NEAR PÉRONNE. RUINS OF BRIDGE OVER THE CANAL DU NORD, ON THE N. 37.
Cross the Northern Canal by temporary bridge.
THE CANAL DU NORD FORMED A BITTERLY DISPUTED LINE OF RESISTANCE.
This canal, which connects the Somme with the rivers of northern France, was not quite finished when the war broke out. Its bed was excavated, but not yet filled with water, so that it formed a ready-made line of resistance. The Germans were unable to hold it in 1916, and the British were likewise driven from it by the German thrust in 1918.
WHAT THE GERMANS SAW FROM THEIR OBSERVATION-POST ON THE MONT-ST.-QUENTIN.
Immediately beyond the canal, the small, ruined village of Feuillancourt is crossed. On September 12, 1916, the French gained a footing on Hill 76, west of the village. This was the nearest position to Péronne reached in 1916, to the north of the town.
Follow N. 37 to Mont-St.-Quentin.