment in serried ranks raised their rifles in sign of surrender. As the French advanced to disarm them, the German ranks opened, a hidden machine-gun fired on the French, killing two officers and about fifty soldiers. The French retired, but the lost ground was won back the same day.

On July 15, the Germans counter-attacked furiously, and attempted by means of liquid fire and asphyxiating grenades to slip into La Maisonnette through Blaise Wood. They succeeded in gaining a footing in the northern part of the wood, but were driven out the next day.

On the 17th, six successive assaults were made by the enemy on La Maisonnette hill, but each time the Germans were repulsed with sanguinary losses.

Renewing their attacks, they finally succeeded, first, in gaining a footing in the outskirts of Blaise Wood, and, later, with the help of liquid fire, in penetrating further into the French first lines, where they established themselves in the ruins of the farm.

But, in spite of all their efforts, they were unable to establish themselvessecurely on Hill 97, to the west of the estate, which dominates the whole valley of the Somme, before and beyond Péronne.

Throughout the winter of 1916-17 constant bombardments, grenade fighting from trench to trench, local attacks with alternating success and failure, made the position on the crest untenable to both sides. Finally, on March 17, 1917, Maisonnette Hill was entirely captured by the Allies, and the Germans fell back on the Hindenburg line, abandoning without striking a blow the few trenches which they had managed to keep on the left bank of the Somme and which they had until then so fiercely defended.

The British, who, early in 1917, had taken over this sector from the French, entered the village, now completely destroyed. The pretty Maisonnette Château had been reduced to a shapeless mass of ruins, while the beautiful park in which it stood was so devastated as to be unrecognisable. The orchards were destroyed, the woods hacked to pieces by shell-fire. Only a portion of the organisations which surrounded the Maisonnette position, and those which connected the hill with Biaches, had withstood the bombardments.

The picture of desolation which met the British soldiers' eyes from the top of Hill 97 was such as no cataclysm could have caused. Nothing was to be seen but devastated lands, destroyed villages and felled trees, while beyond the inundations which had been spread over the Somme marshes, the smoke could be seen rising from the ruins of Péronne, set on fire by the Germans.

Return by the same road to G.C. 1, which take on the left. Follow the Somme for a short distance tothe ruins ofBiaches. This small village formerly nestled in the bottom of a verdant nook near the Canal of the Somme, less than 1 km. from the ancient ramparts of Péronne, and separated from it only by the marshes and the wide and sinuous river.

BIACHES CHURCH AS THE WAR LEFT IT.In the background: The Marshes of the Somme; On the right, behind the trees: The beginning of Péronne.

BIACHES CHURCH AS THE WAR LEFT IT.

In the background: The Marshes of the Somme; On the right, behind the trees: The beginning of Péronne.

BIACHES. THE SUGAR REFINERY IN 1916.

The fighting at Biaches, like that at La Maisonnette, gave rise to some of the most famous episodes in the Offensive south of the Somme.

The French advance had been so rapid that as early as July 8 General Fayolle's troops, having broken through the German front to a depth of 8 kilometres, occupied the outskirts of Biaches. The next day, after an intense bombardment, the system of trenches which protected the outskirts of the village was carried in a few minutes.

BIACHES. THE SUGAR REFINERY IN 1919.Seen from the same view-point.

BIACHES. THE SUGAR REFINERY IN 1919.

Seen from the same view-point.

A desperate struggle which lasted all day took place in the village, where every street and crossing was protected by defence-works. Machine-guns were posted in all the houses, while buildings like the town-hall, sugar refinery, railway-station, etc., had been turned into powerful centres of resistance.

A block of houses to the south-east resisted till the evening, when it was reduced. At the entrance to the village, close to the Herbécourt road, a strong point, passed in the course of the advance, was still in enemy hands.

This position, which subsequently acquired fame under the official name of Herbécourt Redoubt, enabled its occupants to take the French in the rear, and rendered the occupation of the village very difficult and uncertain.

BIACHES. DEFENCE-WORKS IN THE PLACE DE LA MAIRIE (1916).

It was absolutely necessary to carry it. Frontal attacks were stopped short by a murderous machine-gun fire; a concentration of fire with trench-mortars gave no better results. Finally, in the afternoon of July 10, a captain and eight men, with "extraordinary daring," crept up to and entered the redoubt. The garrison, which still numbered 112 men and 2 officers, lost their presence of mind and surrendered without offering any resistance.

The loss of Biaches, which formed the last advanced defences of Péronne, was a particularly hard blow for the Germans, who attempted, on several occasions to reconquer the position by fierce counter-attacks.

On July 15, a terrific bombardment was opened on the village. The ruined houses collapsed, fires broke out, and most of the shelters, including those under the cellars, were smashed in. The attack followed in the evening. Leaving Péronne by the Faubourg de Paris, the Germans, favoured by fog, slipped along the banks of the canal and reached the French first lines, which they attacked with liquid fire.

One section, surrounded with flames, gave way. Taking advantage of this, the enemy slipped into the village and, after a violent engagement, conquered the greater part of it, only to be driven out again the next day by a counter-attack, during which the French won back all the lost ground.

BIACHES. THE PLACE DE LA MAIRIE IN 1916.

In the evening of July 17, the enemy made another powerful effort. Supported by heavy batteries posted above Péronne on Mont-Saint-Quentin Hill, which kept up an uninterrupted fire, the Germans again entered Biaches and captured it. The struggle continued throughout the next day in the ruins of the village with varying fortune, and it was only on the 19th that the enemy were definitely driven out.

Further counter-attacks were launched afterwards, but met with no better success. From July 17, 1916, till March, 1917, the French and, later, the British maintained their lines intact in front of Péronne, on the edge of the Somme Marshes.

On leaving Biaches, G.C. 1 rises towards Herbécourt. Looking back, there is a very fine view of Biaches, Péronne and the valley(Panorama, pp.116-117).

3 km. 500 beyond Biaches, leave, on the left, the village ofFlaucourt(completely destroyed), which was carried by storm on July 3, 1916.Herbécourtis 1 km. 500 farther on.

BIACHES. THE PLACE DE LA MAIRIE IN 1919.

PANORAMA OF BIACHES AND PÉRONNE,as seen from the Biaches Herbécourt road.

PANORAMA OF BIACHES AND PÉRONNE,

as seen from the Biaches Herbécourt road.

At the entrance to the village, on the left, is a large German cemetery, and on the right a house (almost intact) in which a German dressing-station was installed. German frescoes may still be seen on the walls(photo, p.117).

TRENCH ON THE HERBÉCOURT PLATEAU.

After capturing Dompierre on July 1, 1916, the French advanced so rapidly on Herbécourt that the Germans were unable to make use of the numerous defence-works which had been accumulated between the two villages. Thehill overlooking Herbécourt was carried in a few minutes, and on July 2, the village itself was entirely conquered.

HERBÉCOURT. HOUSE, PRACTICALLY UNDAMAGED, DECORATED BY THE GERMANS WITH FRESCOES.It was used as a dressing-station.

HERBÉCOURT. HOUSE, PRACTICALLY UNDAMAGED, DECORATED BY THE GERMANS WITH FRESCOES.

It was used as a dressing-station.

The French had thus advanced about 4 km. in depth, and the German secondline of resistance was broken into in front of Péronne (6 km. to the east),i.e., at its weakest point.

HERBÉCOURT. RUINS OF THE CHURCH.

Herbécourt commands a crossing of roads which branch off in various directions. Rapid communication with the south of the plateau was now possible by the road leading to the village of Assevillers (carried on July 3) on the one hand, and with the Somme valley by the road which ends at the bridges and highway of Feuillères (also captured on July 3).

ON LEAVING HERBÉCOURT—GERMAN BLOCKHOUSE AT THE CORNER OF THE ROADS TO CAPPY(on the right)AND DOMPIERRE(on the left).

GERMAN TRENCHES ON THE HERBÉCOURT PLATEAU.

FEUILLÈRES CHURCH AND VILLAGE(not in Itinerary).On the canal between Frise and Biaches, they were violently bombarded in 1916.

FEUILLÈRES CHURCH AND VILLAGE(not in Itinerary).

On the canal between Frise and Biaches, they were violently bombarded in 1916.

The brick and rubble houses of Herbécourt stood at this cross-roads. Nothing remains of them now, except a few walls, beams and fragments of the timber frameworks of the battered farm-houses.

The façade, steeple and roofing of the church were destroyed. Only a few battered fragments of the sides, walls, and choir are still standing.

Leave Herbécourt by the G.C. 71.A blockhouse for machine-guns is seen on the left, near the last ruins.

The road runs across a bare plateau, then passes through the destroyed hamlet ofBecquincourt, after whichDompierreis reached.

Dompierre was the central point in the zone of attack on July 1, 1916. It was carried on the first day, after a brilliant assault, together with the neighbouring hamlet of Becquincourt and Bussus farm, to the south. The German system of defence-works comprised three successive lines of trenches connected with one another by communication trenches, and reinforced with redoubts and concrete shelters for machine-guns. Here were to be found the "Gatz" trench, and the "Misery" and "Thirst" communication-trenches. The bombardment which preceded the attack was terrific, the whole area being upturned by the shells; not a single square yard of the ground was left intact.

The village was not spared by the bombardments; most of the houses were reduced to shapeless heaps of bricks and broken beams. The site of the church is marked by a heap of white stones, higher than the others.

After passing through Dompierre, take the road to Fay, on the left.

The ruinedsugar-refineryof Dompierreis on the right, 200 yards farther on (photos, p.121).

The Dompierre Sugar Refinery was within the French first lines, but the village itself, although close by, was still in enemy hands. The Germans attacked the refinery for two years, without being able to capture it. It was, however, cut to pieces by the shells. The brick walls crumbled away, but the steel frame-work resisted. Numbers of twisted and rusty pipes, iron plates, cocks and vats, all disjointed, broken, and out of shape, are still to be seen.

Quite close to, at a crossroad, standsa calvary which is now famous. The ground all around was churned up by the shells; only one hit the calvary,carrying away an arm of Christ. The cross remained intact, and supported the mutilated statue to the last.

Back to Index Next