After several checks (_e.g._ February 25th and March 9th) they occupied Poivre Hill and Vacherauville, but were unable to dislodge the French from the woods to the S.E. [Illustration: BRAS VILLAGE AND POIVRE HILL IN SEPT, 1917] From March, they organised a network of barbed-wire entanglements, concrete galleries, redoubts, shelters, etc., on the hill, converting it into a kind of fortress, but on December 15th the village and hill were rushed by the 112th line regiment in three-column formation, covered on the left by a fourth column and supported by auto-cannon. Veritable bastion, overlooking the Beaumont road and flanking the entire German line, the village could only be captured by surprise, and the latter was complete. German officers were taken in their shelters while dressing. The attack had not been expected before noon or later than 2 p.m. The village was conquered in ten minutes, and Poivre Hill in seven minutes, in a single rush. [Illustration: RUINS OF BRAS CHURCH, WHOSE TOWER COLLAPSED (_Photographed in April, 1917_)] _From Bras continue northwards to_ Vacherauville and Samogneux, where the first German attacks at the beginning of the battle of Verdun took place, (_see Itinerary p. 57._) [Illustration: THE GERMAN ADVANCE ON FEB. 24TH, 1916] =Vacherauville=, entirely destroyed, _is reached soon afterwards. Leave on the right the road to Beaumont and take, a little further on, that leading to Champneuville, which brings the tourist to the top of_ =Talou Hill=, _from where the panoramic view on pp. 86 and 87 was taken_. Situated in a long bend of the Meuse, =Talou Hill= gradually slopes down to the water’s edge. On February 25th the enemy reached this hill which, caught between the fire from both banks, became equally untenable for the French and Germans, and from February 27th was considered as a neutral zone. It was retaken by the French in their offensive of August 20th, 1917, at the same time as the villages of Neuville, Champneuville and Champ. =Samogneux= _may be reached from Talou Hill, either by continuing, via Champneuville (see outline map, p. 87), or by returning to the_ R. N. 64. [Illustration: VACHERAUVILLE. THE APPROACHES TO THE VILLAGE ON DEC. 20TH, 1916] Subjected to an infernal shell-fire on February 22nd and 23rd =Samogneux= had to be abandoned by the French on the evening of the latter date. It was retaken by the 126th D. I. on August 21st, during the French offensive of August, 1917, _i.e._ two days in advance of the scheduled date (_see p. 23_). [Illustration: THE CENTRE OF SAMOGNEUX VILLAGE ON THE N. 46, IN MAY, 1919. The village was entirely levelled.]