This commune includes the villages of Beaumont, Gare-de-Beaucourt and Hamel. These villages were situated just behind the German Lines. At the time, Newfoundland was a British colony and on this basis - as with all the countries of the Empire - it raised a volunteer army. On 1st July 1916, at 0900, the men of the first Newfoundland Regiment had scarcely left their trenches before coming under fire from German machine-guns. Half an hour later only 68 of them were left unscathed. All the officers were either killed or injured. Proportionally to the number of troops involved, this action was one of the most murderous of the entire the Somme offensive. The village was finally taken on 13th November 1916 by the 5th Scottish Highland Regiment.

Designed by landscape architect Rudolph Cochius, the park covers 16 hectares and was inaugurated in 1925. At the entrance there is a monument to the 29th Division to which the Newfoundland Regiment was attached. A path leads to a viewing table at the top of the Caribou mound - so called because it is surmounted by a bronze statue of a caribou, the symbol of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, which is the work of English sculptor Basil Gotto -, from where the overview of the battlefield enables the trench "system" to be understood. Three bronze tablets at the base of the mound serve as a national memorial to the fallen. A single petrified tree escaped the devastation: this is the skeleton of the "tree of danger", so-called because it was located at a particularly exposed observation point. The German front line passed through the bottom of the park, close to the statue of the Scotsman in the kilt of the 51st Highland Division, which seized the enemy position on 13th November 1916 ...
Young bilingual Canadian students lead guided tours from early April to the end of November. On-site Centre for Interpretation.
Newfoundland Memorial 80300 Beaumont-Hamel Tel.: +33 3 22 76 70 86 Fax: +33 3 22 76 70 89 e-mail: newfoundland_memorial@vac-acc.gc.ca Open every day from 15th January-15th December 9am-5pm (1st May-30th October, 10am-5pm). Comité du tourisme de la Somme 21 rue Ernest-Cauvin 80000 Amiens Tel. : +33 (0) 322 71 22 71 Fax : +33 (0) 322 71 22 69 e-mail : accueil@somme-tourisme.com The Comité du Tourisme de La Somme is at your disposal for all information relating to the Battlefields of the Somme and the Route of Remembrance: commemorations, access, transport, guided tours for groups and individuals, helicopter flights, accommodation, etc ... The CDT also publishes a range of brochures on Remembrance Tourism.

Short history of the construction In February 1806, Napoleon I orders the construction of the Arc de Triomphe, in order to commemorate the victories of his armies. Finally the emperor decides to built it in Place de l'Etoile. The first stone of the monument is placed on August 15th 1806. The plans of this construction are those of the architect CHALGRIN. In 1870, in occasion to Napoleon's wedding with the archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, he will built a trompe-oeuil of wood and painted material. Finished in time for the ceremony, the decoration gives an idea of what the monument will be once completed. CHALGRIN dies in 1810. He is replaced by Louis-Robert GOUST. At the end of the year 1813, the Arc reaches 19 meters height. The events of 1814 questions everything. Under the "Restoration", the works doze. Louis Philippe, who became king in 1830, decides to give life to this project again. The works start again and the Arc de Triomphe, dedicated to the Armies of the Revolution and to the Empire will be completed by the architect Guillaume - Abel BLOUET. The monument will be inaugurated on July 29th 1836.

The Monument The proportion of the Arc de Triomphe are enormous : it measures 49 meters height and exceeds 45 meters width. The arch of the two frontages reaches 20,50 meters of height for a width of 14,50 meters. The transversal frontages are pierced of an arch of 19 meters height on a width of 8,50 meters. The big frieze surrounding the four façades represents the great personalities of the Revolution and the Empire, or furthermore the return of the armies from Italy and Egypt.
The most imposing ornament is without any doubt the one formed by the four colossal groups erected on each pier of the two great façades : - Avenue de Champs Elysées : the Departure of the volunteers (left), still called La Marseillaise, of François RUDE and on the Triumph of the emperor (left) sculpted by Jean-Pierre CORTOT - Avenue de la Grande Armée, the two sculptured alto-rilievo represent the Resistance on the right, and the Peace on the left. On the interior surfaces of the big and small arches, the names of the generals and the great battles of the Revolution and the Empire are engraved. On the ground, near the grave of the unknown soldier, several bronze plaques commemorate important events of the contemporary history : the proclamation of the Republic on September 4th 1870, the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France on November 11th 1918 the call to arms on June 18th 1940. It also evocates the memory to the fighters and the resistant fighters of the Second World war, as well as the memory of "the dead for France" in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
Climbing up the Arc de Triomphe Climbing up the Arc de Triomphe means climbing up 284 steps (an elevator gives access to handicapped persons), but it also means to have access to different museum halls and to the terrace. The big hall of the museum, situated under the terrace, exhibits a vast number of documents : engravings, drawings, photographs, models and various original parts of projects (for example the elephant), the construction and the decoration of the Arch, as well as great events, for example the return of Napoleon's I ashes (the 15th of December 1840),Victor HUGO's dead guard (May 29th 1885), the march of the Victory (on July 14th 1919), the arrival of the unknown soldier (January 28th 1921), the homage to General de Gaulle on the grave of the unknown soldier in a released capital (August 26th 1944). The terrace allows/gives a splendid view of Paris, the Champs Elysées, the Louvre, the Eiffel tower, the Dome des Invalides, and westwards the Arche de la Défense.
The Unknown Soldier The armistice, which puts an end to the First World war, is signed on November 11th 1918 in Rethondes (near Compiègne in Oise). Nevertheless the joy of the victory is plunged into mourning of 1 500 000 victims, for the majority very young. Soon in the small villages as well as in the big cities, monuments in memory of all the dead will be raised and in companies, in high schools and colleges commemorative plaques are carried out. On November 20th 1916, whereas the terrible Verdun battle is in the mind of everyone, F SIMON, President of the French Memory, has the idea to honour a soldier in the Panthéon, who like many others fought and died bravely for his fatherland. The project is finally adopted by the deputies on November 12th 1919. One year after, at the beginning of the month of November, the Parliament decides that the remainders of one of the unidentified soldiers, died during the war on the Field of Honour, will be buried under the Arc de Triomphe. Eight bodies of unidentified French soldiers, chosen among the different front sectors, are then transported in the Verdun citadel. November 10th 1920 at 3 p.m. the soldier Auguste THIN, son of a fighter, who died himself in the war, indicates by depositing a bunch of flowers on one of the coffins which will be carried to Paris. On November 1920, in the morning, after a ceremony at the Panthéon, the coffin is deposited in one of the halls of the Arc de Triomphe, arranged in a chapel of rest. On January 28th 1921, the coffin of the Unknown Soldier is buried in the centre of the principal arch, facing the Champs Elysées.
The Symbol of the flame Following the suggestion made early in 1921 by sculptor Gregory Calvet, then in October 1923 by the writer Gabriel BOISSY, the sacred flame under the Arc de Triomphe was lit for the first time November 11, 1923 to 18 hours by Andre Maginot, minister of war, while troops of the 5th RI presented arms as the band played Chopin's Funeral March." Since that date the flame was never extinct. Every evening at 6:30 p.m. the flame is revived by the representatives of the Association of Veterans or associations, whose good citizenship is recognized (such as the Red Cross). This ceremonial never stopped, not even during the occupation between 1940 and 1944. Obviously the Parisian high-school pupil and student, turn toward the flame and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, during the processions defying the occupant. The Flame under the Arc de Triomphe evokes also for some people the Flame of the Resistance, of which a certain Charles de Gaulle once used to talk. Nowadays, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Flame of Memory symbolize for all the French, but also for the tourists of the entire world, the sacrifice of all those who died on the battlefield. The Flame of Memory also symbolizes the tribute paid to those who gave their lifes, to make us live in a free country. Lastly, since the tragic days of the occupation, the symbol of the flame found an additional vocation, the one of hope in the future and faith in the destiny of our country.
The ceremony of the revival Since November 11th 1923, each evening at 6:30 p.m. the flame is revived by the representatives of the Association, following a planning established by the Committee of the Flame. A precise ceremonial takes place. Each day, at least two members of the Committee, are appointed to accommodate the Associations and organise the ceremony. The associations meet either at the crossroad Champs Elysées/ Balsac, or at the top of the Champs Elysées, or directly at the Arc the Triomphe, when the participants are not too many. They are then taken under the Arc de Triomphe. At the top, the flower carriers lead the procession, followed by flag holders and the members of the association. They reach their final destination by taking the principal alley of the Champs Elysées. The participants take position on both sides of the Holy Flagstone and the flag holders take place in a circle on the west side of the flagstone. Before the ceremony the Commissioner and the Service Guard set up the flag of "the Flame", the bugle and the drum of the Republican Guard. Lastly the Commissioner of the flame and the different Presidents of the Associations join the Flagstone, they ascent the alley accompanied by the the call "The Flame". he delegations are then invited to lay their wreath, then while placing themselves near the flame, the Commissioner gives the sword to the president, who is invited to make the gesture of the revival. The call "To the Deaths" resounds, the flags are inclined, followed by a minute of silence. When a military melody (or other) is played, the call "to the Death" is followed by the refrain of the Marseillaise. The president is accompanied by the authorities and together they sign the Golden Book, then of a fraternal gesture they greet the flag holders, the Commissioners of the Flame, the members of the Associations and the guests aligned along the Flagstone. Everybody unite at the foot of the tomb and the musicians play the anthem "Honour of the Unknown Soldier". Then they are accompanied by the Commissioner in service, whereas the music plays "the Flame". This ritual is the same even when the General, President of "the Flame under the Arc de Triomphe" is present. The delegations are then invited to sign the Golden Book.
Arc de Triomphe Place de l'étoile 75008 Paris Acces Métro Charles de Gaulle-Etoile (1, 2, 6) RER A Charles de Gaulle-Etoile

Quiz : Forts et citadelles

The Memorial is situated on the left bank of the Marne on a hill overlooking the river and the town of Dormans. When the plan to erect a large monument to remember all of the battles in Marne was confirmed, this site was chosen by Marshal Foch as a place that represented both battles. The building was made possible thanks to an association founded by Madame de la Rochefoucauld in 1919, overseen by the Cardinal of Reims and the Bishop of Châlons. A vast park with a chateau was purchased, and the first brick was laid on 18 July 1920. The building work, which took 10 years from 1921 to 1931, was funded by numerous donations, in particular those collected by the ‘national subscription’ in 1929 dubbed "four monuments day” (the association which became a charity, was recognised as a public interest organisation by presidential decree on 20 May 1932).

The impressive ensemble was designed by architects Marcel and Closson. A monumental staircase leads to a large square with a sundial and a viewpoint indicator that shows the names of the villages in the Marne Valley where the Battle of 1918 was fought. The square itself leads to a crypt that is overlooked by the church that boasts a bell tower and two ridge towers.

The inside of the chapel is entirely dedicated to the glory of the “soldiers, the army and the fatherland".

The stained-glass window in the choir represents Christ welcoming a soldier to symbolise all those who died during the Great War, presented to him by Joan of Arc and St Michael. On each side, angels intercede in his favour.

The stained-glass windows at the sides of the transept (by the renowned Lorin firm in Chartres) represent the patron saints of the different branches of the army.

The four columns standing on the crypt’s vaulted bases are decorated with sculptures depicting the four great invasions of France by the Huns, the Arabs, the English and the Germans, which were all contained (the Catalunian Plains in 451, Poitiers in 732, Orleans in 1429 and Dormans 1914-1918).

The 52-metre tower houses several bells, the largest weighing 304 kg. Beside the chapel is a cloister. Rather austere in appearance with its pointed arch, from the side it is attached to a funerary building housing the ossuary, close to a lantern tower for the dead. At its entrance, a medallion features the effigies of marshals Foch and Joffree, the two victors of the battles of the Marne, while the names of all the soldiers who fought in the battles are engraved in the wall plaques.

Inside the ossuary, the mortal remains of 1,332 French soldiers who fell between 1914 and 1918 are held in 130 coffins; only 11 of these men were identified. The funerary chamber also holds two urns: the first one contains earth taken from the cemetery in Italy where soldiers of the Free French Forces killed during the battles in 1943-1944 in Monte Cassino are buried; the other holds the ashes of deportees returned from Dachau in 1948.

Every year since 1993, during the Armistice commemorations, an official ceremony is held in the ossuary where a wreath given by the French President is laid by a delegate Senior Officer from the Elysée Palace.

Opening times

From 1 April to 11 November every day from 2-6 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 12 pm and 2-6 pm.

Contact

Dormans Tourist Information Office, Château de Dormans - 51700 DORMANS
Tel: +33 (0)3 26 53 35 86

Memorial secretariat: +33 (0)3 26 57 77 87

Memorial: +33 (0)3 26 59 14 18

Site du 90e anniversaire des batailles de la Marne

Office de tourisme de Dormans 

Source: MINDEF/SGA/DMPA - Vincent Konsler

In 1815, the Congress of Vienna sentenced France to return Savoy to the King of Piedmont-Sardinia, allied with Austria. Victor-Emmanuel I used a proportion of the ample compensation paid by France to fortify the Alpine barrier and block the French army's passage into Italy.

Since the glacial rock bar allowing access into Piedmont was no longer protected since Napoleon had destroyed the fortress of Brunetta de Susa in 1796, the decision was made to reinforce the protection of the routes between France and Italy around Esseillon.

Dominating the Arc Valley along two kilometres over Modane, the rocky foothills of Esseillon, a natural defensive barrier a hundred metres high, blocks the access to the Haute-Maurienne Valley and Mont-Cenis Pass, between Savoy and Turin. In 1817, excavation was started to strip the rock intended to hold the future constructions. At the heart of the grandiose mountains of Haute-Maurienne, the huge construction of a military town was entrusted to a young captain from Piedmont, Olivero.

Educated on Austrian defence systems, he put into practice the theories of Marquis de Montalembert, a French artillery general in the 18^th century: the forts were designed to block the enemy’s path following a line of defence perpendicular to the direction of their progression. Five structures were erected, the way the valley flared placing everything out of the reach of enemy artillery stationed on the surrounding summits. Named after the first names of members of the royal family of the House of Savoy, these thick-walled forts flanked by breaks making crossfire possible. They form a majestic architectural ensemble that effectively fulfilled its role of blocking the path through Mont-Cenis Pass, the gateway into Italy, until 1860.

In this year, marked by Savoy's reannexation to France, the crenellations cut into the fort walls, mainly directed towards France, now served no purpose. The defence structures in Esseillon were modified by the French, in such a way as to counter invaders coming from the East.

In 1871, drilling started on the Fréjus Rail Tunnel, transferring the border defence fortifications to the valley around Modane. Stripped of any strategic interest and weakened by shells, these remote and cold imposing structures perched at over one thousand five hundred metres altitude were downgraded to a site for holding disciplinary battalions or prisoners. The fortifications were saved from fire until the Second World War.

Built between 1818 and 1828, Fort Victor-Emmanuel was the major component of the Esseillon defence system. Sat at the edge of a cliff at 1,350 metres altitude, the fort comprises a parallel series of eight, two-storey buildings, two of which were specifically batteries for cannons. The main entrance, reached by a wooden bridge extended by a metal drawbridge, led through to the headquarters building that housed the staff, the barracks, and logistics buildings, including two wells that supplied the garrison with water.

The fort’s fire plans were directed towards the village of Avrieux and the royal road connecting Chambéry to Turin, although a number of embrasures also flanked the area surrounding the Marie-Thérèse redoubt. A path suitable for motor vehicles bordered by projecting stones snaked inside the fort and facilitated the movement of batteries. Inside the building, a maze of staircases and vaulted galleries provided easy access for moving cannons about. On the Sardinian side, a ditch was bordered with caponiers, structures detached from the escarp.

A prison was built in 1833 for the purpose of holding Italian liberals. Initially conceived as a base station in the event of an attack, the fort was designed to hold a garrison of 1,500 men serving 35 cannons. A thriving hub, it also contained a hospital and a chapel. In June 1940, it was at the centre of the defence system of the 281st artillery regiment, before being used by the Italians, who started to imprison French resistance fighters there in 1943. During the course of winter 1944, Fort Victor-Emmanuel was used as a support base for the 6th battalion of Alpine hunter operating against the German troops entrenched at Mont-Cenis. Today, some entrance points into the fort are dangerous and are currently being reinforced as part of the general restoration programme of the complex.

Erected between 1819 and 1830, Fort Marie-Christine is the highest fort of the complex overlooking the structure in its entirety from an altitude of 1,500 metres. A typical perpendicular fortification structure popular with Marquis de Montalembert, rid of its traditional bastions, the hexagonal complex still maintains a perpendicular face to the enemy. Dedicated to defending the north side of the valley, the fort and its 20 cannons provided an effective flank of the Charles-Albert and Charles-Félix forts as well as the road leading to Aussois.
Encircled by a wall and preceded by a ditch in the east, and a vertiginous cliff to the west, the fort was built over three levels: a ground floor occupied by rooms used for logistics; a first floor where the army barracks were situated, and an upper level consisting of a covered terrace with cannon embrasures. The main entrance was protected by a weighbridge positioned under the crenellations at the guard posts. The central courtyard is surrounded by blockhouses surmounted with vaults that could hold up to 500 men. Originally, a secure passage was provided to Fort Charles-Albert by a long low building that is no longer standing today.

Entirely renovated, today Fort Marie-Christine offers visitors a number of features in addition to its historical interest and importance as a national monument. Housing a gîte and a restaurant, it is a fascinating place to stay and enjoy a meal. Also an activity centre, in 1987 it was made the fifth entrance to Vanoise National Park and offers climbing enthusiasts a range of well-established ascents for both novices and the more experienced.

Protected in the north by the Arc Abyss, to the west of the Saint-Anne Nant ravine, Marie-Thérèse redoubt is the only structure in the Esseillon defence system built on the left bank of the Arc Valley. Constructed from 1819 to 1825, this redoubt in the town of Avrieux was intended to block the Route Royale through Mont-Cenis Pass.

Within reach of the cannons at Fort Victor-Emmanuel, from the other side of the abyss, the structure resembles an irregularly-shaped horse shoe, the western end extended to house the entranceway and the weighbridge facing France. Designed to hold a garrison of two hundred men, the Marie-Thérèse redoubt was organised over two levels of vaulted blockhouses placed around a modest central courtyard. On the upper level, visitors can see triple embrasures, which can accept one cannon and two rifles. A shooting gallery buried in the counterscarp of the ditch thus guaranteed an efficient close defence system. Goods were initially supplied using a system of cables erected across the Arc Ravine and connecting the structure to Fort Victor-Emmanuel. Then in 1850, a narrow suspension bridge over the abyss broke the redoubt’s isolated position by connecting it to the structures located on the opposite side of the Arc Gorges: a covered walkway stretched the length of the bridge, which was defended by a guardroom.

The same year, a swing bridge controlled by a small fort set 50 metres back from the redoubt was erected to protect the access to the fort.

In June 1940, the redoubt was occupied by the 281st infantry regiment, then, after the armistice, by the Italian and German troops until September 1944. Currently under renovation, a part of the structure is today open to visitors. Suspended 100 metres over the void, the bravest visitors can enjoy an unspoilt view over the Arc Gorges from the ‘devil’s bridge’. This gangway destroyed in 1940 was reconstructed in 1989 as part of the project to open the Esseillon site as a cultural and sports site and is today one of the starting points of the via ferrata climbing trail.
Completed in 1827, this building, just like Fort Marie-Christine (wife of Charles-Félix) formed a small unit designed to block the path of troops along the road connecting Aussois and Modane. Stood on the western cliff, it was accessed from the east via an earth ramp leading to an immense door made from hewn stones facing Fort Victor-Emmanuel.

To the rear of the building, a cemetery, known as the Sardinian Cemetery, was used to bury the dead from across the Esseillon site.

When Savoy was annexed to France in 1860, the agreements signed by Napoleon III and Cavour, the prime minister of the nascent state of Italy, stipulated that the fortified complex at Esseilon must be completely destroyed. However, Fort Charles-Félix was the only structure wrecked on the emperor’s order, after three days of shellfire. Visitors are strongly dissuaded from entering the structure today due to the high risks of collapsing walls. Between Fort Marie-Christine and Fort Victor-Emmanuel, the fort ruins make a breathtaking site from the main road, revealing the former dungeon surrounded by a star-shaped wall.

In 1832, the construction of a last fort was started. This was due to the fact that the defence system made up of the existing four structures contained a breach north of the village of Aussois. Linked by a trench to Fort Marie-Christine standing at the same altitude, Fort Charles-Albert was therefore intended to complete the entire complex by blocking access to the north of the site of Esseillon. The structure was never completed and the construction terminated in 1834. Today, only the ruins of two small garrison buildings and the base of one tower can be seen overlooking the valley in Aussois.

Esseillon Fort

Aussois Tourist Information Centre, Maison d’Aussois, 73500, Aussoi

Tel: +33 (0)4 79 20 30 80

Fax: 04.79.20.40.23

Email: info@aussois.com 

Tours

Visitors can take guided tours around the buildings open to the public. The new vocation of Esseillon’s defence system is also enhanced by numerous tourist trails with a variety of themes. Nature trails are a great way to explore the wealth of flora and fauna in the region, offering routes to be explored by foot or snowshoe via a network of footpaths, climbing trails for the more athletic or restoration projects at the structures in high season for a more laborious activity. There are a variety of ways to discover the forts in Esseillon and the area surrounding this unique fortified complex in France.

Getting there

From Chambéry (107 km), Grenoble (145 km), Lyon (220 km), Geneva (200 km), or Turin (110 km), via the alpine A43 or A41 motorways (exit at Modane). From Modane (7 km), international train station, by the D215.

Site of Maison d’Aussois

After the defeat by Germany in the war of 1870, France will loose Alsace and a part of Lorraine. Furthermore it is condemned to pay a war indemnity of five billion gold-francs and hasn't got the right to defend on the Eastern borders anymore. The technological progress achieved by the artillery since 1858 (loading with cylinder heads and the use of striped canons) considerably increased its range and precision: the existing fortifications, including those of Paris, are now completely obsolete.

The government of Adolphe Thiers react vigorously to this situation and charges General Raymond Séré de Rivière to draw up a report on the defence of France. The new Parisian defence plan includes the construction of a defence enclosure of 43 works, which measure six to seven kilometres of distance from the original enclosure of 1841.

The envisaged budget equals to 400 million gold pieces and will exceeded of 33 million!

Since in 1870 the Prussians used the Parisis Hillock as observatory and artillery position, the fort of Cormeilles is considered as a priority. Its mission is, on one hand, to block the peninsula of Argenteuil, market gardening zone, essential for a new eventual siege of Paris. On the other hand the fort of Cormeilles is used to protect the road, as well as the railway access to the Montmorency valley towards Pontoise and Rouen in crossing the shootings with the fort Monlignon.

It was built between 1874 and 1878, for a total cost of 3,3 million gold. This price includes the purchase of the grounds and the construction work of a public company, controlled by the civil engineering.

The fort has the shape of an irregular trapezoid, whose 1,2 kilometres long ditch consists of three clay kaponiers. This fort of first generation (central massive building and high levelled battery), possesses two fronts turned towards the attacker and two flanks turned towards Paris, in order to save in terms of earthworks and to ease an eventual re-conquering of the fort. Originally a grid, followed of a clay pit by two fusillade crenels, protected the entrance of the fort. Nowadays this pit is filled. A gantry makes the crossing of the obstacle possible, by being retracted on the left with the use of a winch.

A central massive building, protecting the officer's building, includes 7 cellars for canons and sheltering mortars intended to beat the slopes of the Hillock. Here the artillery peak wasn't possible to see. The garrison of the ford included 36 officers, more than a thousand men and 24 artillery horses. This fort being one of the first built among the defence enclosure of the Séré de Rivère program, serves as testimony and its plans are diffused among the engineers as an example.

From 1855 it is however out of date because of the shell-torpedo crises. The engineers modify many of the Séré de Rivière forts. The fort of Cormeilles will not profit from any modernization program.

During the first world conflict it is used as deposit and also as anti-aircraft battery against the zeppelins that came to bombard Paris.

During the short campaign of 1940, the artillery pieces of the fort open fire and shoot down several enemy planes. The Germans occupy the building and use it as ammunition deposit for the Kriegesmarine. From now on they shelter anti-aircraft batteries of 20 mm Flack instead of the old 75 mm guns.

Released by the FFI of the region the fort is then used as a prison to lock up the war prisoners, the collaborationists and the traffickers of the black market. The last officer leaves this place in 1955 and the prison will be closed in 1956. In 1967 the fort is assigned to the 23rd infantry regiment of the Navy and accommodates an initiation centre of the commando which will function permanently, in particular also for many reserve units, until the dissolution of this regiment, at the beginning of the 80's. Given up from the Ministry of defence to the Ile-de-France region, the fort is today managed by the association "Friends of the Cormeilles fort" (l'association des amis du fort de Cormeilles), which is at present looking for objects and documents relating to the work, in order to enrich the collection and build a military museum at the heart of the fort.

Le fort de Cormeilles

Contact  : Les amis du fort de Cormeilles

1, Route stratégique 95240 Cormeilles-en-Parisis

Tél. 06.80.92.48.57

E-mail : jean-pierre.mazier@wanadoo.fr

Visits The association Friends of the Cormeilles fort organizes each first Sunday

at 3 p.m. of the month guided tours of the fort. Access to Cormeilles-en-parisis

By car : 40 km from Paris. Take the A 115 in direction to Cergy-Ponyoise via Franconville

(exit n°2 Ermont-Cernay, Franconville, Sannois).

By train (RER) : SNCF railway station of Cormeilles

is connected during the rush hours by a shuttle service to the RER (A) station of
Sartrouville and to the RER (C) station of Montigny-Beauchamps during the whole day.

By train : 15 min from the Saint-Lazare station, direction Pontoise or Mantes-la-Jolie. 

Fort de Cormeilles

To all the armies... When the fate of a country depends on a battle, it is important to remember to never look back; all the efforts have to be used to attack and force back the enemy. A troop that can't move forward anymore must stay put and defend his position at all costs, even if this means dieing for it, rather then moving back. At the present circumstances failure can't be tolerated. Joffre's general order of September 6th 1914

In early September 1914, neither army has achieved the objectives organised for the war that started a month earlier. The Germans hadn't seized Paris, nor surrounded and annihilated the French army. The French on their side, under Joffre's command, didn't manage to push back the enemy. The battle of borders was lost and since August 24th, the hungry, thirsty and exhausted soldiers continued to move back, pursued by the Germans. It is to these men that Joffre ordered on September 6th 1914, the most extraordinary volte-face of our military history: "to get killed on the spot, rather than move back". From September 5th to September 12th, on a front of 3000Km, from Senlis to Verdun, two million men fought against each other. The Germans had been pushed back and then pursued. These fights, which Joffre named "La Marne" proved to be a real success. During this battle, Mondement constituted a strategic location, in the device used by the commander-in-chief Joffre, facing the German invasion threatening Paris. Since, the castle dominating the "Marais de Saint-Gond", blocked the way southwards, towards the capital. During the evening of September 9th 1914, the soldiers of the 77th Infantry Regiment of Cholet and the Zouave of the Moroccan Division, in seizing the Castle of Mondement, stopped the German progression.
Thus it is in Mondement, situated in the north east of Sézanne in the Marne, that the national Memorial of the Marne Victory was established in order to commemorate the so-called Battle of Marne of September 1914. Decided by the Parliament, the Monument, whose construction was entrusted to Paul Bigot was set up. The work started in 1931 and carried on until 1938. The official inauguration, which was organised on September 1939 and which couldn't take place, because of the war declaration, took only place in September 1951. The monument is made up of a monolith, a sort of gigantic stone, measuring 35,5 m height, supported by an internal metallic reinforcement. Its concrete has a pink colour, due to its aggregates coming from Moselle. Its foundations are embedded 22m in the ground. At the food of this monolith the effigies of the different Generals, who commanded an army during the 1st Marne Battle, are sculptured. From left to right it is possible to recognize Sarrail, de Langle de Carry, Foch, Joffre, the soldier of the Marne, Franchet d'Esperey, French, Maunoury, Galliéni. Above this sculpture two texts are engraved; the first celebrates the heroism of the fighters. The second the generals order of September 6th 1914 signed by Joffre.
The first Sunday of September, the commemorative ceremony of the 1st Marne victory, with the participation of foreign delegation, the presence of defence attaché representing the belligerent countries and veterans, remembers the European dimension of the confrontation. The inhabitants of Mondement each year take part of this commemoration. On September 5th 2004, year of the 90th anniversary of the first Marne battle, the ceremony, will be of an exceptional nature.
The museum : Created in 1996 by the "Mondement association 1914", the History Museum of Mondement is set up in the former school of the village. It is devoted to the first Marne battle. This is not a military museum, but more a historical museum, which reminds the combats; and shows various objects and documents, generally donated by the descendents of the soldiers, who once fought heroically in this location. The guided tours of the site and the History Museum of Mondement are organized in groups and by reservation during the entire year. For further information contact the tourist office of Sézanne and its region on the 03.26.80.51.43. Fax : 03.26.80.54.13. The individual visits take place every Sunday from June to September, from 3:00p.m to 6:00p.m.
Contacts : Mr. Claude DOMENICHINI President of the Mondement association 1914 6, chemin des Carrouges 51120 GAYE Phone/Fax : 03.26.81.84.38 e-mail ::Mondement1914@voila.fr

In the middle of the 1980's the General Council of Somme began thinking of a project, which would lead, thanks to European, national, regional (Picardie) and departmental funds, to the creation of an international museum of the Great War (and not only dedicated to the battle of Somme). It was decided that it would be constructed in Péronne, which once was the frontline eastwards of the department. It is an amazing white building, closely related to the medieval site of Peronne (designed by the architecture Ciriani); here the very famous "meeting" between Louis XI, king of France and Charles Téméraire, duke of Bourgogne, took place in 1468.

When it opened on August 1st 1992, the Historial of the Great War uncovered a unique collection of original objects of the every day life of that time. The weapons and military gear, ordered chronologically, are displayed in the centre of the rooms, while in the glass cases along the walls, objects of the civil life and of the families (these objects evoke the cultural, artistic, educative, economic or financial aspects of society at that time) are displayed. These objects come from the three different belligerent empires and this makes the Historial, a museum of international scale.

Quite as contemporary as the architecture, the imagination of the museum stimulates the comprehension and emotions of the war: the uniforms, for example are laid out horizontally in "pits". Thus, without having recourse to the dangerous spirit of reconstitution, this proximity to the object also becomes a proximity to the event.
Like St Quentin, this city also faced German occupation from August 28th 1914. The battle of Marne and of Somme lead to the coming and going of the occupying forces. Bombarded in 1916 and 1918, the city is no more then a ruin, which was released on September 1918 by the Australian 2nd division. The Flag of this division streams in the town hall and the Australian Memorial of Mont St Quentin on the major road 17, seams to protect the hill. The ancient village constituted a strategic observation point. It was also very difficult to reach, because of the trenches and barbed wire network. A moving memorial paying tribute to the victims of the town is situated at the end of the rampart road: it portrays a woman kneeling over a body of a dying resistance fighter (a poilu), holding up her fist evocating anger and rage. This piece is the work of Paul Auban.
 

In brief... The Historial of the Great War in Péronne is a trilingual museum of international renown, housed in a modern building, which is an extension of the medieval chateau. Its purpose is to enlighten visitors on the historical, sociological and ethnological aspects of the First World War. It illustrates everyday life during the war through the experiences of those who lived through it and brings an interactive dimension to the conflict. 56 films from the period are shown along with the collections of objects, works of art, documents, letters and postcards. Uniforms of the various servicemen are displayed amongst weaponry and personal objects, as well as a collection of 50 etchings by the great German expressionist painter, Otto Dix. Documentation centre, educational department, international research centre, shop and cafeteria. "Tourism for the disabled" approved.

Open every day from 10 am to 6 pm (except Mondays between the 1st of November and the 31st of March).

Closed from mid-December until mid-January.

Historial of the Great War

Château de Péronne BP 63 - 80201 Péronne cedex

Phonenumber : 03 22 83 14 18 - Fax : 03 22 83 54 18

E-mail : doc@historial.org

By reservation it is possible to take guided tours of the Historial and the main sites of the Somme battle.

Open every day (except from Monday), from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Closed every year from mid-December to mid-January.

The Documentation Centre provides more then 2,300 works and 70 hours of visual material; the international Research Centre aims to promote university research on the First World War.

The Historial also has at its disposal an important Educational Outreach Department composed of a multidisciplinary team of educators.

The Bookstore presents and sells the principal publications of the Great War.

Comité du tourisme de la Somme

Site de L'historial de Péronne

La Somme 14-18

Somme remembrance association

November 11th 1918 at 5:15 a.m. the German plenipotentiaries accepted the armistice conditions of Marshal Foch. Some hours later at 11:00 a.m., the ceasefire announced the end of four years of horrible war. Fit out, in 1922 by the architect Mages in collaboration with M. Binet Valmer, president of the league of the Veterans, the Armistice Glade will become a symbol of victory and peace. Decorated by a monument for the inhabitants of Alsace and Lorraine ( piece of Edgar Brandt), it is pierced by an alley measuring 250 meters, leading to a sort of roundabout of 100 meters of diameter. It commemorates the end of the war, under the constant glance of Marshal Foch's statue.

Used for the signature of the armistice in 1918, the carriage n° 2419D was fit out in an office for Marshal Foch, by the Company "Wagons-Lits". Installed in 1927 on the glade, this symbolic wagon will be used by Hitler for the armistice of 1940 before being confiscated and burned in Germany in April 1945. Today the museum exhibits another carriage of the same series of 1913.
(...) When Marshal Foch had to determine the place, where he would call together the congressmen in charge for the armistice demand, he had many solutions. Would it be a more or less important locality? Would it be better to chose a place in the rear or a recently released region? Wasn't the Headquarter of the Commander-in-chief meant to be the place, where those who implored the suspension of hostilities had to be meet? (...) he will chose the forest of Compiègne, near the train station of Rethondes. Many times, during the war he established his Headquarter in his train. The congressmen will visit him at his headquarter. The loneliness of that place will ensure the tranquillity, the silence, the isolation and the respect of the adversary (...) Maxime Waygand, November 11th, 1932.
November 12th 1918, Marshal Foch addresses to his armies the following message: "Officers, Warrant Officers and Soldiers of the allied armies; after having resolutely stopped the enemy, during several month, you have attacked him without rest and tireless faith and energy. You just won the biggest battle of history and saved the a holy cause : the world's freedom. Be proud of an immortally glory, you have defended your national flags and the posterity will be forever thankful."
The Glade of the Armistice - 60200 Compiègne Phone number / Fax : 03 44 85 14 18 Opening : Opening From April to August 10h 18h last admission 5:30 p.m. daily September to March last admission 5:30 p.m. 10h 17h closed on Tuesday except school holidays price Adult : 5 euros Child rates 7-13 years : 3 euros

Despite the many restoration projects, the former Château of the Counts Deux-Ponts was in ruins when Louis XIV took Bitche in 1680. Aware of the strategic importance of the rocky crag overlooking the city and the region, Louis XIV decided to have a first citadel built, entrusting the work to Vauban, who completed it in 1683.

The citadel was razed by French troops in 1697, when the Treaty of Ryswick handed Lorraine over to Leopold I, Duke of Lorraine. Louis XV took possession of Lorraine on 21 March 1737 and ordered the reconstruction of the citadel using plans by the engineer Cormontaigne based on Vauban’s construction. The end of the work was marked by the installation of a marble plaque above the main entrance that we can still see today: “Louis XV, Roy de France, auguste, victorieux et pacifique, en réédifiant cette forteresse de fond en comble, a voulu qu'elle fermât les Vosges et la Lorraine à ses ennemis, qu'elle défendit la frontière de l'Alsace et qu'au pied de ses murs les camps des armées françaises trouvassent une puissante protection. Année 1754” (Louis XV, King of France, august, victorious and pacific, by fully rebuilding this fortress, desired that it should close off the Vosges and Lorraine from their enemies, that is should defend the Alsace border and that at the foot of its walls the French army camps might find powerful protection. Year 1754). From 1846 to 1852, the citadel was reinforced with the construction of a fortified perimeter wall, defended to the north by Fort St Sébastien.


During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, German troops laid siege to Bitche and carried out deadly bombardments targeting first the citadel, and then the city. The Bitche garrison resisted gloriously for six long months before opening the doors of the fortress on 27 March 1871, not before receiving Battle Honours. Now German, the citadel was once again refurbished to house a garrison: the perimeter walls were destroyed, the chapel was used to house troops and two barracks were built. When Alsace and Lorraine were returned to France, the city received the Legion of Honour from the hands of President Poincaré in testimonial to the suffering endured during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.
During the Second World War, Bitche was the theatre of fighting starting in the winter of 1944, during which the population took refuge in the underground galleries of the citadel. Liberated by American troops, the city received the War Cross in 1949, and was commended in the Army Order.


The citadel still bears the scars of its close ties to the history of France. Some buildings of the bastioned central plateau central have miraculously escaped the many bombardments that have tried to conquer the legendarily invulnerable fortress. The chapel can still be admired – it is only vestige of the château built under Vauban – as well as the former bakery and the arsenal. Visitors to the site can notably admire the two bastions placed at the ends of the citadel, protecting the long south curtain wall, the “Grosse Tête” and “Petite Tête” walls, which defend the short curtain walls, and the wealth of the fortress’s underground network built by Louis XV’s engineers. A first museum is located on two levels in the chapel and presents a collection of weapons as well as a relief map of the citadel in the 18th century. In the former bakery, the second permanent exhibition houses a museographical area dedicated to Bitche during the Second Empire.

Visitors to the citadel can enjoy a unique feature: infrared transmitters placed along the itinerary provide commentaries in several languages through audio headphones, while olfactory effects give visitors a realistic perception of life at the citadel over the centuries.


Citadel of Bitche
Tel.: +33 (0)3 87 96 18 82
Fax: +33 (0)3 87 06 11 78

Opens the last Saturday of the month of March and closes the first Sunday of November. Every day from 10 am to 5 pm. Sundays, bank holidays and the months of July and August: 10 am – 6 pm.

Visits take 2 hours. Group visits by appointment

Access: From Strasbourg (65 km): Take the A4 motorway in the Strasbourg-Paris direction, and take the Haguenau Nord exit. Before reaching Haguenau, take the Sarreguemines exit and continue on toward Bitche. From Metz (110 km): Take the A4 motorway in the Paris-Strasbourg direction, take the Sarreguemines exit and continue on toward Bitche.

http://www.siegebitche.com

Website of the Pays de Bitche Tourism Office

Quizz : Forts and citadels