This Itinerary will take the tourist through two regions of entirely different characters.
The first part is devoted to visiting the battlefield south-east of Rheims, which was the scene of much desperate fighting throughout the war, but especially in 1918. This region formed the pivot of the French right wing, and remained firm despite the repeated powerful attacks of the enemy.
The second part of the Itinerary leaves the battlefield proper, and conducts the tourist across the most reputed vine-growing centres of Champagne (Verzenay, Mailly-Champagne and Ludes), through lovely, picturesque country, which, although it has somewhat suffered from the bombardments, has nevertheless retained its pre-war aspect.
Leave Rheims by the Avenue de Châlons, continued by N. 44 (see the plan of Rheims between pp. [32] and [33], F. 6 and H. 7).
The Avenue de Châlons was well within the first-line defences.
Two communicating trenches run along the footpaths on either side of the Avenue.
Skirt Pommery Park, on the left, completely ravaged by the bombardment and the network of trenches which cross it.
As soon as the last houses of the town have been left behind, the tourist finds himself in the midst of the battlefield.
The sector, known as "La Butte-de-Tir," situated on the left, below Cernay and beyond the railway, was the scene of furious fighting throughout the German occupation of 1914 to 1918 (photo below).
