United States or Nicaragua ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
True, Noyon, Peronne, Bapaume, Albert and Montdidier, on the south, and Festubert, Neuve Chappelle, Armentieres, and Paaschendaele, to the north, were successively captured from the Allies, in spite of the most gallant and heroic resistance.
The War in various Regions of France General Faidherbe Battle of Pont-Noyelles Unreliability of French Official News Engagement of Nuits Le Bourget Sortie Battles of Bapaume and Villersexel Chanzy's Plan of Operations The Affair of Saint Calais Wretched State of some of Chanzy's Soldiers Le Mans and its Historical Associations The Surrounding Country Chanzy's Career Positions of his Forces Advance of Prince Frederick Charles The first Fighting before Le Mans and its Result.
I went into the swirl of our retreat day after day up by Guiscard and Hum; then, as the line moved back, by Peronne and Bapaume, and at last on a dreadful day by the windmill at Pozieres, our old heroic fighting-ground, where once again after many battles the enemy was in Courcelette and High Wood and Delville Wood, and, as I saw by going to the right through Albert, driving hard up to Mametz and Montauban.
Accordingly that night they moved up into the trenches on the east of the Bapaume road immediately facing the Butte. This ancient burial place rose steeply in a rounded hump 50 feet above the surrounding country about 500 yards north-east of Le Sars.
How the Germans smile as their bases of operation lie in such security, for, of course, sentiment has been erased from the German character forever. The French made the mistake again in regard to Bapaume of crediting the Germans with human feelings they vainly hoped that the Germans would respect historic monuments when they gained no military advantage by destroying them.
Bapaume was on fire, and the British Army defeated and broken in the south. This was the first definite news I had of the misfortunes in the Somme area. It was disquieting enough and I determined to approach Logeast Wood with caution and to keep a sharp look-out for unusual movement as we went forward. Accompanied by Ptes.
The Germans were able in this respite to bring up new divisions, fresh and strong enough to make heavy counter attacks in the Stuff and Schwaben and Regina trenches, and to hold the lines more securely for a time, while great digging was done farther back at Bapaume and the next line of defense.
But generally when the cloud cleared they were flying again, until they disappeared in the mists over the enemy's country. That they struck terror into these German troops was proved afterward when we went into Bapaume and Peronne and many villages from which the enemy retreated after the battles of the Somme. Everywhere there were signboards on which was written "Flieger Schutz!"
Yet steadily, methodically, with many a pause for consolidation of the ground gained, and for the bringing up of the heavy guns, the British advance goes forward toward Bapaume and Lille; while the French press brilliantly on toward Péronne both movements aimed at the vital German communications through France and Belgium.
We turned back from Bapaume, traveling along another road on the return journey. And on the way we met about two hundred German prisoners the first we had seen in any numbers. They were working on the road, under guard of British soldiers. They looked sleek and well-fed, and they were not working very hard, certainly.
Word Of The Day