Soissons before and during the war

by Unknown

From the Pont-Neuf, take the Avenue de Laon to the Place de Laon, then take the Avenue de Vauxrot on the left to Vauxrot and Pasly. (See map, p. [53] and Itinerary, p. [52])

About half-a-mile from the Place de Laon are the ruins of a large distillery which formed the first French position and was strongly fortified.

THE DISTILLERY IN 1918.

THE GLASS-WORKS AT VAUXROT.
In the foreground: A German grave.
The German First Line in the Glass-Works.

On the north of the distillery, beyond “No man’s land” with its barbed-wire entanglements, a very important glass-works formed the first German line. Before the war, these glass-works turned out several millions of champagne bottles every year. A heap of these bottles is visible in the photo below.

Between the buildings of these works, now completely ruined by the incessant bombardments, are countless passages and trenches of reinforced concrete, observation posts, blockhouses, concrete machine-gun positions and deep dug-outs.

THE GLASS-WORKS OF VAUXROT.
In the background: Hill 136.