After a short stop, I left again for Cumières and Côte-de-l'Oie, where I also had a squad of workers.
Leaving Bras, it was easy to determine that the enemy had launched his offensive on the right bank of the Meuse.
As far as the eye could reach the bursting of large projectiles was seen: they fell particularly on the forts, on the roads, on the cantonments, on the trenches.
The crushing noise produced by these large Marmites[21] became accentuated hour by hour; a curtain of smoke collected against the blue sky, and, with the brightness of the day, this spectacle certainly did not lack grandeur.
I still command a view of the battlefield seen from the Côte-de-l'Oie; columns of smoke go rolling on the banks of the Meuse. I had never seen such parallel artillery preparation up to that day.
Our poilus cried:
"The 77's and 105's no longer exist!"
It could easily be seen that "something" was taking place on the right bank where the intensity of the artillery became greater hour by hour.
They fought stubbornly before Samonieux and we heard the noise of the machine-guns. I made the resolution to go and rejoin the men I had at Ornes, on the right bank, since it was they above all that were in the greatest danger.