Gruerie Wood, which the _poilus_ called “Tuerie Wood” (Slaughter Wood),
was one of the most active and dangerous sectors on the Western front
from September, 1914, to the end of 1915. The conditions of warfare
there were particularly trying. Attack followed attack almost without a
pause, generally preceded by mine explosions, and often developing into
ferocious hand-to-hand struggles. In this wood, sectors like the
_Pavillon de Bagatelle_, and the valleys of the _Fontaine-aux-Charmes_
and _Fontaine-Madame_, were the most fiercely contested.
[Illustration: PATH FROM LA HARAZÉE TO GERMAN TRENCHES IN GRUERIE WOOD]
From Bagatelle a path leads to Fontaine-aux-Charmes, following the
stream of that name (which falls into the Biesme at La Harazée), and
then running beside the stream of Fontaine-Madame. These two streams, on
the south-east of Bagatelle, enclose a plateau broken by ravines and
hills, along which the French advanced in September and October, 1914,
threatening the German lines of communication through the Argonne. The
Germans repeatedly tried to force them back south of the Servon-Varennes
road, and to slip in through the valley of Fontaine-aux-Charmes, towards
La Harazée. In December, 1914, they attacked Fontaine-Madame six times
and Bagatelle three times. In January, 1915, attacks and counter-attacks
occurred almost daily. From the 16th to the 26th, fifteen German attacks
were launched in succession between Fontaine-Madame and St. Hubert,
lying to the south-east, on the stream of Fontaine-au-Mortier. The
French replied by immediate counter-attacks, and in the terrible
fighting which followed each side gained a hundred yards or so of
trenches. On the 27th, the Germans launched three attacks in the
direction of Bagatelle, while two days later the whole of the XXVIIth
Wurtemberg Division, previously drugged with alcohol and ether, hurled
themselves against the same position. The French left gave way, but
retook part of the lost ground after six counter-attacks. The struggle
continued on the following days, and, after heavy losses on both sides,
the Germans were repulsed twice during the night of January 29, once on
January 30, once on February 1, three times on the 2nd, twice on the 4th
and 7th. On February 17, 1915, while a French offensive was developing
in the district of Hurius-in-Champagne, the French troops in the Argonne
attacked the enemy, to prevent reinforcements being sent from that part
of the front. On the right bank of the Fontaine-aux-Charmes stream they
blew up a German blockhouse, and subsequently shelled the
gun-emplacement with a 65 mm. gun at 400 yards range. The most important
operation was directed against the German position of the _Blanleuil
Croupe_, lying between _Sec Ravin_ and the _Ravine of Fontaine-Madame_,
from which it was possible to enfilade the Bagatelle salient. Three mine
chambers were made under the German lines. The attacking troops were
divided into three waves: the first (one company), after the explosion
of the mines, was to seize the position, pass it, and push on; the
second (one company) was to consolidate the captured position; the third
(a battalion) was to reinforce the attacking party and exploit the
success. Each assaulting column was preceded by a bomb-thrower and
followed by sappers with sand-bags and entrenching tools. At 8 a.m. the
mines were fired, one of them blowing up a German mine. Two
[Illustration: GRUERIE WOOD. SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGE, 25 FT. DEEP
_Awaiting inspection by General commanding Sector._]
minutes later the three assaulting columns, led by their officers,
dashed forward. The position, attacked from three sides, was taken, and
a hundred Germans were killed in the trenches. Four prisoners and a
machine-gun were captured. At 8.30 the French held 350 yards of the
German trench, and reached the second line, which was full of Germans.
The enemy then launched fierce counter-attacks, which gave them back
their second line. On the French side the second wave had arrived to
reinforce the first company in the captured position. Two machine-guns
mowed down the advancing Germans, but were in turn put out of action by
the enemy, who renewed their counter-attacks with grenades. The French
were reinforced by two companies of the third wave, the third company
being used to revictual the combatants with grenades, bombs, and
sand-bags. The Germans renewed their counter-attacks, but were driven
back. Between 1.30 and 3 p.m., after a violent bombardment with
artillery and _minenwerfer_, which churned up the ground, the enemy
counter-attacked the French right in force with bayonets, but were
checked. The attack was renewed with grenades and bombs, and this time
the Germans advanced through all the trenches in the vicinity. After a
heroic resistance the French had to give way, and at about 4.30 p.m. the
position was lost. The enemy then attacked the rest of the trench on the
flank; under an incessant hail of bombs, the French were forced to
withdraw, retreating step by step--200 yards in two hours--with a loss
of 40 per cent of their forces. Little by little, their ammunition
exhausted, and in the face of the impossibility of bringing up supplies,
they were obliged to abandon the position and return to the trench from
which they had started. A company of Chasseurs fought for two hours with
German rifles and ammunition, and with unexploded German bombs. On March
1 another desperate struggle took place at Blanleuil. At about 7.15 a.m.
three enemy mines exploded under the French trenches, and the Germans
rushed into the craters, overwhelming two companies in the first line,
the survivors of which fought hand-to-hand. The Germans, heavily
reinforced, made considerable progress in Fontaine-Madame ravine, but a
counter-attack by a French battalion stopped and held them. At nightfall
another battalion counter-attacked in a snow-storm, and after four hours
of bayonet fighting recaptured the greater part of the lost ground. Very
few prisoners were taken on either side. On March 22, at Bagatelle,
after the explosion of three mines, two French companies took a German
trench and repulsed a strong attack, while 500 yards away the enemy also
exploded mines, threw themselves into the French trenches, and in a
hand-to-hand fight were beaten and driven back. From June 30 to July 15
the sector was affected by the German offensive between Four-de-Paris
and Binarville road. On July 28, and on August 4 and 17, three German
efforts against Fontaine-aux-Charmes broke down. On September 9, a fresh
and more powerful attack ended in a desperate struggle. The Germans,
repulsed, renewed the attack a second time without success. On the
following day the sector was heavily bombarded with big shells. From
1916 this sector became quieter, the fierce and prolonged struggle of
1915 giving place to a mutual shelling of the trenches with occasional
grenade attacks and raids on both sides.
[Illustration: GRUERIE WOOD. ST. HUBERT SECTOR
_Taking the soup to troops in first-line trenches._]
Another sector, that of St. Hubert, was the scene of frequent struggles
from October, 1914, to September, 1915. In December, 1916, the Germans
attacked St. Hubert five times. After alternately advancing and
retreating, the French succeeded in maintaining their positions.
Between January 16 and 27, 1915, some fifteen enemy attacks took place
in this region. At the beginning of July the battle became more violent.
On August 2, the Germans made use of liquid fire in an attack.
Subsequently the sector became quieter, like the rest of the Argonne.
Not far from St. Hubert the French line described a pronounced salient,
known as Marie-Thérèse, in the enemy positions to the north of
Fontaine-la-Mitte. This name was given to the position by the _poilus_,
probably on account of the proximity of the lodge of a gamekeeper who
had a daughter named Marie-Thérèse. Surrounded on three sides by the
German lines, the Marie-Thérèse salient was difficult to hold, and the
Germans frequently endeavoured to reduce it. On January 19, 1915, they
exploded two mines in front of the French trenches, but the French
immediately occupied the craters. On the 22nd, after having pushed
sap-heads as close as possible to the French lines, the German
grenadiers suddenly emerged from them at about 10 a.m., each throwing
two large bombs. Then one of their battalions attacked the three sides
of the position, killed the machine-gunners, and at certain points
penetrated into the French second line. At 2 p.m. a battalion of French
Chasseurs counter-attacked, and partly reoccupied the first line, but
was then repulsed by German reinforcements. A third counter-attack in
the evening and a fourth on the following morning regained some of the
lost positions after a terrific struggle. All day and all night the
fight went on with bombs, grenades, bayonets, knives, pickaxes--anything
the men could lay their hands on--with equal ferocity on both sides. A
hundred Frenchmen, nearly all wounded, were taken prisoners. At about
9.30 a.m. on February 10, the Germans mined some of the French trenches,
and then attacked in considerable force, but although they occupied part
of them, the attack was arrested almost immediately by a counter-attack,
and in the evening the enemy was partially driven back. The fighting
here was ferocious. The Germans, mostly drunk or drugged, murdered some
prisoners after disarming them. About midday on the 12th, the enemy, in
columns four abreast, on a front of 300 to 400 yards, once more hurled
themselves against the Marie-Thérèse salient. However, after being
brought to a stand by rifle fire, then scattered by an artillery
barrage, they retreated with very heavy losses. Two hours later, two
companies of French Chasseurs attacked in their turn, but suffered
severely from the machine-gun fire, only one party succeeding in getting
into contact with the enemy in a trench to which they clung. Twice on
May 12, several times in the beginning of July, on August 2 (when they
used liquid fire), on August 12 and 24, and twice on August 29, the
Germans attacked this so greatly coveted and so well defended salient.
Finally, there, as elsewhere, they abandoned all hope of breaking down
the resistance of the French, and thereafter “Marie-Thérèse” was seldom
mentioned in the communiqués.
[Illustration: GRUERIE WOOD. ST. HUBERT SECTOR. MARIE THÉRÈSE RAVINE]
_After visiting Gruerie Wood, return to and proceed along G.C. 67. The
road passes beside_ two large French cemeteries, _then_ a row of
dug-outs. The forest becomes more and more denuded of trees, which were
smashed by the shells. _The site of_ =Four-de-Paris= _is soon reached_,
though not a trace of the village remains (_photo, p. 104_).
_Four-de-Paris is 2 km. from La Harazée._