The Fascinating Champagne

Trench at La Main dé Massignes, Champagne Sector

Forget about that bubbly stuff, there's another good reason to visit France's Champagne. It  holds an endless series of  unforgettable sites for the military history enthusiast. We have highlighted a number of them on the region's standard tourism kiosk map below with a photo and some details about each stop lower down. Point  #1 (unfortunately, off the map) should be the starting point of any visit to Champagne. It's the magnificent Rheims Cathedral—a World War I veteran—one of the world's greatest treasures. This is a highlights listing, though. In Champagne there are countless monuments and markers and, of course, more military cemeteries than we could possibly list here.

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1. Cathedral of Our Lady of Rheims (off the map)

The cathedral was targeted especially early during the war, and its wounds can still be viewed. After the spring of 1915,  international outrage led the the German Army to halt its regular targeting of the cathedral, but random impacts still occurred, especially when fighting intensified in the local area.

2. Fort de la Pompelle (off the map)

Located five miles southeast of the cathedral on N44, Fort de la Pompelle defended Rheims eastern flank for most of the war and is now the site of one of the best museums on the Western Front, which includes the world's largest collection of German Pickelhaube helmets.

3. 1917 Nivelle Offensive Remembrances 

In the spring offensive of 1917, the only minimally successful French attacks were in the hills east of Rheims.  Relevant sites to see include the monument on the left located on D931, the bronze sculpture on the right located at Nauroy, where there are two villages détruits nearby, and a German cemetery.

4. Russian Expeditionary Force

Russia sent an expeditionary force of two brigades to the Western Front. The troops trained, fought, and sometimes mutinied in the Champagne. The chapel, cemetery,
and a memorial across the road honor their service.

5. Aubérire Triple Cemetery

Farther east on D931, this cemetery has sections for French, German, and Polish Foreign Legion fallen. The tomb marker above recognizes the service of Legionaires killed in the 
1917 fighting.

6. Four Corporals of Souain Memorial

In 1915, four corporals in the French Army were shot by firing squad as an example to the rest of their companies during the First World War. The executions, which occurred in the vicinity of Souain on 17 March 1915, are considered to be the most egregious and most publicized military injustice during World War I in France. The events inspired the 1957 American antiwar film Paths of Glory. It is located in the town square at Suippes, where they were court-martialed.

7. Souain French and German Cemetery

The largest French cemetery in the Champagne-Marne sector is located at a dramatic hillside location outside Souain and includes 60,000 French burials. An adjacent German cemtery contains the remains of nearly 14,000 additional fallen from the war.

8. Navarin Farm Memorial and Ossuary

The Navarin Farm Monument to the Champagne Battles is the principal French memorial in the Champagne region. It marks the site where French forces were stymied throughout 1915, stayed in place for three years, and waged a notable defense in the opening of the Second Battle of the Marne, July 1918. The crypt contains  the remains of 10,000 unnamed soldiers along with General Gouraud, commander of the 4th French Army in 1918.  The figure on the right atop the pyramidal ossuary is an American soldier.  The battlefield and trenches around the monument have remained untouched since 1918.

9. Blanc Mont (Sommepy) U.S. Memorial

The Blanc Mont monument honors the American and French soldiers who fought together in the Champagne region of France between July 15 and October 27, 1918, including the American 2nd, 36th, 42nd, and 93rd divisions. The monument is located on the ridge of Blanc Mont, a key point in the German defenses that was captured by the American 2nd Division on  3 October 1918 during the opening of the operation that forced the enemy to abandon the Champagne.  Interestingly, its "Lookout Tower" style was conceived of by Arthur Loomis Harmon, principal architect of the Empire State Building.

10 St-Étienne-à-Arnes

In the later stages of the battle for Blanc Mont Ridge, this fortified village was the focus of action with the local cemetery (shown above) being a key positions for enemy defenders. On 8 October 1918 a mixed force of U.S. Marines from the 36th Division and Oklahoma National Guardsmen from the 36th Division captured St-Étienne.  In the ensuing fighting, Choctaw Nation soldiers from the 36th Division became America's first Code-Talkers.

11. 369th (Harlem Hellfighters) Infantry Memorial

Honoring the segregated American 369th Infantry (formerly 15th New York) that fought under French command, this monument honors their distinguished service in capturing the village of Sechault on 29 September 1918. The action earned the Croix de Guerre for the entire regiment. A twin monument for the regiment stands in New York City.  Sgt. Henry Johnson of the regiment was recently awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions earlier in the war.

12. La Main dé Massignes

The results of a restoration effort that began in 2012 the former French trenches at La Main dé Massignes are now considered to be the most authentic example of such restored trenches on the Western Front. (Compare to the photo at the top of the page.) As of July 2022, they are reported to be open every afternoon, 1-6 p.m., except Mondays and holidays.