_The left-hand road passes near_ =St. Claude Farm=, _at the crossing of G.C. 142 (from Élincourt to Lassigny) with G.C. 82 (from Mareuil to Thiescourt_). From here, there is a fine view over the battlefield from the Matz to the Oise: Gury (_to the north_), the valley of the Matz and Ressons (_to the west_), Mareuil-la-Motte, Marquéglise and Vignemont (_to the south_), Élincourt, Chevincourt, Mélicocq and Ribécourt (_to the south-east_), and the Thiescourt Woods (_to the east_). [Illustration: THE MASSIF OF THIESCOURT. _The eastern portion of the massif and the fighting which took place there, are described in the Michelin Guide: Noyon, Roye, Lassigny._] During the battle of March 30, 1918, the headquarters of General d'Ambly (77th Division) were at Élincourt, while those of General Guillemin (53rd Division) were at Chevincourt. At that time, these divisions were barring the road from Plessis-de-Roye to the Oise. Until June 9, the enemy attempted local operations only. On June 9, they attacked in massed formation, capturing Gury Heights, Ricquebourg Wood, and Mareuil-la-Motte. The village of Ressons-sur-Matz, in which they gained a footing, was disputed foot by foot. St. Claude Farm, which also fell, was in the thick of the battle. It was an important position overlooking the plateau, from which the enemy, from the outset of the attack, had an extensive view over a large part of the French rear positions, and its loss meant the withdrawal of the artillery. The brunt of the German attack was directed against this observation-post, which had to be abandoned, the French being overwhelmed. On the 10th the Germans reached Ressons Wood and Bellinglise Plateau, gained a footing in Marquéglise, and captured the farms of Attiche, Monolithe, Ribécourt and Antoval. On the 12th, after repeated attempts, they gained a footing in Mélicocq, carried the heights of Croix-Ricard, and crossed the Matz. However, on June 13, a French counter-attack drove them back across the river; Mélicocq and Croix-Ricard were recaptured, together with a hundred prisoners and a number of guns. In spite of several violent counter-attacks, the enemy were held.