_Return to and follow N. 37 to =Rancourt= (3 km.). The road crosses Hill 148_, whence there is an extensive view, which explains why the Germans clung so stubbornly to this ground. _On the left of the road, at this point, lies Saint-Pierre-Vaast Wood_, a visit to which is both impressive and interesting. _Access to it is gained by a road which branches off N. 37 at the entrance to Rancourt (see sketch-map, p. 90)._ St. Pierre-Vaast Wood St. Pierre-Vaast Wood, of which nothing remains but shattered, burnt tree-stumps, was the most important vestige of the immense Arrouaise Forest that covered the whole of this region in the Middle-Ages. From November, 1916, till March, 1917, this wood was often mentioned in the French and, later, in the British communiqués. The Germans had powerfully entrenched themselves there, and it was here that they had their reserves and artillery. In the thickets was a maze of trenches and fortified redoubts, surrounded by minor defence-works of all kinds. The French partly occupied the wood at the beginning of November, but violent counter-attacks by three enemy army corps forced them to evacuate the conquered ground. Driven back to the western edge of the wood, they were subsequently unable, in spite of renewed efforts, to get beyond it. Throughout the whole winter of 1916-17, the front line remained fixed in front of this wood, which, transformed into an immense stronghold, protected Péronne from the north. This sector, occupied by the British, was never quiet. Grenade fighting from trench to trench was incessant, whilst the artillery gradually annihilated all the defences and levelled the wood almost entirely. Finally, on March 16, 1917, at the beginning of the German retreat on the Somme, the British captured the whole wood, without encountering serious resistance. [Illustration] _After visiting the wood, return to N. 37, and go on to =Rancourt=._ This village (entirely destroyed, _photo, p. 91_) was carried by the French on September 25, 1916, in the course of their turning movement which preceded the capture of Combles. _On leaving Rancourt, N. 37 crosses Hill 145, where, on the right, the Combles--Guillemont--Montauban--Albert road begins_ (passable). This area is thickly strewn with graves. _N. 37 next descends to the beginning of the road to =Bouchavesnes=, the site of which is seen 300 yards to the left._ The conquest of Bouchavesnes was a stirring episode in the battle of the Somme. On September 12, 1916, a French detachment, composed of Alpine Chasseurs and infantry, carried the position within two hours, after an intense artillery preparation. In spite of a most stubborn resistance, all the entrenchments and strong points among the ruins of the houses were carried one after the other, in a single rush. 400 men, the only survivors of the two German battalions which held the village, were taken prisoners; 10 guns and 40 machine-guns were likewise captured. [Illustration: RANCOURT.]