D. PANORAMA OF THE BATTLEFIELD OF THE FRENCH RIGHT
- Heights of Penchard
- Montheon
- Barcy
- Heights of Cuisy
- Factory at Marcilly
- Road from Marcilly to Étrépilly
- Farm of Nongloire
- Farm of Champfleury
The road on which the tourist now stands goes on to the heights of Varreddes. Bordered with trenches and machine guns, it constituted the principal line of the German defence south of Étrépilly, the advance lines resting thus: the first on Penchard—Monthyon—Heights of Cuisy; the second on Chambry—Barcy—Marcilly. In this theatre of operations fought, south of the Marcilly-en-Étrépilly road, the 55th (Reserve) Division, the 45th Division and the Moroccan Brigade; at Marcilly and on the plateau north of Étrépilly, which is outlined on the extreme right of the panorama and crowned by the Champfleury Farm the 56th (Reserve) Division.
A CORNER OF THE BATTLEFIELD
Leaving the trenches hastily dug on the Chambry—Barcy—factory of Marcilly line, the troops of the Lamaze group, before getting up to the German trenches, had to cross two kilometres of uncovered ground, under terrible fire. It was in one of these attacks, starting from Barcy, that Major d'Urbal (brother of the general) fell at the head of his Zouaves as, waving his cane, he drew them along. He was brought back to the French lines, thanks to the devotion of one of the few officers who survived the attack, helped by two Chasseurs d'Afrique. Because of his great height the commander's body could not be carried back, and they were obliged to place it on a horse. The group returned thus to Barcy under a hailstorm of bullets, where a shell-hole in the cemetery served for a grave.
A CORNER OF THE BATTLEFIELD