From the 14th onwards, the Germans commenced attacking the bridge-head in massed formation. They succeeded for a moment in getting into the little hamlet of Saint-Paul, about a mile from the first houses of Soissons, but they were driven out on the same day. On the 16th, enemy bombardment compelled a fresh party of the townspeople to leave their homes. After further fruitless endeavours the Germans abandoned their attacks, and the relative calm of trench warfare set in again in this sector. LIBERATION OF SOISSONS IN 1917 Until March 1917, the opposing lines underwent no further important modifications. Here and there, however, their defences had been considerably strengthened by redoubts, concrete machine-gun emplacements and very formidable barbed-wire entanglements. _The second itinerary (pp. 52–64) will enable those interested to inspect parts of these lines, which form a rough semi-circle around Soissons and are quite close to the city._ The German retirement in March 1917 along both banks of the Oise, covered only a very small extent of ground in the neighbourhood of Soissons, which formed the pivot of the manœuvre. The new front was less than five miles behind the old one and, though the town remained within easy range of the German heavy artillery, bombardment was less frequent than before. From March 17, the Germans abandoned their trenches at Crouy and on Hill 132, but tried to stem the French forward push. They launched violent counter-attacks between Vregny and Margival, and the French advanced only step by step to the first trenches of the redoubtable Hindenburg line. By the end of the month, they had scarcely advanced beyond Neuville-sur-Margival and Leuilly. On April 1, they attacked along the line of the Ailette-Laon road, and reached the outskirts of Laffaux and Vauxaillon. The French occupied this last village and Vauxeny during the following days, but their advance went no further.