10 francs for new Members of other nationality, wherever their
residence may be.
New subscriptions paid from October 1 are valid for the
following calendar year.
Life subscriptions may be effected in one payment of 120 francs
for persons of French nationality, or 200 francs if of other
nationality.
The title of "Membre-Fondateur" may be acquired by the payment
of 300 francs.
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"Membre-Bienfaiteur."
THE TOURING CLUB DE FRANCE,
65, AVENUE DE LA GRANDE ARMEE, PARIS (16).
IN MEMORY
OF THE MICHELIN EMPLOYEES
AND WORKMEN WHO DIED GLORIOUSLY
FOR THEIR COUNTRY.
RHEIMS
AND THE BATTLES FOR ITS POSSESSION.
Published by
MICHELIN & CIE
Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Copyright by Michelin & Cie. 1919.
_All rights of translation, adaptation, or reproduction
(in part or whole) reserved in all countries._
_On July 6th, 1919, the President of the French Republic conferred the_
=Croix de la Legion d'Honneur= _on Rheims (fastening it personally on
the City Arms), with the following_ "=citation=":--
"_Martyred city, destroyed by an infuriated enemy, powerless to hold
it._
"_Sublime population who, like the Municipal Authorities--models of
devotion to duty and despising all danger--gave proof of magnificent
courage, by remaining more than three years under the constant menace of
the enemy's attacks, and by leaving their homes only when ordered to do
so._
"_Inspired by the example of the heroic French maid of venerated memory,
whose statue stands in the heart of the city, showed unshakeable faith
in the future of France (Croix de Guerre)._"
[Illustration: RHEIMS, AS SEEN FROM THE GERMAN LINES (_Photograph found
on a German prisoner_)]
=RHEIMS=
=POLITICAL HISTORY=
Rheims is one of the oldest towns in France, so old that legendary
accounts, in an endeavour to outdo one another, carry back its
foundation sometimes to 1440 B.C. after the Flood, sometimes to the
siege of Troy. Lying at the intersection of the natural routes between
Belgium and Burgundy, and between the Parisian basin and Lorraine,
_i.e._ between political districts that long remained different in
character, and regions having different commercial resources, it was at
one and the same time the "_oppidum_" and _market-town_. Its military
and commercial position destined it early to be a great city.
It probably takes its name from the tribe of the _Remi_, who occupied
almost the whole territory now forming the "_departements_" of the Marne
and the Ardennes, and who were clients of the _Suessiones_ (Soissons)
before the Roman conquest. It was already a prosperous town, under the
name of "_Durocortorum_," when Caesar conquered Gaul. It freed itself
from the yoke of the Suessiones by accepting the Roman domination. When
the Belgians revolted in 57 B.C., the _Remi_ remained faithful to Caesar
and received the title of "_friends of the Roman people_." Neither did
they take any part in the general revolt of Gaul in 52 B.C. Under the
Empire, Rheims was, with Treves, one of the great centres of Latin
culture in "_Gallia Belgica_." On becoming a federated city, it retained
its institutions and senate. A favourite residence of the Roman
Governors, Rheims was embellished with sumptuous villas and magnificent
monuments, and soon became one of the most prosperous towns in Gaul. At
the beginning of the Germanic invasions Rheims drew in its borders and
became a military town. Under _Diocletian_ it was the capital of
_Belgica Secunda_.
According to tradition, Christianity was first preached in Rheims by St.
Sixtus and St. Sinirus, the first bishops of the city. However that may
be, Christianity was firmly established there as early as the 3rd
century. A bishop of Rheims was present at the Council of Arles in 314.
The conversion of several great Roman personages (amongst others, the
_Consul Jovinus_--see p. 118) favoured the progress of the Christian
religion.
In the 5th century, when Rome, otherwise occupied, was unable to hold
back the barbarians, invasions interfered with the development of the
city. The Frankish conquest marked the beginning of a new period of
prosperity. In 486, after the victory of Soissons, _Clovis_ entered into
negotiations with St. Remi, who, at the age of 22, had been elected
Bishop of Rheims in 459, and whose long episcopate of seventy-four years
is probably unique in history. On Christmas Day, A.D. 496,
St. Remi, who had arranged the marriage of Clovis with the Christian
princess Clotilde, baptized the Frankish king with his own hands in the
Cathedral. This important event took place undoubtedly at Rheims and not
at Tours, as a learned German, _Krusch_, has attempted to prove.
Under the Merovingians and Carolingians, the history of Rheims became
merged in that of the French monarchy. The possession of the city was
disputed as fiercely as that of the throne. The city was mixed up in
quarrels from which it suffered, without, however, losing its religious
prestige. Pepin-le-Bref and Pope Stephen III., Charlemagne and Pope Leo
III. had famous interviews there. When the Carolingians restored the
religious hierarchy Rheims became one of the twenty-two chief cities of
the Empire. From the time of Charlemagne, the Archbishop of Rheims ruled
over twelve bishoprics, comprising the cities of the ancient Roman
province of _Belgica Secunda_.
From the 9th to the 11th century the history of Rheims is that of its
church. The Counts of Vermandois, the Lords of Coucy and the archbishops
first disputed, then divided its temporal possession, the latter falling
eventually to the archbishops in the 11th century. After becoming
Counts, with the right to coin money, and, from 940, powerful temporal
princes, the archbishops played a great political part in the struggles
between the Carolingian princes. Under _Charles-le-Chauve_, Archbishop
Hincmar became the protector of the enfeebled monarchy. In 858 he
prevented _Louis-le-Germanique_ from deposing his nephew and becoming
King of France. In 987, Archbishop Adalberon, at the Meeting of Senlis,
drove the legitimate heir, _Charles de Lorraine_, from the throne, and
favoured the election of Hughes Capet. Although, under the Capetians,
Paris became the political capital of France, Rheims became the
religious metropolis of the kingdom. From the time when _Louis-le-Pieux_
had himself consecrated emperor in the Cathedral, by Pope Stephen IV.,
it was understood that every new king must be consecrated by the
successor of St. Remi.
=The Consecration of the Kings of France=
In the 12th century, Popes and Kings formally acknowledged the right of
the Archbishop of Rheims to consecrate and crown the kings of France. As
a matter of fact, until the Revolution, all the kings, except Louis IV.
and Henri IV., were consecrated at Rheims.
The ceremony of consecration filled the Cathedral with a great crowd of
people. Apart from the peers, numerous prelates, dignitaries of the
Kingdom, the Court, the Chapter of the Cathedral and the populace
crowded in. Staging was erected for the public in the transept ends and
along the choir. Before the consecration took place, the archbishop, at
the head of a procession, went to receive the _Sacred Ampulla_ at the
threshold of the Cathedral, brought on horseback by the Abbot of St.
Remi. Returning to the altar, the prelate received the King's oath and
then consecrated him, anointing him with the holy oil on his head and
breast, between and on his shoulders, on the joints of his arms and in
the palms of his hands, each motion being accompanied with a special
prayer. Then the Peers handed the insignia of royalty to the archbishop,
who, surrounded by all the Peers, placed the crown of Charlemagne on the
head of the King, _while the people shouted_ "_Long live the King_."
The King was then led to a throne prepared for him at the entrance to
the Choir, and mass was celebrated with great pomp. The King and Queen
communicated in both kinds, and the royal party then went in procession
to the archbishop's palace, where the _Feast of Consecration_ was held.
In 1162, the Archbishopric of Rheims, until then a county, became a
Duchy and the highest peerage in France, which explains why it was given
to great personages, such as Henri-de-France and Guillaume-de-Champagne,
brother and brother-in-law of Louis VII.
In the 12th century the archbishops, freed from the feudal rivalries,
were confronted by a new power, the _bourgeoisie_ or middle classes,
born of the progress of industry and commerce, and whose importance was
demonstrated by the great Champagne Fairs held sometimes at Rheims and
sometimes at Troyes. The first _Company of Burgesses_, founded in 1138,
soon became a "_Commune_." In 1147, the suburb of St. Remi, which the
archbishop refused to allow to become attached to the "_Commune_" rose
in revolt and was only appeased by the intervention of St. Bernard and
Suger.
In 1160, Archbishop Henri-de-France, with the help of the Count of
Flanders, who was occupying Rheims with a thousand horsemen, suppressed
the "_Commune_" whose independence was alarming him. In 1182 a royal
charter, granting to the inhabitants the right to elect for a year
twelve "_echevins_" (aldermen), re-established the _Commune_ in fact,
if not in name, but the struggle between the _Commune_ and the
archbishop still went on. In 1211, Philippe-Auguste compelled the
aldermen to hand over the keys of the city gates to the archbishop.
[Illustration: THE CONSECRATION CEREMONY OF THE KINGS OF FRANCE IN THE
CATHEDRAL OF RHEIMS (_see p. 4_)]
In 1228, Archbishop Henri-de-Braine, not feeling himself safe in the
city, built the fortified castle of Mars-Gate (or old castle of the
archbishops) outside the walls, but looking towards the city (_photo, p.
6_). During the serious riots of 1235, the burgesses besieged the
archbishop's castle, for which act they were excommunicated by Pope
Gregory IX., and rebuked by St. Louis. In 1257, St. Louis intervened
once more, to put an end to the fighting between the free Companies of
the Burghers and the soldiers of the archbishop.
In the 14th century the two adversaries frequently came to blows, until
the king, in 1362, put an end to their quarrels by taking into his own
hands the care and military government of Rheims.
In spite of these local struggles the city developed in the course of
the Middle Ages. With Chartres it had a well-attended episcopal school,
long before Paris. Among the masters of this school were _Gerbert_, one
of the most learned men of the Middle Ages, who became Pope under the
name of Sylvester II., and _St. Bruno_, founder of the Carthusian Order.
Among the pupils were _Fulbert_ (afterwards Bishop of Chartres), the
historian _Richer_, _Guillaume de Champeaux_, and _Abelard_ (adversary
of St. Bernard).
During the Hundred Years' War (_see military section_) the Town Council
of Rheims, which the Treaty of Troyes in 1420 had placed under the
domination of the English, declared in favour of Charles VII., in spite
of the Duke of Burgundy, who was residing at Laon, and notwithstanding
the intrigues of the Bishop of Beauvais, Pierre Cauchon, who, profiting
by the absence of the archbishop, went so far as to have a _Corpus
Christi_ procession in the city, to call down the blessing of Heaven
upon the English. On July 17th, 1429, Joan-of-Arc handed over the keys
of the city to the king, and was present at the consecration, standing
near the altar with her standard which, "after having been through much
tribulation, was accounted worthy of a place of honour." Since the
return of Charles VII. to Rheims, the city had never ceased to be
French. After the departure of the king and Joan-of-Arc, a friend of
Pierre Cauchon plotted to deliver the town into the hands of the Duke of
Burgundy, to whom the English promised it, provided he could take it.
The plot was discovered and failed.
Under Louis XI. a serious revolt, known as the Micquemaque, broke out in
the town. Louis, well received at the time of his consecration, had
promised the people of Rheims (or so they believed) the abolition of the
tax known as the "_taille._" When, therefore, in the following year, the
collectors demanded payment, the people rose in revolt and drove them
out.
[Illustration: THE OLD CASTLE OF THE ARCHBISHOPS OF RHEIMS, RAZED TO THE
GROUND BY HENRI IV.
_The Archbishops of Rheims were formerly powerful temporal lords (see
page 4)._]
As usual, the king had recourse to treachery. Disguised as peasants, his
soldiers entered the city unperceived. Once inside, they arrested those
who were most deeply compromised, and carried out violent reprisals.
Houses were plundered, many of the inhabitants banished, and nine put to
death.
During the War of Religion, Rheims sided with the Catholics.
Under the influence of the _Guises_, five of whom were archbishops of
Rheims (notably Cardinal Charles de Lorraine, the protector of Rabelais
and Ronsard, and founder of the University of Rheims in 1547), the town
espoused the cause of the League and opened its gates to the Duc de
Mayenne in 1585. It submitted to Henri IV. only after the battle of
Ivry, when the Castle of Mars Gate (stronghold of the archbishops) was
razed to the ground. Henceforth the archbishops played no political
part, and Richelieu put an end to strife by turning the _Guises_ out of
the archi-episcopal see.
In the 17th and 18th centuries the town lived in peace, with
alternations of misery and suffering (caused by plague or famine) and
commercial and industrial prosperity. It was at Rheims that the first
French newspaper, the "Gazette de France," printed by Godard in 1694,
appeared.
During the Revolution, Rheims received the new ideas with enthusiasm. It
furnished a great number of volunteers to withstand the invasion, and on
August 14th, 1792, the Legislative Assembly proclaimed that the city
"_had deserved well of the country_."
Under the Restoration its industry developed. In August, 1830, the
people, who were favourably to the Revolution of July, overturned the
cross of the "_Calvaire de la Mission_," erected in 1821 by the
ultra-Catholic party, and in its place set up a funeral urn with the
inscription, "To the brave men who died for liberty on the 27th, 28th
and 29th days of July, 1830." The population accepted the monarchy of
July, but without enthusiasm.
The Second Empire witnessed a remarkable development of business
activity which, after the momentary stoppage caused by the War of 1870
and the Prussian occupation (_see military section_), made of Rheims, at
the end of the 19th century, one of the great commercial and industrial
cities of France. The population increased from about 30,000 (in 1792)
to 59,000 (in 1865) and to more than 115,000 in 1912.
When the War of 1914 broke out, the rich and ancient city was still as
_La Fontaine_ had described it:
"_No town is dearer to me than Rheims,
The Honour and Glory of our France._"
[Illustration: RHEIMS, FROM AN OLD ENGRAVING (1622)]
=MILITARY HISTORY=
If the military and commercial situation of Rheims destined it, from
early times, to be a great city, it also exposed it to the greed of
ambitious foreigners, and opened the road to invasion.
During the Hundred Years' War the city was fiercely disputed. On
December 4th, 1359, Edward III. of England besieged it. On January 11th,
1360, a sortie of the troops and burghers, under Remi Grammaire,
compelled him to raise the siege, in recognition of which feat of arms
Charles V. permitted the "_fleur-de-lys_" (emblem of the Royal House of
France) to be emblazoned on the City's coat of arms. Since then the
Shield of Rheims has been: In chief France ancient, in base argent Two,
laurel branches in Saltire vert. In 1420 the English were more
successful and entered Rheims, whose gates were opened to them by
Philippe-le-Bon, Duke of Burgundy. Nine years later (July 16th, 1429)
the Dauphin of France and Joan-of-Arc entered the town, then finally
delivered, by the Dieu-Lumiere Gate (formerly the Gate of St. Nicaise).
During the invasion of 1814, Marshal Marmont's troops retook Rheims on
March 13th, after sharp street fighting, and Napoleon entered the city
the same night.
In 1870, after the investment of Metz, Rheims witnessed the departure of
the army formed by MacMahon at Chalons-sur-Marne, for the relief of
Marshal Bazaine. A few days later (September 4th) the Prussian troops
entered the city at 3 o'clock in the afternoon by three different gates.
On the 6th, the King of Prussia, accompanied by Bismarck and Von Moltke,
made an imposing entry, and resided for some time at the archi-episcopal
palace, in the apartments reserved for the Kings of France at the time
of their consecration. Rheims was held to ransom, and a number of
citizens shot for protesting against the German yoke, chief among whom
was the Abbe Miroy, Cure of Cuchery, whose tomb (the work of the
sculptor Saint Marceaux) is in the northern cemetery. Others were
carried away prisoners to Germany. The Prussian troops evacuated the
town on November 20th, 1872.
=The Invasion of 1914=
(_See map, p. 11._)
Forty-four years later to a day (September 4, 1914), German advance
troops again entered Rheims, as General Joffre's plans had not provided
for defending the city. However, the Army detachments placed under the
command of General Foch on August 29, and wedged in between the 4th and
5th Armies, stayed the German advance for a few days. On August 30 the
42nd Division from the East, detrained at Rheims and took up positions
at Sault-Saint-Remy and Saint-Loup-en-Champagne on August 31, to the
left of the 9th and 11th Corps.
On September 1, General Foch resisted on the river Retourne but, in the
evening, withdrew to the river Suippe, in conformity with the general
orders. On the 2nd the town was still protected by the 10th Corps
(elements of which occupied the Fort of St. Thierry), by the 42nd
Division near Brimont and to the north of the Aviation ground, and by
the 9th and 11th Corps to the east. On the 3rd, the French retreat
towards the Marne became more rapid, and Rheims was abandoned. On
September 5, Prince August Wilhelm of Prussia entered the town and took
up his quarters at the Grand Hotel. The Germans at once requisitioned 50
tons of meat, 20 tons of vegetables, 100 tons of bread, 50 tons of oats,
15,000 gallons of petrol, besides straw and hay, and insisted on the
immediate payment of a million francs as a guarantee that their
requirements would be met.
[Illustration: THE TEMPORARY GERMAN OCCUPATION OF SEPT. 1914
_German troops in front of the Cathedral. The scaffolding of the latter
was set on fire on Sept. 19._]
This sum was paid in the course of the afternoon, under threats by the
enemy. From the 6th onwards the German soldiers gave themselves up to
plundering. The tobacco warehouse at 21 Rue Payen was ransacked, and
more than 700,000 francs worth of cigars and tobacco stolen. On the
following days pillaging, especially of the food-shops, continued. On
the 9th, the Kommandantur requisitioned civilians to bury the dead in
the Rethel, Epernay and Montmirail districts. On the 11th, the Crown
Prince arrived and took up his quarters at the Grand Hotel, where he was
joined by Prince Henry of Prussia, brother of the Kaiser. On the morning
of the 12th, the Germans, alarmed at the approach of the victorious
French troops from the Marne, arrested the Mayor (Dr. Langlet), Mgr.
Neveux, coadjutor of Rheims, and the Abbe Camus. They then drew up a
list of a hundred hostages and threatened to hang them at the first
attempt at disorder. They also threatened to burn the city, wholly or
partially, and to hang the inhabitants, if any of them molested the
German soldiers. All that day the Germans, instead of organising
defences, left the town in haste, after first pillaging it. In the
afternoon the Crown Prince left the Grand Hotel with his suite. At 5
p.m., after setting fire to the forage stores, the Kommandantur left
Rheims by the Rethel road in drenching rain, followed by the hundred
hostages, who were only released at the level-crossing at
Witry-les-Reims. When the latter returned to Rheims, a patrol of French
mounted Chasseurs had already entered the town by the suburb of St.
Anne. The next morning, at about 6 o'clock, the French troops, with the
6th mounted Chasseurs at their head, entered Rheims by the Rue de Vesle.
At 1 p.m. General Franchet d'Esperey, commanding the French 5th Army,
entered the city.
=The Battles for Rheims, 1914-1918=
Although evacuated by the Germans, Rheims had yet to remain for nearly
four years under enemy fire. With equal obstinacy the adversaries
disputed the town, the French seeking to disengage it and the Germans to
recapture it.
On September 12, on the approach of the victorious French Army from the
Marne, the Germans entrenched themselves to the south-west of the town,
and established a line of resistance passing through Thillois, Ormes,
Bezannes and Villers-aux-Noeuds.
In spite of the very unfavourable weather, the 3rd Corps (Gen. Hache)
vigorously engaged the enemy at Thillois, and forced them to abandon the
position in the evening. The 1st Corps (Gen. Deligny), on the right, had
orders to push forward advance-guards into Rheims, but as a matter of
fact they reached the suburb of Vesle. The 10th Corps (Gen. Defforges)
attacked at Puisieulx and forced the enemy across the Vesle.
On the 13th, the left of the 3rd Corps arrived in front of Courcy and
Brimont, where the Germans were strongly entrenched. A desperate battle
took place, with the result that Courcy was taken before noon. Loivre
likewise fell into the hands of the French, but the passage of the Aisne
Canal was fiercely disputed. The attack on Brimont failed, in spite of
the great valour of the troops, who sustained heavy losses. Meanwhile,
the 1st Corps crossed Rheims, with orders to debouch at Betheny. Just
outside the town they were met with violent artillery fire, which,
however, did not completely check their advance. La Neuvillette,
Pierquin Farm and Betheny were occupied, and the 1st Corps linked up on
its left with the 3rd Corps, on the outskirts of Soulain Woods. The
advance continued during the night, and Modelin Farm was reached by
advance-guards. General Deligny took up his headquarters in the suburb
of Vesle. The 10th Corps crossed the Vesle, engaged the enemy at St.
Leonard and reached the railway.
On the 14th, the fighting greatly increased in violence. The 3rd Corps,
in spite of repeated efforts, was unable to advance; on the left it
failed to drive the enemy from the St. Marie Farm, while on the right it
was held up before Brimont. The 1st Corps was likewise checked; the 1st
Division (Gen. Gallet) attempted unsuccessfully to support General Hache
in his attack on Brimont. The 10th Corps, although strongly engaged
towards the Fort of La Pompelle, made but little progress. Farther away,
on the right, the battle extended along the front of the 9th Army.
On the 15th, at 5.30 a.m., the 5th Army resumed a general offensive.
Fierce fighting took place at St. Marie Farm, to the left of the 3rd
Corps, and also further north, near Hill 100. Despite heavy sacrifices,
however, the enemy held their positions; but, on the right, the 36th
Infantry Regiment captured the Chateau of Brimont at day-break. General
Deligny, less fortunate, was driven out of Soulains Woods, but stood
firm at the Champ-de-Courses and Betheny. The 10th Corps continued to
advance slowly, and at certain points reached the high-road to Suippes.
On the 16th, the 3rd Corps attacked Brimont again, but failed. At the
chateau the situation became more and more critical, by reason of the
retreat of the 1st Corps on the previous day. This Corps had again to
face a powerful enemy counter-offensive, which, however, failed to drive
it from the Modelin Farm and the "Cavaliers de Courcy."
On the 17th, the Germans counter-attacked all along the line. In the
afternoon the 3rd Corps, which stood firm at Godat Farm and Loivre, was
elsewhere compelled to cross to the west bank of the canal and fall back
on Courcy.
After a heroic defence the isolated garrison of Brimont Castle, weakened
by heavy losses, surrendered during the night, after having spent all
its ammunition. The 1st Corps, the greater part of which had left for
the region of Berry-au-Bac, held its positions with its last available
units. The 10th Corps extended its front westwards to Betheny, while one
of its regiments, the 2nd Infantry, occupied La Pompelle Fort.
On the 18th, the enemy increased their efforts against the front held by
the 3rd Corps and the reserve units further west. Loivre, which had so
far resisted, fell. The French withdrew to the west of the road to Laon.
The situation was considered critical at this point of the front. The
10th Corps, which had been withdrawn from the east of Rheims, in favour
of another sector, was stopped on the way and sent for a few days in
support of the 3rd Corps.
On the 19th, one of its brigades counter-attacked Courcy Mill. On the
other side, the Moroccan Division (Gen. Humbert), which had relieved the
10th Corps, continued to hold La Pompelle Fort.
Gradually the front became fixed. Desperate, indecisive fighting still
took place, but finally the front stabilised on the line extending from
the foot of the Berru and Nogent-l'Abbesse Hills, along the road from
Rheims to Suippes, on the east, and along the western bank of the Aisne
Canal on the north.
[Illustration: EXPLANATORY MAP OF THE MILITARY OPERATIONS IN 1914
(_See pp. 9-11._)]
=The French Offensive of April, 1917=
The French offensive, planned by the then Commander-in-Chief, General
Nivelle, and launched in April, between Soissons and Auberive, aimed at
piercing the German front and disengaging Rheims.
North-west of Rheims was the 5th Army (Gen. Mazel), of which the 38th
Corps (Gen. de Mondesir) held the immediate approaches to the town,
followed by the 7th Corps (Gen. de Bazelaire), 32nd Corps (Gen. Passaga)
astride the Aisne, and, extending beyond Craonne, the 5th Corps (Gen. de
Boissoudy) and the 1st Corps (Gen. Muteau).
East of Rheims the 4th Army (Gen. Anthoine) was engaged only during the
second stage of the battle.
At 6 a.m. on the 16th, in drenching rain, the 5th Army attacked all
along the front, in conjunction on the left with the 6th Army (Gen.
Mangin), which undertook to storm the Chemin-des-Dames. The enemy was
expecting the attack, and had concentrated very large forces and
powerful artillery. Despite their bravery, the French were unable to
break through.
[Illustration: EXPLANATORY MAP OF THE MILITARY OPERATIONS IN 1917]
In the Rheims sector, the 32nd Corps advanced three kilometers to the
north of the Aisne. The 7th Corps crossed the canal at Loivre and
captured Bermericourt in the morning, but was forced to give up part of
the conquered ground in the afternoon, in consequence of a powerful
German counter-attack. In front of Brimont a brigade of the 38th Corps
failed to pierce the enemy's positions.
On the 17th, while the army of General Mazel resisted a violent enemy
counter-attack, General Anthoine attacked from the east of Rheims to
Auberive with the 8th Corps (Gen. Hely d'Oissel), 17th Corps (Gen. J. B.
Dumas), 12th Corps (Gen. Nourrisson). At 4.45 a.m., despite violent
squalls of rain and snow, the French infantry rushed forward and carried
the first German lines along a front of eleven kilometers. The 34th
Division (Gen. de Lobit) carried the Mont Cornillet and Mont Blond
hills, which the enemy attempted in vain to recapture.
On April 18 and 19, and May 4 and 5, the fighting was spasmodic and
finally ceased. On the whole, the French offensive failed, and Rheims
continued to remain under enemy gun-fire.
On the morning of May 27, 1918, the Germans commenced a powerful
offensive between Vauxaillon (on the Chemin-des-Dames) and the Fort of
Brimont. At the beginning of the attack, the French line passed through
Betheny and along the Aisne-Marne Canal. In the evening, after the loss
of the Chemin-des-Dames and the Aisne Canal, Rheims was no longer
protected on the north-west, except by the St. Thierry Heights, which
were soon turned. The Germans crossed the Vesle at several points,
principally at Bazoches and Fismes, and advanced as far as Muizon.
On May 29, the French line passed through La Neuvillette,
Chalons-sur-Vesle, Muizon and Rosnay. On the 30th, it extended from
Perquin Farm to Mery-Premecy, via Champigny. On the 31st, Tinqueux and
Vrigny fell.
Further to the south the Germans advanced along the valley of the Ardre
towards the Chateau-Thierry--Epernay--Chalons railway, threatening
Epernay (_see the Michelin Guide: "The Second Battle of the Marne"_).
However, Rheims still held out. On June 1, the Germans attacked
simultaneously, without success, to the south-east of the town (between
Pommery Park and La Pompelle Fort), and on the west and south-west
(between La Haubette and Ormes), while the French recaptured Vrigny. On
three separate occasions--in the evening of the 1st, and on June 9 and
18, the enemy's powerful and costly efforts to recapture this important
position broke down. On the 18th, they delivered a fresh general attack
from Vrigny to La Pompelle, gaining a footing in the Northern Cemetery
of Rheims and in the north-eastern outskirts of Sillery, but everywhere
else they were repulsed. On the 23rd and 29th, they rushed Bligny Hill,
held by the Italians, only to lose it again shortly afterwards. Once
again, Rheims had eluded the enemy's grasp.
=July 15 to August 9, 1918=
[Illustration: EXPLANATORY MAP OF THE MILITARY OPERATIONS DESCRIBED
ABOVE]
At dawn, on July 15, the Germans began a new offensive from
Chateau-Thierry to La Main de Massiges. It was Ludendorf's much vaunted
"Friedensturm" (peace-battle), and was expected by him to prove
irresistible and decisive. Its purpose was to complete the encirclement
of Rheims, carry the hills surrounding the town, crush the French 4th
Army, and reach Chalons-sur-Marne (_see the Michelin Guide: "Champagne
and Argonne"_). However, this time, there was no surprise, and the
Allies held out victoriously.
To the west, between Dormans and Rheims, Franco-Italian forces held
their ground on the Chatillon-sur-Marne--Cuchery--Marfaux--Bouilly line.
To the east, from La Pompelle to the Argonne, the army of General
Gouraud, after voluntarily abandoning its first line previous to the
enemy's attack, checked and decimated the armies of Von Einem and Von
Mudra, on its second or battle-line. On July 16, 17 and 18, the enemy,
now exhausted and incapable of resuming their general attack, attempted
local attempts only, especially near Beaumont-sur-Vesle, to the north of
Prosnes, and in the region of Trigny and Pourcy, to the west, all of
which were repulsed. Once more Rheims escaped, and was destined from now
on, to be gradually freed from the enemy's grasp. The French
counter-offensive began on July 18, on the Aisne (_see the Michelin
Guide: "The Second Battle of the Marne"_), extending shortly afterwards
to the west of Rheims. On the 22nd, the army of General Berthelot
captured St. Euphraise and Bouilly, and on the 23rd reached a point
between Vrigny and the Ardre. A number of German counter-attacks on July
24, 25 and 30 and August 1 failed to check its advance. On August 2,
Gueux and Thillois were recaptured. On the 4th, the Vesle was reached to
the east of Fismes, and the latter occupied, while a small force crossed
to the north bank of the river. On the 7th, after fierce fighting, in
which the French and Americans advanced foot by foot, the Vesle was
crossed to the east of Bazoches and Braine. On the 9th, Fismette was
taken.
=September 26 to November 11, 1918=
[Illustration (Map)]
The disengaging of Rheims, which had begun slowly, was now rapidly
accomplished. Two French offensives completely effected it in a few
days--that of September 26 (_see the Michelin Guide: "Champagne and
Argonne"_), under General Gouraud, and that of September 30, first by
General Berthelot and then by General Guillaumat. The first of these
offensives, to the east, brought about the fall of the Moronvilliers
Heights, after outflanking them; the second, to the west, captured the
Saint-Thierry Heights, the French troops crossing the Aisne-Marne Canal
from Le Godat to La Neuvillette. This double manoeuvre forced the
Germans, whose communications were threatened, to beat a hasty retreat
on October 5 along a twenty-seven mile front. An important part of the
old German front of 1914, and one of the most fiercely disputed,
collapsed suddenly. The formidable forts of Brimont and
Nogent-l'Abbesse, which had held Rheims under their guns for four years,
fell. This time the deliverance of Rheims was complete and final.
[Illustration: THE DISENGAGING OF RHEIMS
The dotted lines show the Allied advance at the date indicated in the
middle of each zone conquered. The line of departure is that of July 18
(18/7). On the evening of Oct. 6 (6/10)--the upper thick dotted
line--the town was completely disengaged. The Allied advance has the
appearance of a fan spreading out west of Rheims until Oct. 5 (5/10),
when the Germans were forced to make a deep retreat.]
=The Destruction of Rheims=
Being unable to capture Rheims, the Germans reduced it to ruins by
bombardment. For four years (September 4, 1914, to October 5, 1918) they
rained explosive and incendiary shells on it, almost without
intermission.
On September 3, 1914, at about 11 a.m., a German aeroplane dropped bombs
on the town. A few of the inhabitants left, as the enemy approached, but
the majority remained. A lady-teacher, sixty years of age, Mlle.
Fouriaux (afterwards decorated with the Legion d'Honneur), who had
charge of Hospital No. 101 (formerly a high-school for girls),
transferred the wounded to Epernay and then returned on foot to Rheims.
On September 4, at 9.30 a.m., when the enemy advance-guards were already
in the town, and a German officer was making requisitions at the Town
Hall, the bombardment began again. From 9.30 to 10.15 a.m., 176 large
shells fell into the town, three of which tore open the great gallery of
modern paintings in the Museum. Forty-nine civilians were killed and 130
wounded, several of them mortally.
The Germans, hard pressed by the French, evacuated Rheims on September
12. Two days later, at 9 a.m., they bombarded the town. Their fire was
especially directed against the headquarters of General Franchet
d'Esperey, near the Town Hall. On the following days, firing was resumed
at the same hour. On the 17th, the first fires broke out. Many civilians
were killed or wounded. The vicinity of the Cathedral, which was
believed to be specially aimed at, was among the places that suffered
most. To protect the Cathedral, which the Germans had fitted up on the
12th for the reception of their wounded, some seventy to eighty German
wounded were accommodated on straw in the nave. The Red Cross flag was
displayed on each tower, and notice given to the enemy.
[Illustration: GERMAN SHELLS BURSTING IN A STREET OF RHEIMS]
[Illustration: THE MONT DE PIETE]
On the 18th, the bombardment began again at 8.15 a.m. In addition to the
Sub-Prefecture, which was almost entirely destroyed, as were also many
important factories, the Cathedral, in spite of the Red Cross flag, was
struck by 8-in. shells, which damaged the outside sculptures of the
lower windows of the main transept, smashing the 13th and 14th century
stained-glass. Splinters of stone killed a French gendarme and two
wounded Germans in the lower part of the south nave.
On the 19th, the bombardment was intensified. The Town Hall, Museum,
hospitals (including that of the Girls' High School), the south side of
the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace were all hit. Towards noon,
incendiary shells were rained on the centre of the town.
At about 4 p.m., a shell fired the wooden scaffolding round the
north-west tower which had been under repair since 1913. The fire spread
quickly to the roof, the molten lead from which set fire to the straw in
the nave.
[Illustration: THE SAINT FRERES FACTORY IN RUINS (OCT. 1916)
(_15 Rue de l'University_)]
[Illustration: CENTRAL WOOL CONTROL OFFICE IN SEPT., 1915]
In spite of a rescue party, who risked their lives in getting out the
wounded, a dozen of the German wounded perished in the flames. The
conflagration spread to the Archbishop's Palace, from which it was
impossible to remove the tapestries or the pre-historic Roman and Gothic
collections. The Protestant Church, the Offices of the Controller of
silk and woollen cloths, and the Colbert barracks along the eastern
boulevards were burnt. Everywhere new centres caught fire, and nearly
thirty-five acres of buildings were destroyed. On the 20th, the
bombardment continued with equal violence, then after a respite of two
days began again. Of the Place Royale and the Rue Colbert nothing
remained but a heap of ruins.
[Illustration: THE PROTESTANT CHURCH IN AUGUST, 1917
(_Boulevard Lundy_)]
[Illustration: KINDERGARTEN SCHOOL IN THE BOULEVARD LUNDY]
On November 1 the number of civilians killed by shell fire had increased
to 282.
From September 14, 1914, to the beginning of June, 1915, the town never
remained more than four days without being shelled. Up to the end of
November, 1914, the shells rarely went beyond the Cathedral and the
theatre, falling mostly in the suburbs of Ceres and Laon. On November
22, the suburb of Paris was struck, and from that time onwards there was
no security for the inhabitants in any quarter of the city.
As it would take too long to recount all the bombardments, only the most
terrible ones are here mentioned. On November 26, 1914, the German guns
fired all day, one shell alone killing twenty-three patients in the
Hospital for Incurables. On the night of February 21 and on February 22,
1915, more than 1,500 shells fell in the town, killing twenty civilians,
setting on fire a score of houses and piercing the vaulting of the
Cathedral.
[Illustration: RUE GAMBETTA
_The Cathedral is seen at the end of the street._]
On March 8, terrifying fires broke out again. On April 29 and July 20
more than 500 shells, many of them incendiary, were counted. In April,
1916, more than 1,200 projectiles struck the different quarters of the
town in one day. On August 13, whilst the town was being bombarded,
seven German aeroplanes dropped incendiary bombs, which burnt the Hotel
Dieu Hospital. On October 25, the Germans fired more than 600 shells
into Rheims and more than 1,000 on the 27th.
[Illustration: THE BOMBARDMENT OF THE CATHEDRAL QUARTER
_Part of the striking-points of the shells which fell around the
Cathedral, as noted by the architect of the latter (M. Sainsaulieu). The
shells which struck the Cathedral were far too numerous to allow all of
them to be shown on the above plan._]
On April 1, 1917, more than 2,800 shells fell in the town, and on the
4th, 2,121. According to the Official Communique, on the night of the
5th and on Good Friday, the number of shells was 7,500. Easter-Day was
likewise terrible. On April 15, 19 and 24 the town received large
numbers of 8-in., 12-in. and 15-in. shells. On May 3 the Town Hall and
108 houses were burnt. On the 4th the fires spread to fifteen
neighbouring streets.
From April 8 to the 15th the enemy rained incendiary shells on the town
without respite, and completed their work of destruction, in the course
of the afternoon of the 21st, by burning the centre of the town. Hardly
anybody was left in the latter, except the firemen, who, despite their
prodigious activity and valour, were unable to cope with the flames.
Whole streets, often the finest, were burnt down, more than 700 houses
being destroyed.
When, on October 5, the Germans retreated, the havoc caused by this
continual bombardment was incalculable. Of the town's 14,000 houses,
only about sixty were immediately habitable when the people came back.
In addition to the material losses, there were, unfortunately, numerous
irreparable artistic and archaeological losses.
=Life in Bombarded Rheims=
[Illustration: THE DESTRUCTIONS, PHOTOGRAPHED FROM AN AEROPLANE (_Cliche
Illustration_)
ND.--The Cathedral.
PR.--Place Royale.
D.--Hotel de la Douane.
SG.--Societe Generale Bank.
P.--General Post Office.
J.--Palais de Justice.
T.--Theatre.
M.--Museum.
GH.--Grand Hotel.
LO.--Hotel du Lion d'Or.
PA.--Archi-episcopal Palace.
A.--The Cardinal's House.
EP.--Professional School for Young Ladies.
SP.--Sub-Prefecture.
PG.--Place Godinot.
L.-Lycee.
C.--Colbert Barracks.
]
Although there were short respites, it may be said that for four years
Rheims led the life of a besieged town, under the fire of the German
guns and howitzers. The enemy increased the calibre of their shells and
varied their modes of bombardment, sometimes firing for a few hours,
sometimes all day long at the rate of one shell every three minutes, or
again at night. Sometimes 3-in. shells would be used, at others "Jack
Johnsons" of 8-in., 12-in. and 15-in. calibre; sometimes all four at the
same time. Both explosive and incendiary shells were used, while
aeroplane bombs, darts and asphyxiating gas were resorted to
occasionally. Public holidays were the occasion of the fiercest
bombardments, in the hope of increasing the number of victims. For
instance, the shelling was particularly murderous on All Saints' Day of
1914, when the eastern and southern cemeteries (generally crowded on
this day) were especially aimed at. Easter Monday of 1916 and Good
Friday of 1917 were similarly favoured.
[Illustration: THE FIRST AND SECOND STORIES OF A HOUSE IN THE RUE
D'ANJOU, AFTER THE BURSTING OF AN 8-IN. SHELL]
After each check--at Verdun, in Champagne, on the Somme or wherever it
might be--the Germans revenged themselves on Rheims. In this way the
Cathedral was fired by incendiary shells after the defeat on the Marne
in 1914. The awful fires of February 22 and March 8, 1915, were the
German reply to their set-backs in Champagne and Argonne. The Hotel Dieu
hospital was burnt down in August, 1916, the day after the
Franco-British attack on the Somme. The Town Hall was reduced to ashes
on May 3, 1917, after the French offensive on the Champagne hills. For
the same reason the bombardments reached their maximum of intensity in
April and May, 1918, _i.e._ after the enemy had lost all hope of
crushing the Allies and taking Paris.
At the beginning of the siege the population took refuge in the
south-western districts, which were not as yet bombarded, but on and
after November 22, 1914, when the German shells reached the suburb of
Paris, a large number of the inhabitants left the town.
[Illustration: THE EFFECT OF AN 8-IN. SHELL IN THE PREMISES OF "LA
MUTUALITE," IN THE RUE DES ELUS (SEPT. 8, 1915)]
In February, 1915, the exodus began again, but at the end of May in that
year there were still some 26,000 people in the town. In February, 1917,
after twenty-eight months of bombardment, there remained 17,100 people,
or 100,000 fewer than in 1914. At the beginning of April in that year,
the mayor and later the sub-prefect, requested all those who were not
prevented by their duties to leave the town.
This invitation not having the desired effect, the military authorities,
in view of the increased intensity of the bombardment and the imminence
of the French offensive, announced that they could not guarantee food
supplies for the town, and decided that the civil population must leave
not later than April 10. The evacuation was effected by carts and
motor-vehicles to Epernay, where trains awaited the people.
A part of the inhabitants returned to Rheims after the French offensive
of April-May, but for a few months only, as, in February, 1918, the
coming German offensive compelled the civil population again to leave
the town.
During the thirty-one months, during which a considerable portion of the
population persisted in staying in Rheims (September, 1914, to April,
1917), life and work went on in the bombarded city, the people adapting
themselves courageously to their precarious existence and to the danger.
They were supplied with helmets and gas masks, like the soldiers. Shell
and bomb-proof shelters were organised, and the cellars, with which the
city abounds, became the people's ordinary dwellings. The Town Council,
with the exception of a few members who left on the approach of the
enemy, remained at the Town Hall until it was destroyed, then installed
themselves in a cellar, under the constant chairmanship of the Mayor,
Dr. Langlet. The services rendered by the latter during these trying
times were such that the French Premier decorated him personally in
November, 1914, with the _Croix de la Legion d'Honneur_. The General
Post Office had to change its quarters several times; but until the
complete evacuation of the town the postmen went their rounds regularly.
The Courts of Justice were set up in the cellars of the
Palais-de-Justice.
[Illustration: REMOVING THE WORKS OF ART IN JANUARY, 1918]
The archbishop, Mgr. Lucon, was absent from Rheims in 1914, being
retained in Rome by the Council. As soon as the latter was ended, he
returned to Rheims and thereafter, like his coadjutor, Mgr. Neveux, and
the unmobilized clergy, he remained at his post until the evacuation of
April, 1917. The Cathedral architect, M. Sainsaulieu, who, like Mgr.
Lucon, has been made a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, remained
constantly at his post, repairing from day to day, as well as might be,
the damage caused to the Cathedral, and saving the art treasures spared
by the German shells.
[Illustration: SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH GAS-MASKS]
The firemen, reinforced in March, 1915, by thirty-two of their comrades
from Paris, devoted themselves, at the risk of their lives, to fighting
the flames caused by the bombardments. Unfortunately, their courage and
devotion were often unequal to their task. For instance, twenty-two
separate fires occurred on the night of February 22, 1915. Their task
was rendered still more difficult by the fact that the Germans often
fired on the burning buildings to drive off the men who were trying to
save them.
On July 6, 1917, the President of the French Republic fittingly
acknowledged the magnificent bravery of the firemen by personally
decorating their flag with the Croix de la Legion d'Honneur. At the same
time he conferred this dignity on the city (_see p. 2_).
After remaining closed for several weeks, the schools re-opened. Until
then, the children had been too much in the streets looking for
aluminium fuses of shells, out of which they made rings, or for scraps
of stained-glass from the broken windows of the Cathedral. The first
school, called the "Maunoury" school, was installed on December 7, 1914,
in a wine cellar of the firm Pommery, Boulevard Henri-Vasnier, near the
Rond-Point St. Nicaise. On January 22, 1915, the "Joffre" school was
opened in the cellars of Messrs. Mumm, 24 Rue du Champ-de-Mars. Then
came the "Albert I." school, in the cellars of Messrs. Krug, 5 Rue
Coquebert, and the "Dubail" school in those of Messrs. Champion, Place
St. Nicaise. In addition to the underground schools, open-air classes
were conducted. The underground schools, in which the teaching staff,
exclusively voluntary, lived permanently, together with the
school-children and their relatives, were situated in the most exposed
and frequently bombarded districts. The "Dubail" school was struck three
times: on March 6, 1915 (by an 8-in. shell), and on March 25 and October
25, 1916. Luckily there were no victims.
The schools were quite close to the enemy lines, the distance varying
from about two-thirds of a mile to a mile and a half.
In 1915 and 1916, the examinations for the "Elementary School
Certificate" took place in July, as usual. In 1915, the ceremony of the
Annual Prize Distribution, which had not taken place at Rheims for ten
years, was restored, the book-prizes for the pupils coming from every
corner of France.
[Illustration: CARDINAL LUCON, ARCHBISHOP OF RHEIMS, COMING OUT OF THE
CATHEDRAL]
The victualling of the town, thanks to the co-operation between the
Municipal and Military Authorities, was effected with regularity. There
was never any shortage of bread. The butchers' and grocers' shops
remained open. The milk-women and hawkers donned their helmets and
continued to push their carts through the streets. The market-women
remained at their stalls. The nuns of St. Vincent-de-Paul, whose convent
had been largely destroyed, ensured the service of cheap meals,
organised by the Municipality for the poor. The undaunted inhabitants
had their daily paper ("_L'Eclaireur de l'Est_"), edited by M. Dramas, a
courageous journalist, whose printing-house was early wrecked by
shell-fire, but who continued almost single-handed to issue his paper.
[Illustration: MILK-WOMAN, WITH HELMET, GOING HER ROUND]
[Illustration: WINE-CELLAR OF MESSRS. POMMERY USED AS A DWELLING]
[Illustration: PANORAMIC VIEW, SEEN FROM ST. NICAISE HILL (_p. 102_)]