Grivesnes.
Return to the crossing of the Grivesnes, Folleville and Ailly-sur-Noye roads, and take the road leading to Grivesnes. (See sketch-map p. 84.)
Before reaching the latter, note the cemetery of the French 114th Infantry Regiment, on the right, and a little further on, on the other side, a quarry containing shelters.
French Lines in the Quarries at Grivesnes.
Grivesnes Chateau.
On entering Grivesnes, take the first road on the left to the Chateau—a 17th century pile, comprising a central main building and two wings—in the yard of which are a large shelter and several graves. The church is a little farther on. Both buildings were severely damaged. Return to the road, and proceed towards Cantigny, past the ruins of a mill which was blown up by the Germans, and the Chapelle de St. Aignan, near which is a large Franco-German cemetery. (See map p. 84.)
Grivesnes Church.
The Weather-cock of the Church Steeple at Grivesnes.
The chapel is now a heap of ruins.
The village, château and park of Grivesnes now come into view. The latter lies to the north-east of the village.
Franco-German Cemetery on the
Grivesnes-Cantigny road.
On March 28, 1918, the first units of the French 166th Division, on detraining, took up positions along the Coullemelle-Thory line, while their artillery was posted on the Grivesnes-Coullemelle line. On the 29th, the 4th and 5th battalions of the 350th Regiment, which had already been fighting the two previous days, occupied Grivesnes, one of them having lost two-thirds of its effective strength. Reinforced by a few units of Chasseurs and a company of Engineers, this handful of men repulsed five successive assaults next day (March 30), after the fall of Malpart.
On the 31st (Easter Sunday), the enemy attacked with the 1st Division of the famous Prussian Guards. At 7 a.m., French observers saw the storm-waves assembling in the shell-holes to the east and north-east of the park. From 10.30 to 11.30 a.m., the German artillery pounded the French lines with rafale fire from 6 in. guns. The German foot-grenadiers advanced by companies, in aligned platoon columns. The first French line was decimated, and broke under the repeated onslaughts. The Germans turned the park from the north and east, and contenting themselves for the time being with surrounding the castle—from which a murderous fire was poured on them—entered the village.
The commanding officer, who had shut himself up in the castle, was using a rifle with his men. At noon, he despatched a cyclist with a report on the situation, to the officer in command of the Divisional Infantry at Plessier. The report ended with the words: I am in the castle, and shall hold on till death. The cyclist managed to get through the German lines, crossed Grivesnes—already occupied by the Germans—and delivered the report. All available units were immediately got together and despatched to Grivesnes.
Meanwhile, a reserve battalion at the crossing of the Montdidier and Plessier roads counter-attacked the German Grenadiers who were entering the Rue de Montdidier. While the men were clearing the houses one by one and freeing a number of prisoners, the battalion commander and his cyclist went forward, with two armoured cars, the machine-guns of which scattered the German columns. The Rue de Montdidier was quickly cleared of the enemy and the French entered the Château. At 2.30 p.m., the detachment from Plessier arrived, and the German Grenadiers were quickly driven out of the park. In spite of counter-attacks, the French, with the help of a battalion from a neighbouring regiment, debouched from Coullemelle Wood and fully maintained their positions. The Prussian Guard was thus not only soundly beaten, but also suffered very heavy losses.
The enemy attacked again on April 1 and 3, but without success. On the 4th, the French 67th Infantry Regiment captured St. Aignan in the course of a dashing counter-attack, and, in spite of repeated enemy attempts to reconquer the village, maintained themselves there. On the 5th the Germans made another powerful but futile effort against Grivesnes. The 67th Regiment of the line stubbornly held its own at St. Aignan, while to the east of Grivesnes, the 25th battalion of Chasseurs repulsed four attacks by two regiments of the Guard, who were decimated by barrage and machine-gun fire. Later, the same battalion succeeded in clearing the eastern approaches to the village. On May 9 the French captured the park, taking 258 prisoners and a large quantity of stores, and beating off all enemy counter-attacks.
A few of the heroes of the 350th line Regiment and
their Commandant, Lieut.-Col. Lagarde.
Grivesnes.—Battery of 8½ in. Mortars taking up position.
Wayside Cross at Grivesnes.
Continue along G.C. 26 to Cantigny.
The village and its surroundings were attacked by the Germans at the end of March 1918. Sharp fighting occurred there on the night of the 29th and the whole of the following day. Cantigny fell in the evening of the 30th. On April 4 and 5, a counter-attack in this region by the French 45th Division, drove back the enemy and gave the French the northern and western outskirts of the village, which they were, however, unable to hold. On May 28, the American 1st Division, supported by a regiment of the French 60th Division and a group of tanks, brilliantly carried the village and salient of Cantigny along a 2 kms. front, capturing 170 prisoners and a large quantity of stores.
The American Attack on Cantigny,
May 28, 1918. (See p. 39.)
Cantigny Entrance to the Chateau Park.
The village was razed to the ground. The ruins of the church and Château may be reached by taking the street on the left, in the middle of the village.
Fontaine-sous-Montdidier, in ruins, is next reached. 3 kms. further on, take the left-hand road to Montdidier. Skirt the foot of the hill, as far as the Montdidier-Amiens road (N. 35), which take on the right. On entering Montdidier, turn into Rue du Collège which leads to the Esplanade du Prieuré (See p. 98).
