To the right are the Heights of Bouillancy, where the French artillery was placed; on the left the Plateau of Étavigny on which were the German batteries.
A hollow, where runs a river, separates the two positions, between which the artillery duel was intense, preparing and accompanying infantry assaults which succeeded one another from September 6 to 9, with alternate advances and retirements.
The road then returns to Acy, skirting the wall of the Castle park. We again pass the church and, on leaving the village, cross the Gergogne. Immediately after the bridge turn to the left towards Vincy (35½ km.). The photograph below shows that this village also suffered from incendiarism and bombardment.
After passing through Vincy, bear to the left in order to pass in front of the Manœuvre distillery, leaving the hamlet of that name on the left. Étrépilly (41 km.) will be reached by the middle road of the crossways, which are about 1 km. further on past the distillery.
This Vincy-Étrépilly line formed part of the defensive front established by the Germans west of the Ourcq, marked out further north by the localities of Betz, Étavigny, and Acy, which have just been visited, and more to the south, by the position seen on panorama B (pp. [90]-[91]). The Germans had made trenches and machine-gun shelters over the whole plateau, which stretches on the right of the road towards the farms of Poligny and Champfleury. On the right slope of the road one can still see the dug-outs where the snipers sheltered themselves.
The position was attacked from September 6 to 9 by the 63rd Division of the Seventh Corps and the 56th of the Lamaze Group which carried the advance positions constituted by the farms of Nogeon, Poligny, and Champfleury. They were stopped, however, on the line itself until the general withdrawal of the German troops.
BURNT FARM AT VINCY
To reach the spot where the view below was taken, follow the track which branches off the road from Vincy to Étrépilly, between the memorial and the burnt hangar. This is the road we see across the middle of the panorama. The tourist finds himself at the southern extremity of the Vincy-Étrépilly position, on the site of a German battery which was severely treated by the French 75's.