Battlefields -- France -- Guidebooks; France -- Guidebooks; Marne, 1st Battle of the, France, 1914
The third anniversary of the victory of the Marne was celebrated on
the plateau on September 7, 1917. In the photograph above may be seen
(from right to left) the President of the Republic, General Pétain
(half hidden by M. Poincaré); M. Ribot, President of the Council; M.
Painlevé, War Minister; M. Chaumet, Marine; M. Bourgeois, Public Works.
Field-Marshal Joffre is in the background.
The tourist who, during the tour of the Ourcq, visited the plateau
of Barcy-Chambry, will experience with even greater intensity the
impression of sadness which is evoked by the calm landscape and the
numerous graves, signs of the fierceness and obstinacy of the battle.
[Illustration: VIEW OF THE PLATEAU OF ROCHELLE]
A remnant of the Eleventh Corps, which had been driven on the 8th from
the woods to the west of Normée (_see p. 194_), made a gallant stand
on the summit and sides of the plateau in the pine thickets and in
improvised trenches which still exist here and there.
One of the most moving incidents was the defence of the standard of
the 32nd. Two hundred men belonging to the 66th and the 32nd Regiments
were hemmed in a little wood near the Vaure, having with them the
standard of the 32nd, whose bearer had been killed. All the officers
were dead or missing, only a few adjutants and sergeants remained.
These asked Sergeant-major Guerre of the 66th, a man of energy and
resource, to take command. The handful of heroes then formed a square
and succeeded in repulsing the attacks of the enemy, until the arrival
of a field-piece rendered the position in the wood untenable. Guerre
divided his remaining troops into small companies, then charged with
the bayonet where the enemy was strongest. A machine-gun soon laid the
brave fellow low. The other companies took advantage of this diversion
to rejoin the French lines. Thirty men in all were able to do so.
Private Malvau and his comrade Bourgoin brought back the standard. They
lost themselves in the German lines, but were put on the right path by
an officer of the guards, suffering from a bad wound which they dressed
for him.
_After visiting the Rochelle plateau we retrace our steps towards Fère
and at the entrance to the village take, on the left_, N. 34 _in the
direction of Sommesous_.
_Pass straight through =Connantray= (33½ km.)_ to arrive, after
traversing _a level-crossing, at =Sommesous= (44½ km.)_.
The station is on the left of the level-crossing. It changed hands
several times during the desperate encounters which took place here.
Graves were dug in the little station garden on the left to receive the
bodies of the soldiers of the 60th (reserve) Division who fell on this
spot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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