"All of a sudden a cry was heard: "Lieutenant, here is the daylight." A man had succeeded in making a hole through the mud with the barrel of his rifle.
Éparges Spur photographed from the air.
The series of mine craters and chambers (see [plan p. 115]).
"At last! Everyone felt restored to life. Already we could breathe again. Our candles would burn.
"After another half-hour we got out of this hell and it was time too.
"Where were we? In the enemy's lines or our own? What had happened during these four hours? What had become of my posts?
"I pointed out to my men the direction of our lines and I tried to regain my bearings. But the aspect of the ground had completely altered. For half-an-hour I probed the darkness. I could make nothing of it, when, suddenly, I seemed to see two shadows. I made myself known, but the two men moved off and fired a star-shell in my direction. It was a German star-shell.
"I made my way to the rear and reached the Battalion Command Post at Bois Joli. I had been posted "missing".