I was looking at the wikipedia page to learn about the Nivelle Offensive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nivelle_offensive. I switched to the French version out of curosity to see there is no mention of the UK https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataille_du_Chemin_des_Dames. Is there a good reason for this?
https://preview.redd.it/wue01o0k05r31.jpg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=00880ee31151f98360ad5134325d8b326a80c30d
Sort of a niche question, but a brief Google session failed to produce an answer. I'm still reading my great grandfather's war diary and just got to october 1917. He describes some nightmarish moonlit trips through a landscape that solely consisted of craters, mud and an entangled mess of barb wire, body parts and tree stumps.
Their assignment was to carry crates of explosive forward, to the German first line positions at Chemin des Dames. The Germans had undermined their own positions in preperation for a "strategic retreat" and were now filling these underground tunnels with explosives. They also were to fill some old underground quarries with explosives, he refers to two such caves or tunnel systems as "Siegfriedhöhle" and "Viktoriahöhle".
The assignment was pretty much suicidal, they came under gas attack and had to drop their crates so they could fumble their way back to safety while completely blind in their fogged-up gas masks in the dark. Several attempts were made, they initially refused to go but were threatened with immediate transfer to the Infantry if they refused to follow orders. Infantry at the time was a death sentence; he writes that infantry regiments were not to be relieved until they had suffered at least 65% casualties. This could take as little as one to three days, during the most intense battles.
His unit got relieved and sent somewhere else shortly before the French advanced on Chemin des Dames, therefore I don't know if they managed to complete their preparations to blow up the front line. I suppose the plan was to retreat in orderly fashion, then blow up the mines just as the advancing French got there. I cannot find any mention of this online, either as an aborted blan or as something they actually carried out. Does anyone have information on this?
The Poincare is in the exchange this week and I’ve got the Chemin des Dames and they look identical. Is it a glitch? Any ideas?
Verses French
Quand au bout d'huit jours le r'pos terminé On va reprendre les tranchées, Notre place est si utile Que sans nous on prend la pile Mais c'est bien fini, on en a assez Personne ne veut plus marcher Et le cœur bien gros, comm' dans un sanglot On dit adieu aux civ'lots Même sans tambours, même sans trompettes On s'en va là-haut en baissant la tête
- Refrain : Adieu la vie, adieu l'amour, Adieu toutes les femmes C'est bien fini, c'est pour toujours De cette guerre infâme C'est à Craonne sur le plateau Qu'on doit laisser sa peau Car nous sommes tous condamnés C'est nous les sacrifiés
Huit jours de tranchée, huit jours de souffrance Pourtant on a l'espérance Que ce soir viendra la r'lève Que nous attendons sans trêve Soudain dans la nuit et le silence On voit quelqu'un qui s'avance C'est un officier de chasseurs à pied Qui vient pour nous remplacer Doucement dans l'ombre sous la pluie qui tombe Les petits chasseurs vont chercher leurs tombes
- Refrain -
C'est malheureux d'voir sur les grands boulevards Tous ces gros qui font la foire Si pour eux la vie est rose Pour nous c'est pas la même chose Au lieu d'se cacher tous ces embusqués Feraient mieux d'monter aux tranchées Pour défendre leur bien, car nous n'avons rien Nous autres les pauv' purotins Tous les camarades sont enterrés là Pour défendr' les biens de ces messieurs là
- Refrain : Ceux qu'ont le pognon, ceux-là reviendront Car c'est pour eux qu'on crève Mais c'est fini, car les trouffions Vont tous se mettre en grève Ce s'ra votre tour messieurs les gros De monter sur l'plateau Car si vous voulez faire la guerre Payez-la de votre peau
English When at the end of a week's leave
We're going to go back to the trenches, Our place there is so useful That without us we'd take a thrashing. But it's all over now, we've had it up to here, Nobody wants to march anymore. And with hearts downcast, like when you're sobbing We're saying good-bye to the civilians, Even if we don't get drums, even if we don't get trumpets We're leaving for up there with lowered head.
Good-bye to life, good-bye to love, Good-bye to all the women, It's all over now, we've had it for good With this awful war. It's in Craonne up on the plateau That we're leaving our skins, 'Cause we've all been sentenced to die. We're the ones that they're sacrificing
Eight days in the trenches, eight days of suffering, And yet we still have hope That tonight the relief will come That we keep waiting for. Suddenly in the silent night
... keep reading on reddit ➡
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Sort of a niche question, but a brief Google session failed to produce an answer. I'm still reading my great grandfather's war diary and just got to october 1917. He describes some nightmarish moonlit trips through a landscape that solely consisted of craters, mud and an entangled mess of barb wire, body parts and tree stumps.
Their assignment was to carry crates of explosive forward, to the German first line positions at Chemin des Dames. The Germans had undermined their own positions in preperation for a "strategic retreat" and were now filling these underground tunnels with explosives. They also were to fill some old underground quarries with explosives, he refers to two such caves or tunnel systems as "Siegfriedhöhle" and "Viktoriahöhle".
The assignment was pretty much suicidal, they came under gas attack and had to drop their crates so they could fumble their way back to safety while completely blind in their fogged-up gas masks in the dark. Several attempts were made, they initially refused to go but were threatened with immediate transfer to the Infantry if they refused to follow orders. Infantry at the time was a death sentence; he writes that infantry regiments were not to be relieved until they had suffered at least 65% casualties. This could take as little as one to three days, during the most intense battles.
His unit got relieved and sent somewhere else shortly before the French advanced on Chemin des Dames, therefore I don't know if they managed to complete their preparations to blow up the front line. I suppose the plan was to retreat in orderly fashion, then blow up the mines just as the advancing French got there. I cannot find any mention of this online, either as an aborted blan or as something they actually carried out. Does anyone have information on this?
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WWI Chemin des Dames: Did the Germans blow up their own positions?
Author: /u/BoredCop
