After the victory of the Marne, the French 6th Army on the Ourcq, keeping touch with the British on the right, advanced towards the Aisne. On September 11, the townspeople showed signs of uneasiness. The 45th Division, which formed the right wing of General Maunoury’s Army, was marching up the Ourcq and Savière valleys against Soissons, having crushed the enemy’s attempted resistance at Chaudun. On the following day, African troops, assisted by the fire of British artillery stationed at Buzancy, entered the town. As the bridges had been blown up by the retreating enemy, the night had to be spent in the construction of foot-bridges, the work being carried out under fire from the German heavy artillery. On September 13, the Zouaves and Tirailleurs, under the command of General Quiquandon, attacked Hill 132, which dominates Soissons on the immediate north, but were unable to eject the strong enemy detachments there. Repeated attacks on September 14, 17, 23 and 30 were not more fortunate. The Germans could not be dislodged from these hills which, on account of their many deep quarries and horizontal shafts, formed natural fortresses, and gave them a vantage ground for the indiscriminate bombardment of Soissons. _These bombardments will be dealt with further on. They aimed almost exclusively at the destruction of the town, and as they served no military purpose, they need not be included in this account of the military operations._ FRENCH EFFORTS TO FREE SOISSONS The destructive bombardment of the town continuing, the French High Command decided, at the beginning of January 1915, to make another attempt to free Soissons. On January 8, a battalion of Chasseurs and one of Moroccan Sharp-shooters, supported by men of the 55th Division, attacked and succeeded in gaining the top of the north-east hill, thus obtaining a footing on Spur 132 (_see map., p. _53). On the 12th, the Germans attacked violently in front of Crouy and Hill 132, at a time when the Aisne floods had carried away the foot-bridges, and threatened to cut the French communications, which at the time depended solely on the Saint-Waast bridge. After a fierce struggle which lasted till nightfall, the French lost the line, along the hills north of the town. A division of the 7th Corps was thrown into the battle, and by a brilliant attack recaptured part of ridge 132. However, as the communications with the left bank of the Aisne were becoming more and more precarious, it received orders to cover the general retreat decreed by General Maunoury. On the night of the 13th, the French retired across the Aisne leaving only one strongly fortified bridge-head between the distillery and Saint-Paul on the northern bank (_see pp. _56 _&_ 61).