Part 1

Transcriber’s Note: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

MICHELIN ILLUSTRATED GUIDES TO THE BATTLEFIELDS (1914–1918)

SOISSONS

BEFORE AND DURING THE WAR

[Illustration]

MICHELIN & C^{ie}—CLERMONT-FERRAND MICHELIN TYRE C^o L^{td}—81, Fulham Road, LONDON, S.W. MICHELIN TIRE C^o—MILLTOWN, N.J., U.S.A.

[Illustration]

Hotels and Motor-Agents

at SOISSONS

Information extracted from the MICHELIN GUIDE (1919)[A]

Key to Arbitrary Signs

[Hotel Symbols] Comfortable hotels, with modern, or modernised installation. [Hotel Symbol] Well-managed hotels. [CC] Central Heating. [L] Electric Light. [B] Bath-room. [WC] Modern W. C’s. Ⓣ 1-09 Telephone Number. Shed [30] Accommodation for automobiles, and the number Shelter [20] of cars which can be put up. _COMPRESSED AIR_ Depôt for ‘bouteilles d’air Michelin’ for inflation of tyres. [Wrench Symbol] Repair shop. _Agt_ Manufacturer’s agent. [20] Garage and number of cars it will hold. [U] Inspection pit. [E] Petrol (gasoline) can be obtained here. [E´´] Accumulators can be recharged here.

HOTELS

[Hotel Symbols] de la Croix d’Or, _25–27, rue Saint-Christophe_, [CC] [L] [B] [WC] Shelter [20] [U] Ⓣ 1–09.

[Hotel Symbol] du Lion Rouge, _1, rue de la Gare_ and _2, rue des Charlins_ (_near place de la République_), [CC] [L] [B] [WC] Shed [30] [U].

MOTOR-AGENTS

[Wrench Symbol] STOCK MICHELIN (_COMPRESSED AIR_) =Auto-Garage Soissonnais= (=L. Renée=), _11, rue des Feuillants. Agt for_: de Dion, Renault, Philos, [20] [U] [E] Ⓣ 70.

— STOCK MICHELIN (_COMPRESSED AIR_) =Papot=, _96, boulevard Jeanne-d’Arc. Agt for_: Peugeot, Berliet, Brasier. [10] [U] [E] [E´´] Ⓣ 4–14.

— =Ch. L. Beck=, Engineer (=Garage Moderne=), _55, avenue de la Gare_. [80] [U] [E][E´´].

— =Faivre=, _ 7, rue du Collège_ and _8, rue du Général-Pille. Agt for_: Peugeot, [25] [E][E´´].

_The above information dates from March 1st. 1919, and may no longer be exact when it meets the reader’s eye. Tourists are therefore recommended to consult the latest edition of the “Michelin Guide to France” (English or French), before setting out on the tour described in this volume._

=THE MICHELIN TOURING OFFICES at=: _99, Boulevard Pereire, PARIS_ and _81, Fulham Road, Chelsea, LONDON, S. W. 3._, will be pleased to furnish motorists with advice and information, free of charge.

== Special itineraries free, on request. ==

[Illustration]

You don’t know what a =Good Road Map= is, if you haven’t used the =Michelin Map=

SCALE: 1: 200.000

(3·15 miles to the inch).

On sale at Michelin stockists and booksellers.

The tourist finds his way about easily =in town=, if he has a plan giving the names of the streets.

He gets about with the same ease and certainty =on the road=, if he has a =Michelin map=, because it gives all the road numbers on the milestones and road-signs.

[Illustration]

=The “Michelin Wheel”=

BEST of all detachable wheels because the least complicated

_Elegant_

It embellishes even the finest coachwork.

_Simple_

It is detachable at the hub and fixed by six bolts only.

_Strong_

The only wheel which held out on all fronts during the War.

_Practical_

Can be replaced in 3 minutes by =anybody= and cleaned still quicker.

It prolongs the life of tyres by cooling them.

=AND THE CHEAPEST=

[Illustration]

IN MEMORY OF THE MICHELIN WORKMEN AND EMPLOYEES WHO DIED GLORIOUSLY FOR THEIR COUNTRY

SOISSONS

BEFORE AND DURING THE WAR

PUBLISHED BY MICHELIN & C^{ie}, CLERMONT-FERRAND (France).

Copyright 1919 by Michelin & C^{ie}.

_All rights of translation, adaptation or reproduction (in part or whole) reserved in all countries._

SOISSONS

ORIGIN AND CHIEF HISTORICAL EVENTS

Soissons derives its name from the _Suessiones_, a Belgian tribe who inhabited that part of the country during the Gallic period. At that time the City, then known as _Noviodunum_, was situated about two and a half miles north-west of the Aisne on the Pommiers Plateau. After Cæsar’s conquest of the country, the city was rebuilt on the banks of the Aisne, under the name of _Augusta Suessionum_. Of the Gallo-Roman epoch, only a small portion of the city ramparts (_p. _32) remains, but excavations have brought to light the site of a large theatre (_p. _51), and at the Mail, the foundations of what were luxurious villas. The greater part of the objects unearthed are in the Museum (_p. _41), with the exception of the famous group «Le Niobide et son Pédagogue», now in the Louvre.

Christianity was first preached in Soissons at the end of the 3rd century, by two shoemakers, the brothers Crispin and Crispinian, who suffered martyrdom there.

Soissons played an important part throughout the whole of the Frankish Monarchy. It was at its gates that in 486, Clovis won a decisive victory over the last Roman Count, _Syagrius_, thus causing the downfall of Roman domination in Gaul. It was after this victory that the famous episode of the Soissons Vase occurred.

The Frankish King lived for a long time in the city, and at his death in 511, Soissons became the capital of the kingdom of one of his sons, _Clotaire I_, who ultimately became sole king of the Franks. Later, Soissons once more became a separate kingdom under _Chilperic_, and again under _Clotaire II_ (561–613). During this period, the rivalry of _Brunehaut_ and _Frédégonde_ gave rise to sanguinary episodes in Soissons and the surrounding country.

In the 8th century, Soissons witnessed the fall of the Merovingian dynasty. In 752, _Pépin-le-Bref_ was proclaimed King by an assembly of nobles in the monastery of Saint-Médard (_p. _61).

In the same abbey, in 833, the emperor _Louis-le-Débonnaire_, was deposed and imprisoned by his rebel sons, after they had forced him to make a public confession in the church of the monastery.

In 923, under the walls of Soissons, _Charles-le-Simple_ fought a battle with his rival _Robert_, Duke of the Franks. In this battle, Charles was taken prisoner and lost his throne, which passed to the powerful House of France, whence sprang the Capetian dynasty.

Throughout the Middle-Ages, religious life was intensely active at Soissons. At that time, the City comprised six large monasteries, in addition to the Cathedral and several churches or collegiates. It was none the less a lay fief with the rank of county, which in 1131 obtained a communal charter under _Louis-le-Gros_, and on the accession of _Francis I_, became definitely part of the crown lands.

Situated on the main roads of invasion, Soissons has always been one of the advance posts which protect Paris. For this reason, it has suffered numerous sieges, most of them disastrous, owing to the unfavourable situation of the city, which lies in a plain surrounded by hills. It was taken and pillaged in 1414 by the troops of _Charles VI_, in 1544 by _Charles-Quint_, and in 1567 by the Protestants. In 1814, during the French campaign, it was conquered by the Russians and Prussians, whilst in 1815, after Waterloo, it had to re-open its gates to the Allies.

In 1870, a German Army of 20,000 men laid siege to Soissons on September 11. The garrison of 5,000 soldiers which held the town refused to surrender, and attempted several unsuccessful sorties. Posted on the surrounding heights, the German artillery violently bombarded the town, setting fire to some of the suburbs, the hospital, and part of the military commissariat established in the old Abbey of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes. A breach was finally made in the fortifications, and on October 16, after a siege of thirty-seven days, the city was forced to surrender.

During the late war, Soissons was twice occupied by the Germans: in 1914, from September 2 to 13, and in 1918, from May 29 to August 2, after the surprise attack at the Chemin-des-Dames (_See pp. _4 _&_ 7).

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Soissons, sub-prefecture of the Aisne, was formerly fortified, but was dismantled after the Franco-German war of 1870. Before the late War, its population numbered 14 458.

The city proper remained confined within the narrow limits of its ancient walls. It is bounded on the east by the River Aisne, on the south by the small stream _Crise_, on the west by the Boulevard Jeanne d’Arc which follows the line of the old ramparts, and on the north by the rue Saint-Léger, near which may be seen (close to the tennis court) part of the remains of the old fortifications (_See plan, p. _12).

Beyond, lie the _faubourgs_: to the west and south, the modern faubourgs of Saint-Christophe, Crise, and Rheims; to the east, on the right bank of the Aisne, the old faubourgs: Saint-Waast (named after the Bishop who converted Clovis to Christianity), and Saint-Médard (after the Bishop who was buried there during the Merovingian epoch).

Before the War, Soissons was an important provision centre for Paris (corn and haricot beans). In its suburbs were numerous industrial concerns: boiler manufactories, mechanical workshops and various factories, distilleries, sugar-refineries, etc ...

[Illustration: SOISSONS IN THE 16TH CENTURY.

_Model_ (1560) _kept in the Cathedral. Inside the battlemented walls, six collegiates or abbeys were grouped around the Cathedral._]

[Illustration: _Twice occupied by the Germans_ (1914 & 1918), _Soissons was two and a half years in the front line._]

THE GERMAN OCCUPATION IN 1914

After the battle of Charleroi, despite the vigorous and determined counter-offensive launched from Guise to Saint-Quentin on August 29–30, the Franco-British Armies continued their retreat southwards.

During the evening of August 31, the Valabrègue group of reserve divisions holding the Vauxaillon-Laffaux-Vaudesson sector, and acting as flank-guard to the French 5th Army, remained as a covering force to the north-east of Soissons. It was not, however, intended to defend the town, and the only object in resisting the enemy at this point was to cover the French retirement and ensure the safe passage of the Aisne. Soissons thus became momentarily of primary importance. Large detachments of enemy cavalry wedged themselves between the British and French Armies, and advancing from Noyon towards Soissons, became a formidable menace to the French retirement across the Aisne.

During the night of August 31, a cavalry division was ordered to proceed with all despatch from Craonne to Soissons. Next morning a portion of this division took up a position north of the town, in the neighbourhood of Cuffies, with orders to hold it so long as the reserve divisions east of the town had not crossed the Aisne. The remainder halted on the Belleu Hills, with a view to guarding the river on either side of the town. At about 10 a.m., the enemy came within sight of Soissons and was brought to a standstill for two hours by French cavalry and cyclist scouts. Early in the afternoon, the rear-guard of the holding force being informed that the French army had succeeded in crossing the Aisne, retired in an orderly manner towards Septmonts and Buzancy.

On September 2, the Germans occupied the town, but though they levied heavy requisitions, did not commit any act of pillage or vandalism.

[Illustration: DEAD HORSES BELONGING TO UHLANS, IN THE PLACE DE L’HOTEL-DE-VILLE IN 1914.]

THE GERMAN EVACUATION

After the victory of the Marne, the French 6th Army on the Ourcq, keeping touch with the British on the right, advanced towards the Aisne. On September 11, the townspeople showed signs of uneasiness. The 45th Division, which formed the right wing of General Maunoury’s Army, was marching up the Ourcq and Savière valleys against Soissons, having crushed the enemy’s attempted resistance at Chaudun.

On the following day, African troops, assisted by the fire of British artillery stationed at Buzancy, entered the town. As the bridges had been blown up by the retreating enemy, the night had to be spent in the construction of foot-bridges, the work being carried out under fire from the German heavy artillery.

On September 13, the Zouaves and Tirailleurs, under the command of General Quiquandon, attacked Hill 132, which dominates Soissons on the immediate north, but were unable to eject the strong enemy detachments there. Repeated attacks on September 14, 17, 23 and 30 were not more fortunate. The Germans could not be dislodged from these hills which, on account of their many deep quarries and horizontal shafts, formed natural fortresses, and gave them a vantage ground for the indiscriminate bombardment of Soissons.

_These bombardments will be dealt with further on. They aimed almost exclusively at the destruction of the town, and as they served no military purpose, they need not be included in this account of the military operations._

FRENCH EFFORTS TO FREE SOISSONS

The destructive bombardment of the town continuing, the French High Command decided, at the beginning of January 1915, to make another attempt to free Soissons.

On January 8, a battalion of Chasseurs and one of Moroccan Sharp-shooters, supported by men of the 55th Division, attacked and succeeded in gaining the top of the north-east hill, thus obtaining a footing on Spur 132 (_see map., p. _53).

On the 12th, the Germans attacked violently in front of Crouy and Hill 132, at a time when the Aisne floods had carried away the foot-bridges, and threatened to cut the French communications, which at the time depended solely on the Saint-Waast bridge.

After a fierce struggle which lasted till nightfall, the French lost the line, along the hills north of the town. A division of the 7th Corps was thrown into the battle, and by a brilliant attack recaptured part of ridge 132. However, as the communications with the left bank of the Aisne were becoming more and more precarious, it received orders to cover the general retreat decreed by General Maunoury. On the night of the 13th, the French retired across the Aisne leaving only one strongly fortified bridge-head between the distillery and Saint-Paul on the northern bank (_see pp. _56 _&_ 61).

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.

On April 16, the 6th Army under General Mangin attacked in conjunction with the 5th Army on the east. This offensive was only partly successful. To the north-east of Soissons, where the first Colonial Corps was in action, the French made but little progress, and failed to take the Moisy Farm Plateau. Laffaux was alternately taken and lost, and was only definitely occupied on the 19th. At dawn on May 5, a new offensive was started along the whole front south-east of Vauxaillon. Moisy Farm and Laffaux Mill were taken by the French Colonials and Cuirassiers on foot, and held despite numerous fierce counter-attacks. The next day, they advanced yet further north of the mill. The Germans, who could not resign themselves to the loss of these key positions, made repeated endeavours to retake them, and the Soissons sector became “a new Verdun.” On October 23, 1917, General Maistre ordered a vigorous offensive, and while the 38th division (General de Salins) captured the Malmaison fort, the 21st Corps (General Degoutte) captured with a single rush the villages of Allemant and Vaudesson. On the 25th, the French occupied the village and forest of Pinon and reached the line of the canal between the Oise and the Aisne. Soissons was now quite cleared.

[Illustration: FRONT 1915–1917.]

THE GERMAN OCCUPATION IN 1918

In 1918, Soissons had again to face the horrors of invasion. On May 27 1918, after the failure of the two German offensives against Paris and Amiens, the Crown Prince threw his divisions forward in a formidable attack along the Aisne Front. The Germans, taking full advantage of the surprise which gave them an absolute numerical superiority, crossed the Chemin-des-Dames in the early hours of the morning. Then, while east of Soissons they were crossing the Aisne in the direction of Vailly and advancing along the left bank of the river as far as the Vesle, they made progress to the north-east in the direction of the undulating plains which sheltered the town.

On the 28th, despite the bitter resistance of the few French units in this sector, they succeeded in getting a footing in the plains of Vregny and Crouy, and crept along the southern bank of the Aisne to the very gates of Soissons, the east and south-east suburbs of which this converging movement enabled them to attain.

The next day, May 29, they captured the suburbs of Saint-Waast and Saint-Médard on the right bank. Then a party of Brandeburg sappers, advancing in front of the attacking force, captured the bridges, and prevented the French from destroying them. About noon, the Germans entered the town, and after street-fighting which lasted several hours, drove back the French into the western suburbs. The French however, still held Pasly Hill to the north-east of Soissons. Throughout the night, French artillery bombarded the approaches of the town and all the places where the Aisne could be crossed, while enfilading fire from the machine-guns prevented the German soldiers from using the streets. Not until nine o’clock on the morning of the 30th did the enemy capture Pasly Hill and thus secure entire possession of Soissons.

For two days the French clung desperately to the western approaches of the town, but to the south, the Germans established themselves in the angle formed by the Aisne and the Crise, and succeeded in capturing Vierzy and Chaudun. The French positions were thus taken in the rear, and had to be abandoned, step by step, after stubborn fighting.

The arrival of reinforcements at the beginning of June, enabled the French definitely to check the enemy, who by this time was exhausted. Though the Germans launched many violent attacks west of Soissons, they were unable to advance beyond the Amblény-Longpont line, six or seven miles from the town, which left the Allies free possession of the Paris road through Villers-Cotterets Wood.

[Illustration: GERMAN PILLAGING. (_see text opposite_).]

During the second period of occupation, which lasted from May 29 till August 2, the Germans systematically pillaged the city. Every house was emptied of its contents. Before being despatched to Germany, the plunder was centralized in certain places indicated by signs bearing the words “Zur Beutesammelstelle” (to the booty-collecting-centre), with an arrow (_photo opposite_).

Objects which, by reason of their weight or bulk, could not be transported, were destroyed or spoilt.

From July 18 onwards, General Mangin successfully attacked the right flank of the German Army, with the result that on August 2, Soissons was once more in French hands. At 6 p.m. on that day, French Chasseurs under General Vuillemot crossed the burning town and reached the Aisne bridges, beyond which, in the Saint-Waast suburb, the enemy rear-guard made a last stand (_photo p._9). One of the pivots of the wedge driven between the Marne and the Aisne by the German Armies, had given way, and the enemy was soon forced to retire as far as the Vesle.

[Illustration: _Sarcophagus in the Cathedral broken open by the Germans._]

[Illustration: FRENCH REPLY TO GERMAN PILLAGING.

_The first French soldiers to enter Soissons on August 2, 1918, «pillaged» a German kitchen-garden, in which a notice signed by the Kommandantur prohibited the entry of troops other than the 3rd. Co. of the 43rd regt of Field Artillery._]

The offensive was stayed for a moment in front of the strong hill positions on the north bank of the Aisne, where the Germans had entrenched themselves. An intense bombardment then completed the city’s ruin. The French advance began again at the end of August. On the 30th and 31st, Cuffies and Crouy were retaken while on the following days the battle continued furiously on the heights north and east of Soissons. General Mangin’s Army succeeded in advancing as far as the plains of Vauxaillon, Laffaux and Vregny, whence it soon dislodged the enemy.

[Illustration: THE ENEMY’S LAST EFFORTS AT RESISTANCE. _German barricade at the exit of the Pont des Anglais in the faubourg Saint-Waast, August 1918_.]

THE BOMBARDMENTS OF SOISSONS

As soon as they were driven out of Soissons in September 1914, the enemy proceeded to bombard the city. During the latter part of September, the cannonade was incessant, the fire being directed successively on all the different quarters and public buildings, including the hospital filled with wounded.

[Illustration: MASS IN THE CATHEDRAL 1917.]

After a short lull, the bombardment continued with great violence throughout January 1915.

On January 8, the Palais-de-Justice was set on fire, and on the 9th, the Cathedral was struck by 42 shells. On January 14, the shelling lasted all day, and until the end of February, the firing continued with the same intensity and almost without pause. The Cathedral was systematically aimed at, as is proved by the note book belonging to the Kommandant of the “Ringkanonenbatterie” posted north-east of Soissons on Hill 132, which fell into the Allies’ hands.

[Illustration: IN THE CENTRE OF THE TOWN.]

On January 31, he wrote: “The battery fired nineteen rounds of percussion and fuze shells at the Cathedral. The tower and nave were hit several times, and the beginning of a fire was noticed in the nave. So far, we have not been able to do much damage to the tower ...” On February 2, a battery fired twenty-nine rounds of shrapnel at the Cathedral, and in particular at the tower, sixteen of which hit the mark. On February 25, twenty-one shells were fired at the same target. As for the town itself, another 200 rounds were fired into it on February 28. The bombardment slackened later, but began again at intervals, without any apparent reason and with varying intensity. It was continued until the middle of March 1917, when the German withdrawal from the Somme to the Aisne freed Soissons, which could now only be reached by the long-range guns. However aeroplanes frequently dropped incendiary bombs on the city.

[Illustration: TRENCH IN THE BOULEVARD JEANNE-D’ARC.]

LIFE IN SOISSONS FROM 1914 TO 1917 A thirty-months’ Siege.