I. PANORAMA OF THE MARSHES OF SAINT-GOND.

This portion of the panorama fits on to the left of panorama I (p. [182]).

When the Germans had taken "Le Poirier," they advanced on the Woods of Saint-Gond, in whose thickets violent combats took place. A final effort carried them on September 9 on to the plateau at Montgivroux (see p. [184]), a little to the west of Mondement, which fell likewise in its turn, under the direct attack from the marshes. This important success, however, came two days too late. The Tenth Corps was menacing Mondement on the flank, and the intervention of the 42nd Division (see p. [14]) destroyed the Germans' hope of taking the plateau on the Broyes-Allemant side. The counter-attack of the 77th (see p. [177]-[178]) precipitated their retreat. Driven from the castle, the Germans re-crossed in haste during the night of September 9-10 the great dike of Saint-Gond. They left baggage and numerous wounded along the causeways. The Germans of 1914 were more fortunate than the conscripts of 1814, for whom the marshes formed a grave. In the darkness they escaped the fire which the French batteries at Mondement and Allemant would have poured on them in daylight. When the Tenth Corps began its march eastwards on September 10, starting from the Champaubert-Saint-Prix front, it was able to sweep the north of the marshes and pick up the laggards and heavy beer-drinkers, to whom the champagne had rendered bad service.

MONDEMENT FARM

After having examined the panorama of the marshes, return to the road which leads to the church and continue it in the direction of the farm, seen in the photograph above. It suffered much from successive French and German bombardments. As may be observed, the work of reparation has begun.

The French, when driven from the farm, took shelter in the wood a few hundred yards away on the other side of the road. It was from the wood that they began the counter-attack which gave them back the farm, as well as the castle and the church.

We retrace our steps to the castle, leaving the road which continues to follow the edge of the plateau in the direction of Montgivroux, and rejoins No. 51, below Soizy. This part of the plateau was carried by the German attacks coming from the Poirier and the Woods of Saint-Gond (see p. [170]). The "tirailleurs" fought heavy engagements at this point.