Lonesome Memorials: #12 The Great Frieze at the National World War One Museum and Memorial, Kansas City, MO.

These Have Dared Bear the Torches of Sacrifice and Service: Their Bodies Return to Dust But Their Work Liveth for Evermore * Let Us Strive on To Do All Which May Achieve and Cherish a Just and Lasting Peace Among Ourselves and With All Nations

Click on These Images to Enlarge Them

This is the first of our Lonesome Memorials series that is located here in the States.  Despite the fact that I have visited the National WWI Museum five times, it is also one of the few in the series I have not personally viewed. It's a poor excuse, but the memorial is on the functional backside of the large complex, away from normal pedestrian traffic. Anyway, in this article I'll try to make amends for my omission.  MH

Located on the North Wall of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, the Great Frieze measures 148 feet by 18 feet and represents the progression of mankind and the nation from war to peace. Sculpted in 1935 by Great War veteran Edmond Amateis, each collected figure or grouping of figures is rich in symbolism.

At each end of the frieze is a sword with the Stars and Stripes representing the defense of our country. The story of the frieze depicts the end of the war and the creation of an era of greater peace and amity.

Similar to the new National World War One Memorial in Washington, DC, the frieze tells a story moving left to right with  five groupings of sculpted figures.

 

American Soldiers of the War—
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The Wounded and Maimed—The Family of the Fallen

Armistice

Welcoming the Returning Warriors

Home: Protected by Justice—Prospects for a Peaceful Future

The Great Frieze has a number of inscriptions carved into it. The quote at the top of this page serves as a heading for the unified piece. Here are a few samples used in other positions.

• Behold a Pale Horse and His Name That Sat on Him Was Death and Hell Followed with Him.

• Violence Shall No More Be Heard in they Land Wasting Nor Destruction Within Thy Borders.

• What Doth the Lord Require of Thee But To Do Justly and To Love Mercy and To Walk Humbly with Thy God.

• Then Shall the Earth Yield Her Increase ; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.

Directions to the National World War One Museum and Memorial can be found HERE.

Lonesome Memorials #6: La Vaux-Marie

If you knew what went on at this site in September 1914, the humble marker shown above might seem utterly out of proportion to the history made here. On the night of 9/10 September, one of the critical episodes of the Battle of the Marne took place. This action may have saved the day—and the war—for France.  

Holding the little plateau known as Vaux-Marie were forces of General Maurice Sarrail's Third Army.  Facing them were units of Crown Prince Wilhelm's Fifth Army.  Possibly unknown to the Poilus at Vaux-Marie, Wilhelm's staff had come up with a plan that—if successful—could have undermined the entire strategy of General Joffre, who was hoping to reverse France's fortunes in a single decisive action. Fifth Army had detached one of its corps 12 miles to the east with the mission of forcing a crossing of the Meuse River and getting behind the main French formations which were pushing North. This effort, however, was held up by the small French screening force along the Meuse and the mighty efforts of the small but perfectly located Fort Troyon. Nevertheless, had the Fifth Army forces at Vaux-Marie broken through, they were well positioned to attack the French units along the Meuse from the rear, thus insuring the success of the river crossing.  

Vaux-Marie Battlefield
On this plateau thousands of French soldiers fought heroically and a large number of them died for France!. . .
this monument pays tribute to their valor.

France's moment had come. Under a stormy rain and in almost total darkness, following a brutal artillery barrage, the German infantry began their assault at 2 a.m. Author Maurice Genevoix later wrote about the scene: " Black silhouettes appeared on the crest of the hill nearby, barely visible against a sky without light. They were barely 30 meters away when I recognized the tops of the helmets. Then, shouting at the top of my voice, I ordered continuous fire. . ."

Kiosk at Site

What ensued was one of the finest moments of the war for the French 75. Almost as soon as they advanced, French artillerymen spotted their movement and opened fire. A whirlwind of shells crashed into the German ranks, bowling over men by the score and leaving the track of the German columns littered with the broken and dying. Confusion reigned in the darkness as the men groped hopelessly forward. When the 38th Reserve Infantry Regiment blundered into a body of troops to their front, they opened fire, inadvertently sending a steady fire into the rear of their stalled and terrified comrades. The battle was fierce and the losses heavy on both sides.

Leaderless men wandered in terror as entire companies evaporated. A French counterattack swept through the German ranks, ushering in a scene of savage bloodletting as men shouted, struggled, and killed in the darkness. By daybreak, it was apparent that the attack had been a disaster. Thousands lay dead or dying. Not a single French gun had been silenced. Lt. Erwin Rommel who fought in this battle would write "the French artillery kissed us goodnight by firing enormous quantities of ammunition."

How To Get There

1. From Verdun, take the Voie Sacrée/D1916  south to D902 in Chaumont-sur-Aire. (31km)

2. At D35 turn right at sign for La Vaux-Marie

3. Follow "Champ de Bataille de la Vaux-Marie" signage to destination (2km)

Sources:  Lorraine Tourism; French Wikipedia

Click HERE To See Our Other Lonesome Memorials

Lonesome Memorials #15: Memorial to McCrae's Battalion, Somme Battlefield

 

The newest of our Lonesome Memorials was installed in November 2004 at the village of Contalmaison on the Somme battlefield. It's a 10-ft-high cairn (def: pile of stones, used as a marker or a memorial) that commemorates the remarkable battalion of Lt. Col. Sir George McCrae, the 16th Royal Scots, who captured the village on 1 July 1916.

The 16th (Service) Battalion (2nd Edinburgh) of the Royal Scots was raised in Edinburgh in November 1914 by Lieutenant-Colonel Sir George McCrae, a respected Liberal Member of Parliament for East Edinburgh and a volunteer soldier. 

While the battalion featured a strong contingent of volunteers from Heart of Midlothian Football Club, there were also professionals from clubs such as Falkirk, Hibernian, Raith Rovers, Dunfermline, East Fife, and St Bernard’s. In total, it is believed around 75 football clubs provided volunteers.

Sir George McCrae

Theb moved to France in January 1916 and, still under the command of Sir George, were committed into their first major battle at Contalmaison, on the Somme, on 1 July, where, fighting alongside their sister battalion, 15th Royal Scots, they were the only units in the 34th Division to achieve their initial objective—but at a terrible cost of 472 killed, wounded, or missing over only three days.

The battalion continued fighting in the Battles of the Bazentin Ridge and Pozières Ridge at the Somme,  as well as during the 1917 Arras Offensive and Third Battle of Ypres. The unit absorbed such heavy casualties in these battles that it was disbanded in 1918 before the Armistice.

The cairn features four plaques, with its main relief incorporating the cap badge of the Royal Scots, the coat of arms of Edinburgh, the emblem of the 34th Division, a cartoon by D.M. Sutherland, and finally, an image of Sir George McCrae himself. The first supporting plaque is dedicated to Heart of Midlothian, while the second is in memory of the 16th Royal Scots’ sister, the 15th Royal Scots. Finally there is an expression of gratitude to the local French population on its reverse.

Directions:

From Albert take the Menin Road (D929) to the LaBoisselle turn to D20 and proceed about 2 miles to Contalmaison. The memorial is close to the main crossroads of the village.

Lonesome Memorials #7: The Demmler Monument at Tête des Faux

Died for France July 6, 1916: Capitaine Demmler, Doctor Espange,  J. Francois Bouvier, and J. Marie Renaud of the 62 Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins
_________________

In Memory of the Officers and Chasseurs Alpins Killed at the Tête des Faux, 1914–1918

Dedicated in 1921, this two segment stone marker is in honor of several French soldiers who fell here in a 1916 action and in memory of all the Chasseurs Alpins who fell around the mountain Tête des Faux throughout the war. In most sources, it is referred to as the "Demmler Monument" after the first French officer listed. In our series of Lonesome Memorials, this selection might be the most difficult to get to.

The Mountain is 1 KM from the village of Bonhomme

The mountain Tête des Faux (Head of the Scythe) was the site of a short but deadly battle  in December 1914 and subsequently became a case study in the horrors of mountaintop trench warfare. It is located 12 miles northwest of Colmar in the Vosges Mountains of Alsace at 1,220 meters altitude. A strategic observation point, Tête des Faux  allows views east to the Rhine River and an almost 360-degree view of the key peaks and passes of the Vosges. It was a very valuable piece of wartime property. 

Chasseur Alpins in the Vosges

In August 1914, German observers quickly settled there and directed artillery fire at French forces just across the border.  By the end of November, they had successfully destroyed a French army camp. In early December, French Chasseurs Alpins were ordered to occupy the summit and gained control of it. The famous German counterattack of 1914 began on Christmas night with French Chasseurs Alpins facing off against German Jaeger troops for control of the summit. The Chasseurs held the summit that night earning the nickname "Blue Devils." A subsequent German counterattack failed, but regained a  piece of the summit which they would share with their adversaries for most of the remaining war. What percentage each side held for the duration is unclear in the sources I've found.

The View from Tête des Faux Toward the Rhine

By one estimate the fighting at  Tête des Faux and nearby Le Linge (a similar position) cost France 10,000 men killed and Germany 7,000 in 1914 and 1915 alone. For the rest of the war, the area settled into attritional trench warfare with the positions frozen just a few meters apart. The casualty rates were lower, but thousands more were added to the death toll. Over the next three years, the troops industriously enhanced their positions, so surrounding the memorial  today are numerous bunkers, barbed wire entanglements, shelters, and old trenches as well as both a French and German cemetery. Both cemeteries are UNESCO World Heritage sites. There are also remnants of the cable car system the German army built to supply its forces. Incidentally, men of the U.S. 5th Division were deployed in this sector during the summer of 1918.

The Beautiful German Cemetery Has Been Decommissioned

Getting There

A visit to Tête des Faux sites should only be attempted by experienced mountaineers AND who are experienced in driving on very narrow mountain roads as the final approach would require.

Map 1: Drive from Colmar 

(Click to Enlarge)

The memorial is approximately at  coordinates 48.153983, 7.114621. The route shown on Map 1 is for an auto from  (1) Colmar to (2) the Hôtel Résidence De L'etang Du Devin. This is apparently as far as you can approach via auto. The drive from central Colmar to the hotel is 33 minutes under normal traffic.

Map 2: at Tête des Faux 

(Click to Enlarge)

From (2), the Hôtel Résidence De L'etang Du Devin, the  sites shown on Map 2 must  be approached by trail: (3) German Cemetery, (4) the memorial) and (5) the French Cemetery. Round trip to the hotel is about 6 km as the crow flies but it is over rough terrain and up and down a mountain peak. Note: This is a highly simplified route. There should be more detailed maps available from the local tourism board HERE.

The Summit of Tête des Faux Today

Sources: Discovering la Tete des Faux by Gwyneth M. Roberts; Pierre's Western Front

Lonesome Memorials: #1 The U.S. 4th Division, Meuse-Argonne Monument, Brieulles-sur-Meuse

4th Division Monument with "Ivy" Division Insignia

With this article, I'm beginning a new series on Roads to the Great War.  In my travels to the war's battlefields, I've frequently come across out-of-the-way monuments and memorials that are sometimes very substantial but have only the barest inscriptions and few or no details about what happened in this location that was worthy of memorialization. It's also often evident that there have been few visitors to the site. In this series, I'm going to try tell the stories of some of the little-visited, little-remembered memorials.

Today we begin with the monument to the AEF's 4th Division for its service in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign.  The division went into action in the opening attack on 26 September 1918 and advanced approximately 5.35 miles to the point shown above—with the Hindenburg Line then positioned in the elevations visible in the photo just behind the memorial—before being relieved on 19 October 1918.  

The 4th Division in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

4th Division Artillery Firing During the Battle

The 4th Division was assigned to III Corps of the First Army for the opening attack. It was charged with protecting the right flank of the 79th Division, which was given the job of taking the most important first-day objective of the assault, the German defensive bastion and observation post on Montfaucon. It was expected to advance a little over five miles by the end of the first day of the attack, 26 September. It would actually take the division all 24 of its days in the line to reach that point.

After jumping off at 0530 hours, the division seized highly-defended Cuisy and Septsarges villages—a most successful advance. The advance might have been greater the first day absent a five-hour pause ordered to allow the 79th division to secure Montfaucon to the west, which it did not accomplish until the following day. The attack was continued on 27 September with only slight gains as German reinforcements began arriving in the sector. Part of Bois de Brieulles was captured on the 28th and the remainder on the 29th.

No attacks were made during the period, 30 Sept–3 Oct as Pershing's First Army regrouped. Afterward, the principal attacks were made on the west side of the division’s frontage. On 4 October, the leading troops advanced to to the Brieulles-Cunel road but were driven back to Bois de Fays. From 5 to 8 October, the division held its position in Bois de Fays against counterattacks. Minor gains to the north were made over the next several days culminating in the capture of the western portion of Bois de Foret. No attacks were made on 12 October.

4th Division Casualties Being Evacuated

Troops in the Bois de Foret were relieved by the 3rd Division early in the morning of 13 October; the remainder of the division, less the artillery, was relieved on the night of 18-19 October. These were the last major operations of the division during the war. They were preparing for a joint French-American offensive in the Lorraine when the Armistice occurred. The division suffered 5,785 casualties during the 24 days on the line, including about 1,400 killed.

To Get There:  

The monument is located on the north side of Road D164, about one mile southwest of  Brieulles-sur-Meuse.  Similar monuments for the 4th Division are located just west of Fismes for the Second Battle of the Marne and at Manheulles for the St. Mihiel Offensive.

Lonesome Memorial #8 Notre Dame de la Marne

This monument to Our Lady of the Marne is located just east of the village of Barcy on the west end of the massive battlefield of the First Battle of the Marne.  It the stopping point of the initial German invasion of 1914. It also commemorates Saint Genevieve (patron saint of Paris and also of Barcy). According to legend, in 451, she saved Paris from the invasion of the Huns, the invader from the East.

The bronze statue, the work of the sculptor Louis Maubert (1875–1949), presents the Virgin and Child. The monument was built by a subscription committee, and by the Marbeau family, in particular Edouard Marbeau, executor of the will of his brother, the late bishop of Meaux, Monsignor Emmanuel Marbeau (1844–1921). The memorial is tribute to the wish expressed by the bishop on 8 September 1914, in the cathedral of Meaux, to build a monument of recognition, if victory prevailed. The memorial replaced an immense wooden cross, erected just after the battle, on the initiative of Monsignor Marbeau, who also acquired a plot of this land for the construction of the future monument. It was dedicated on 9 June 1924, before nearly 4,000 people.

Because of its explicitly religious character, secular French officials reportedly do not hold regular ceremonies here as they do at countless military sites around the county. Surrounded by farm fields, The Virgin and Her Child receive only a few visitors each day and, so, qualifies as one of our "Lonesome Memorials."

The principal inscriptions on the monument:

SEPTEMBER 1914

AT NOTRE-DAME DE LA MARNE

WISH OF SG MGR EMMANUEL MARBEAU BISHOP OF MEAUX

Bishop Marbeau later chose a second himself:

YOU WILL NOT GO FURTHER

Unfortunately, Bishop Marbeau was never able to see his project completed; he died on 31 1921.

How to get there:  Located 3 miles north of the Great War Museum at Meaux on Road D97, .25 miles west of the village of Barcy

Lonesome Memorials: #11 Monument to the Sons of the State of Missouri, Who Fell for France, Varennes-Cheppy Road, Argonne

By James Gallen and the Editors

This monument was erected by the state of Missouri, USA, in memory of her sons who died in France for humanity during the great war 1917–1918. Fighting in this area was conducted by the 35th National Guard Division of the AEF.  On 26 September 1918, the first day of the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the division broke through enemy lines between Cheppy and Variennes where they faced Prussian soldiers and heavy machine gun fire. Two members of the 35th, Pvt. Nels Wold and Capt. Alex Skinker, were awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery on the 26th, during which they were both killed. George S. Patton, leading the Tank Corps support for the attack was seriously wounded nearby the same day.

The Monument in the 1920s

The 35th division was composed primarily of men from the states of Missouri and Kansas, and units from both states fought around the monument site. This monument, however, is exclusive to Missouri.  There is no equivalent monument in France for Kansas, or one representing the 35th Division as a unit.

The Site Today

The monument, named Victory, was sculpted by Nancy Coonsman Hahn of St. Louis in 1922. Atop a granite pedestal is a bronze statue of a woman staring at the sky, holding an olive branch in her left hand and raising up a laurel victory wreath with her right.

Doughboys Near the Site, Probably Postwar

On the front of the granite pedestal is a French inscription (see below) with the corresponding English translation, "Erected by the state of Missouri USA in memory of her sons who died in France for humanity during the great war 1917–1918" on the back. The base of the monument is decorated with the Missouri state seal that reads "United we stand divided we fall."

The memorial has been in the news recently because it had fallen into disrepair, but there is good news. The 102nd Missouri General Assembly has appropriated $30,000 to fund repairs to the monument. 

To Get There:

A visit to this area should also include a stop at the similarly themed Pennsylvania Memorial at nearby historic Varennes. From there just follow the signs eastward along road D19  about 1.5 miles to the village of Cheppy.

Sources: American War Memorials Overseas; Harry S. Truman Library, 35th Division Pictorial History

Lonesome Memorials #5: Audenarde, Belgium, American Monument

Click on Image to Enlarge

This relatively small monument to the AEF's effort in the last days of the war in helping King Albert's army push the occupying forces out of his country with the interesting address of 6 General Pershing Straat was among the hardest for me to locate during my very first visit to the European battlefields. Worse, it was the only one where I had difficulty finding a parking place. Years later, when I had a group tour there, I had to send the bus driver on a tour of the countryside while we got a look at the monument. Nevertheless, it is well worth a visit, especially combined with a visit to the nearby Flanders Field American Cemetery in Waregem, 10 miles to the west, and the 37th Ohio Bridge across the Scheldt River, one to the north. Frankly, all these sites are forgotten by most Americans and deserve more visits from our countrymen.

91st Division Troops in the Sector, 1918

Background

The Allies attacked Germany’s last major defensive line in Belgium in late October 1918. Led by the King of Belgium, Allied forces launched a campaign to drive the Germans beyond the Scheldt River. The U.S. 37th and 91st divisions redeployed from the Meuse-Argonne Offensive to reinforce the French Army on the Flanders front. East of Waregem, the 91st Division turned the enemy out of the densely wooded Spitaals Bosschen before advancing east. On 2 November 1918, the 91st Division captured Audenarde. 

1937 Dedication and Unveiling

After the war, ABMC constructed this monument to honor the American divisions that fought in this area. It is also the only monument constructed by ABMC that also honors a military unit smaller than a division—the 53rd Field Artillery Brigade. This brigade, made up of soldiers from Pennsylvania, fought with the 91st Division. After the war the State of Pennsylvania intended to construct a memorial dedicated to the 53rd but instead worked with ABMC to ensure that the unit would be honored on the ABMC memorial.

Striking American Eagle Detail

How to Get There 

Audenarde American Monument is located in the town of Oudenaarde (Audenarde), Belgium, 18 miles south of Gent (Gand), 45 miles west of Brussels, and 183 miles north of Paris. The Audenarde Monument is in a park at General Pershing Straat in the center of Audenarde. Its map coordinates are  50.846858299679106, 3.6023223970598774.

Sources:  Google Maps and the American Battle Monuments Commission's website and World War I Battlefield Companion, to which your editor was a humble contributor.

Lonesome Memorials #13: The Ulverston Street Trench Memorial

This 21st-century memorial on the Somme battlefield, located just west of the village of Ovillers, is one of the more recently dedicated monuments on the Western Front.

Blue Tabs Show Location; Village of Orvillers on Right

The King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment (from NW England) was in action in this area during the autumn-winter period of 1915. The trenches in this sector were undoubtedly given their names by soldiers who came from Lancashire and Cumbria, some hailing from Ulverston, which later became Albert's twin town in 1976. Long after the "twinning" of the two communities, the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme came along and researchers came across trench maps that clearly showed the location of Ulverston Street Trench. Once the significance of the discovery was recognized, the town of Albert erected a memorial with a plaque on the site of the trench. The plaque is inscribed in English, French, and German. The stone memorial and plaque was unveiled by the then Ulverston Town Mayor Elect, Mrs. Brenda Marr in 2006.

Men of the 2nd Berks Prior to the Somme

On the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, the Ulverston Street Trench was occupied by the 2nd Royal Berkshire Regiment of the 8th Division, whose men left the trench at 7:30 a.m. to attack. No significant advance was made. The German 180th Infantry Regiment was well prepared. Ovillers proved impossible to take. By nightfall of 1 July, the 2nd Berkshires had 437 dead, wounded or missing out a total of 5,121 for the 8th Division.

Present Day View from the Trench Site Showing Enemy Dispositions (Click Multiple Times to Enlarge Fully)

Getting There

Since some of these roads are unsigned, these directions are best given with a map.

From Albert:  Drive East on the Albert-Bapaume Highway (Rt. D929) to the turn off for the La Bosselle Mine. The map begins there. (Don't turn off Rt. yet.), follow the dark blue.  An alternate route, in blue-grey,  if you are coming from Bapaume can also be seen on the Google map.

Sources: Panorama by Jolyon Fenwick for a 2016 exhibition of Zero Hour Panorama; The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum; Ulverston Town Council

Lonesome Memorials #14: Monumento aos Mortos da Grande Guerra; Lisbon, Portugal

So, in 1990 I found myself in Lisbon during the Iberian phase of my mini-grand tour of Europe. My  hotel was on the upper end of the capital's stylish grand boulevard, Avenue da Liberdade, that slopes down just about a mile from one of  the city's hills straight down to its waterfront. Walking down on a drizzly morning, I found the views were approximately like strolling down California Street from San Francisco's Nob Hill to the Embarcadero and the atmospherics similar to the Champs-Élysées. About half-way down—to my great surprise—I came across the impressive World War One memorial shown above. Before or since, I cannot remember another imposing Great War memorial surrounded by such elegance. I later learned its name is Monumento aos Mortos da Grande Guerra. It's intent, though, was immediately clear as a national memorial to Portugal's war dead.

The Fatherland Honors His Warrior

In other lands, Portugal's small, but unfortunate involvement in the war is mostly forgotten today. The country’s participation in the conflict was limited in scale—deploying to  France, where, for a time, they held a small sector of the Western Front and Africa, where Portuguese and German territory sat side by side. In both sectors, however, their casualties were disproportionately high given the size of the deployments. In Africa, some 7,000–8,000 African and European men died, mostly in Mozambique and predominantly from disease. In France, the number of fatalities stands at close to 2,000 with 5,000 wounded and 200 MIA. Thousands also were captured as well in the spring of 1918. Afterward, as for every other combatant of the war, Portugal's leaders and citizenry felt obliged to honor their fallen.

The Burden of War

Building this "Monument to the Dead of the Great War" was a decade-long endeavor, first proposed in 1920 and finally dedicated in 1931. Its top figure—The Fatherland—crowns a Portuguese soldier, who is wearing a Brodie-style British helmet, as he would have on the Western Front. On the sides, two heroic figures support the Fatherland in a supreme effort. The monument bears the captions "Grande Guerra" and "In the Service of the Fatherland, the Effort of the Flock." Annual commemorations are held at the monument every 9 April,  marking the date in 1918 when nation's expeditionary force on the Western Front was targeted in the opening action of Germany's second spring offensive. Things went terribly that day for Portugal's soldiers.

Soldier's Kit Detail

For information on Portugal's deployments and operations during the war, see our articles HERE and HERE.

Lonesome Memorials: #3 The First Shot of the Battle of the Marne

Site of the First Shot of the Battle of the Marne

Both the German and French armies intended to launch new offensives on 6 September 1914, their initial operational schemes having been abandoned. In their pre-attack maneuvering, however, their advance units brushed each other northeast of Paris between the villages of Villeroy and Monthyon to the north.  German forces which had a higher and better view of the surrounding countryside spotted their advesaries first and requested permission to open fire on the French units around Villeroy that seemed to be advancing—surprisingly—from Paris.  

A German 77 Moving into Position

A German 77mm field gun positioned about a mile north of Monthyon fired the first shot.  Today there is a marker on the site that is significant beyond its humble appearance. It marks the opening of the most important battle of the Great War, the First Battle of the Marne,  the struggle that would guarantee that there would be no quick victory in 1914.

Click on Image to Enlarge

From this place on September 5, 1914 at 12:30 p.m. was fired by a German 77 gun the first shell which marked the beginning of the Battle of the Marne.

The memorial is very hard to find, but it is truly worth a visit.  I took my fall 2014 Centennial tour there, and I could tell while we were driving away the bus was unusually quiet and the group had been moved by the visit.  To read the account of how this most important battle of  the Great War accidentally broke out a day early, read our account HERE.  

How to Get There. First go to the main intersection in Monthyon, where the D97 and N330 cross. Head north on N330 about 1.1 miles and look for an unpaved road on the left with a gate across it. The coordinates are 49.022221, 2.821867. Park your car at the gate and walk west about a quarter mile to the marker. I would pair a visit to the cemetery just outside the village of Villeroy where the first French casualties of the battle are buried.  It's 3.25 miles as the crow flies southwest of the First Shot marker near the intersection of D27 and D129. The coordinates are: 48.980608, 2.801616.

What a Busy Little Farm!—Ferme d'Hurtebise Was the Site of Five Battles

Looking Toward Paris Today 
Ferme d'Hurtebise on the Chemin des Dames
(Also See Map Below)

I've driven by the little farm on the Chemin des Dames shown above maybe two dozen times, but I've always been in too much of a rush to stop here. There is just so much to see in the area—major historical sites like the Caverne du Dragon, Plateau de Californie, and Craonne of the famous song. Of course, I also missed some big clues that should have triggered further historical research about what had transpired at the farm. There's a big statue of Napoleon about a mile to the east of here, and  there used to be a French tank from World War II overlooking the "Lady's Way" somewhere nearby that has since disappeared. What has kindled my new interest in Ferme d'Hurtebise is the discovery during a search for candidates for my "Lonesome Memorials" series of a significant monument adjacent to the farm. I'd never viewed it before since it's not visible from the main road. This led to more discoveries about what had happened at the farm. That turned out to be a much bigger tale than the monument's. 

Note the figures include a Napoleonic soldier and and World War I Poilu as well as the dates 1814 and 1914. This suggests, of course, that the farm was the site of significant fighting both years. A little focused research turned up surprising information on other battles fought on this same site in 1915, 1917, and 1940.  Why was this apparently insignificant little farm repeatedly a locale for major warfare?

Before discussing the five battles, let me share a little about the monument itself. The current monument was installed in 1927 to supersede the monument shown below that was dedicated in March 1914 on the centennial of Napoleon's partial victory in the Battle of Craonne. In that struggle his army opposed a combined army of Imperial Russians and Prussians led by the Prussian field marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. This first monument was destroyed very early in the Great War, probable during the September 1914 Battle of the Aise. By the end of the war, the farm was devastated and was later completely rebuilt.

Dedication March 1914

The Five Battles

1.  7 March 1814: The Battle of Craonne

See a discussion on this very complex battle and the role Hurtebise Farm played in the fighting at Napoleon-Empire.Net Needless to say, Ferme d'Hurtebise was on the front line. Bony managed to gain his final victory—abeit a controversial one—before his exile to Elba.

Napoleon Still Overlooks the Craonne Battlefield

2.  13–22 September 1914: First Battle of the Aisne

The German retreat from the Marne and following pursuit by the Allies led to a back and forth struggle for the heights overlooking the Aisne Valley.  Hurtebise farm (for reasons discussed below) became a key position. Violent fighting took place here 13–18 September with the 4th Zouaves taking the farm and the 12th IR defending. During these six days, the owners of the Hurtebise farm, the Adam family, took refuge in the cellar, refusing to leave their farm. They were eventually evacuated.  On 22 September German forces mounted a major assault on the position eventually taking possession of the farm which was on the front line for the remainder of 1915.

3. 25 January 1915: German Counteroffensive

After successfully defending against a French new year's offensive, the German army mounted a major attack to consolidate its dominant position on the heights, pushing back French troops towards the Aisne Valley below the Plateau de Californie. These battles were particularly deadly, with more than 2,000 killed (at least 850 Germans, 1,000 to 1,500 French.  Ferme d' Hurebise, now a pile of ruins, became a rear outpost until 1917.  Since Soissons to the west was also threatened, this period is sometimes known as L'Affaire de Soissons.

4. April–May 1917:  Second Battle of the Aisne (Nivelle Offensive)

The ill-fated French advance would reach Ferme d'Hurtebise again. The farm would pass from one camp to the other, with the armies never managing to stabilize their position on the highly coveted terrain. The 3rd Ludendorff Offensive of 1918 would be launched from the surrounding plateau.

5. 20 May 1940: Battle of France

During the French withdrawal a convoy of the 4th Armored Division was ambushed by a German Panzer column and virtually destroyed after intense fighting.

Post-WWI Destruction and Barbed Wire
Around the Original Monument

The Reason Why

In General

The Aisne heights, a commanding position, just 55 miles from the nation's capital, would be important to both invaders and France's defenders. But why so much action at this specific point?

The Specifics

Ferme d'Hurtebise is located at a unique geographical position. 

1.  It is on the major road along the Heights (the Chemin des Dames or D18 in today's system)

2. It is also on the only road that connects the Aisne Valley (southside) with the Ailette Valley on the northside.

3. As can be seen in these drone photos it sits on a plateau, something of a saddle, that can be turned into a strong position with clear views along the ridge and down into both valleys.

4.  It seems Ferme d'Hurtebise was simply destined to attract a lot of military attention should France ever go to war—as it did.

The Crossroads: Looking East Along D18 and
South into the Aisne Valley

Looking North into the Ailette Valley