CHARLES FAIR
CHARLES FAIR
Villers Cotterets and the Foret de Retz: 1 September 1914 and The Marne
1918 (Part 2)
The Second battle of the Marne 1918
The Forest of Retz also played a role in the 1918 fighting. On or near
the edge of the forest are several sites which we followed by starting
near the north-west corner, and then circling clockwise around the edge.
Five miles west of the Rond de la Reine, almost at the western end of
the forest ridge, is a Memorial to Lt Bernard de Girval. It is marked
on both maps, but may take some finding since it is about 40 yards north
of the nearest track. The memorial is a simple block of stone
surmounted by a rusty iron cross. According to the plaque that is set
into the front he was a pilot in 73 Spa 'les Cigognes* who was killed
when his aircraft was shot down here on 30 June 1918.
Near the eastern edge of the forest is a monument which marks the
position of General Mangin*s observatory. The monument has a carving of
the observatory - a tall wooden tower which looked through the treetops
- from where he directed the offensive of 18 July 1918. Beside the road
is a private monument to Lt. Henri de Chasseval of the 11th Dragoons who
was killed here on 12 June 1918.
Just outside the north-eastern edge of the forest is the village of St
Pierre-Aigle. Here, west of the village beside the D17 there is the
Monument to the 418th R.I. which recaptured the village between 28 June
and 2 July 1918.
Also north-east of the forest beside the N2 is the Monument to Mangin*s
Army. This 20 foot high obelisk of white stone commemorates the troops
that fought under General Mangin in July 1918. All the participating
French, American, British and Italian divisions are listed as well as
the Czechoslovak brigades. (Note that this monument is on the northern
side of a busy dual carriageway and should be approached from the
Soissons direction (NE) so that one can pull in beside it. If one comes
from the other way one has to cross four lanes of fast-moving traffic,
vault the crash barrier and cross the hedge of the central reservation,
and then repeat the experience to get back to one*s car.)
From here we headed south on the D17 to Longpont which is one of the
prettiest villages that we have found in this part of France. It is
home to a Cistercian Abbey, which was already partially in ruins before
1914. According to the Michelin Guide, 'The Americans in The Great War
Vol 1 - The Marne', the Germans captured the village on 31 May 1918,
with the French retaking it two days later. The village was taken again
during the German offensive against the Forest of 3 June, and was
finally secured by the Allies on 11 July. The village was ruined
during the battle, and, with the exception of the Abbey, has been
restored. There is a fine 13th century fortified gatehouse. I was able
to take several 'then and now* photos. It was hard to imagine the
battle raging around this tranquil village as we sat outside the Hotel
de l*Abbaye having a beer and watching the world go very slowly by.
(The two star hotel of the 'Logis de France* network looks as if it
would be a pleasant place to stay.)
A mile and a half west of Longpont on the D2 is the Monument to Joost
van Vollenhoeven. He was the governor of French West Africa and a
captain in the Regiment Infantry Colonial de Maroc (RICM). He was
killed near Parcy on 19 July 1918. (see 'Some sites South of
Soissons'.) The fine bas relief carving depicts his last combat, as
well as scenes of his colonial service in Indochina and West Africa. A
profile of his face dominates the carving. On either side are citations
to him and the regiment.
From there we went back into the village and followed the D17 southwards
skirting the edge of the forest. Where this road meets the D973 is the
Monument des Loups. This commemorates the 128th D.I. who were known as
'les Loups* - the wolves - after the divisional emblem. This monument
marks one of the extreme points of the German advance of June 1918. The
triangular obelisk carries a bronze of a wolf on each face and lists the
divisional battle honours. Due east across the valley of the River
Savieres one can see a wooded flat-topped hill. This is the Bois de
Hautwisson which was captured by the 5th D.I. on 18 July 1918 when it
exploited a gap created by the 128th D.I. (See pp 232-233 of 'Between
Mutiny and Disobedience: the case of the French 5th Infantry Division in
World War I' by Leonard V. Smith.)
Half-a-mile north of Fleury (2.5 miles east of Villers-Cotterets) is the
Monument to the 64 and 264 R.A.C. It appears on both maps, but there is
nothing in any guide book or on the monument itself which gives any
further information as to why it is there. I later found out from an
information board at another site that it commemorates an action on 3
June 1918. (I think these were field artillery units: Régiment
d*Artillerie de Campagne).
Our final halt, Villers-Cotterets, itself remained just behind the
allied lines, apart from a brief occupation by German forces in early
September 1914. It was home to several military hospitals, and the men
who died in these can be found in the military cemetery which is on the
northern edge of town. It contains 3,411 French casualties of the Great
War, of which 933 are in two ossuaries.
For a direct link to the author of this article,
email Charles Fair
Copyright © Charles Fair, July,
1997.
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