Marne - Chemin des Dames Cerdded y Llinell

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-As we travel along the Western Front

-the horrors of World War I continue.

-We drive south to an area where

-the French fought for their lives.

-We leave the British part of

-the line behind, at the Somme...

-..and travel towards

-the Champagne area...

-..following the Western Front of

-the Great War until we reach Marne.

-This part of the story

-is all about France.

-To understand the Marne,

-we return to the start of the War...

-..to August 1914.

-France, having lost Alsace

-and Lorraine to Germany...

-..in the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian

-War, was resentful and bitter.

-By the summer of 1914,

-Europe was a boiling cauldron.

-Many were thirsty for power

-and wanted to extend their empires.

-When Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke

-Franz Ferdinand dead in Sarajevo...

-..the powers of Europe

-quickly prepared for war.

-There was genuine enthusiasm

-for going to war.

-France were eager for revenge

-and mobilised a million men...

-..but Germany had unashamedly been

-preparing for war for a decade.

-Germany hoped to snatch an early

-victory at the start of the war...

-..before turning on Russia.

-This was the Schlieffen Plan.

-By the end of August 1914, German

-armies were sweeping towards Paris.

-Both the French armies and the BEF

-soldiers were in a sorry state...

-..but they pushed back to Marne

-after 12 days of constant attack.

-1914 saw one of the hottest summers

-for over 150 years.

-The French infantry uniforms were

-quite inappropriate for that heat.

-They wore red trousers, long coats,

-flannel shirts, broadcloth tunics...

-..and the terrible Brodequin boots.

-The French retreated carrying their

-Label rifles and 60-pound backpacks.

-"The Prussians are coming" was

-the cry that echoed through France.

-The French retreated over 100 miles

-in the first week.

-It was a military retreat

-of epic proportions.

-With the Germans nearing Paris, the

-French planned to evacuate the city.

-Paris had to be defended and General

-Joffre ordered a defensive line...

-..to be held south east of the city

-and south of the river Marne.

-The exhausted BEF

-came to support them.

-Britain and France, in international

-agreement, attacked the Germans.

-This took place on

-6th September 1914.

-The French army, led by

-General Manoury, had 150,000 men.

-They attacked Germany's 1st Army

-on the flanks.

-This opened a 50km gap between

-the 1st and 2nd German armies.

-The French threw everything they had

-at the enemy for three whole days.

-They believed in "l'offensive a

-l'outrance", an all-out offensive...

-..in order to conquer the enemy.

-But in September 1914,

-this was little more than suicide.

-Human flesh was no match for

-the machine guns and artillery.

-Manoury's brave 6th French Army

-came close to defeat.

-The French were losing men

-at an alarming rate.

-Reserves were badly needed as the

-Germans were about to break through.

-One amazing story of World War I

-is when 6,000 French troops...

-..raced to the front in the quickest

-way possible - a fleet of taxis!

-They were requisitioned,

-filled with water and petrol...

-..and assembled at the

-'Invalides' at Paris.

-With no definite orders, soldiers

-went to the front in the taxis.

-With the meter running,

-the French line was held!

-On the 8th September...

-..the French 5th Army launched

-an attack on the German 2nd Army.

-Germany's Chief of Staff,

-Von Moltke was now a broken man.

-He suffered knowing he'd sent

-thousands of Germany's finest men...

-..to their death.

-His conscience was bruised and hurt.

-The battle hung in balance and

-the Germans could well have won...

-..but he played safe,

-fearing a French breakthrough...

-..and ordered a German retreat.

-The Germans fell back to the river

-Aisne and started digging trenches.

-This was the beginning of trench

-warfare and a bloody stalemate.

-The French refer to this battle

-as 'The Miracle of the Marne'...

-..but this was a costly miracle.

-Time and time again on this journey,

-what really hits us...

-..is the unbelievable numbers and

-sheer scale of loss of young lives.

-The French suffered losses

-in excess of 250,000.

-The Germans suffered

-similar losses...

-..and the British

-only

-suffered 13,000 casualties.

-Our journey now takes us

-from Marne towards Reims.

-As we travel to that city,

-we stop at Chateau-Thierry...

-..in the Champagne area and we

-must leap forward in time to 1918.

-The Germans gambled everything they

-had in the last year of the war.

-Following the Russian Revolution

-of 1917, the Germans had more men...

-..and equipment to send

-to the Western Front.

-It is debatable whether the Germans

-had to take this risk in 1918...

-..but they were worried.

-Four years of war had taken

-its toll on their resources.

-Britain's naval blockade

-was damaging the German economy.

-The German people were tired

-of the war and were starving...

-..and the Kaiser faced a new enemy -

-America had joined the war.

-America, with its seemingly endless

-manpower and resources.

-Before the Americans deployed their

-full might on the Western Front...

-..Germany struck a mighty blow

-and broke through.

-In this final initiative,

-they swept across the Somme...

-..the river Aisne

-and once again threatened Paris.

-They appeared to have found the key

-that unlocked the Western Front.

-This is Chateau-Thierry, the high

-water mark of the German advance.

-The inexperienced Americans raced

-to battle, full of enthusiasm...

-..reminiscent of

-the British at the Somme.

-The Americans first fought at

-Chateau-Thierry on 3rd June 1918...

-..as they stopped the Germans

-crossing the Marne.

-Inspired by this comparative success

-they went on to take Belleau Wood...

-..a German strong point.

-But as we saw

-on the Somme at Mametz...

-..taking control of a defended wood

-is easier said than done.

-The American Marines attacked

-the Germans here at Belleau Wood...

-..on 6th July 1918.

-They were clumsy and naive, yet

-brave in their tactics of attack.

-Wave after wave fell into

-a wall of machine gun fire.

-It took them nearly 20 days

-to clear this wood...

-..but they lost 10,000 men

-including half of their officers.

-This action effectively brought

-an end to German advances in 1918.

-From here on,

-it was retreat all the way.

-The French have named the wood

-'Bois de la Brigade de Marine'...

-..in honour of the tenacious

-Americans who fought and died here.

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-As we leave Chateau-Thierry

-and the Belleau wood...

-..we reach a famous and

-historic city in France.

-This is Reims, or 'Rance'

-as pronounced correctly in French.

-It's famous for its cathedral.

-Many French Kings

-were crowned here...

-..including Charles VII in 1429.

-On that occasion, the legendary

-Joan of Arc was at his side.

-These days, its history

-and produce attract visitors.

-Today, it's a place to relax.

-Here we are.

-Champagne is serious business

-in this city.

-They say the best Champagne houses

-are situated in and around the city.

-Reims never fell into German hands

-but it was never far from danger...

-..due to its close proximity

-to the front line.

-Just like Ypres, the place was

-badly damaged by heavy shelling...

-..but it's been meticulously

-rebuilt.

-It's a lovely city and

-they've done a good job.

-It's wonderful, so let's drink

-a toast to its resurrection.

-It's wonderful, so let's drink

-a toast to its resurrection.

-

-Cheers!

-It's nearly as good as

-a pint of Buckleys in Llangennech.

-It's nearly as good as

-a pint of Buckleys in Llangennech.

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-Not quite!

-Joan of Arc saved France in her day

-but who was going to save Reims...

-..and France in 1917

-in the dark days of World War I?

-A few miles outside Reims

-is the Chemin des Dames.

-It's a 12-mile ridge that

-stretches from east to west.

-Louis X named this ridge the

-Chemin des Dames or The Ladies Way.

-He built the road so his daughters

-could visit their favourite teacher.

-It's an advantage of being a king.

-The area is very flat, on the whole,

-but to the north west of Reims...

-..the landscape changes

-into a large wooded ridge.

-This was another difficult area

-to control.

-This natural barrier split the

-Ailette valley in the north...

-..and the Aisne valley in the south.

-In 1917, the Germans

-held this ridge.

-The ridge, with its miles

-of underground caverns...

-..was the scene of one of the most

-tragic battles of World War I.

-By 1917, France was

-short of hope and heroes...

-..and along came this man -

-General Robert Nivelle.

-A charming, charismatic, persuasive

-man who spoke excellent English...

-..and to all accounts,

-a new leader.

-He offered France an answer to the

-stalemate on the Western Front...

-..no less than a breakthrough

-and victory.

-The plan was simple.

-A quick but overwhelming

-artillery attack...

-..coupled with well-prepared

-infantry attacks...

-..an all-out attack

-by 27 divisions.

-Many voiced their concerns

-so Nivelle offered to resign...

-..but France was tired

-and desperate for a victory.

-Too many promises had been made

-and to stop now was unthinkable.

-Just like the British

-on the Somme...

-..the French believed they would

-take part in

-the

-offensive...

-..that would end the War and drive

-the Germans out of France for good.

-Thousands gathered behind the lines

-of attack on the Chemin des Dames.

-Victory was at hand and Nivelle

-appeared drunk on hope and power.

-The key element of this

-offensive was secrecy...

-..but it was

-the worst-kept secret in France!

-Nivelle was less than discreet

-at social gatherings in Paris.

-He was portrayed as the man who'd

-save France and defeat the enemy.

-As you'd expect, he loved the role.

-One could say that he spoke

-too much about his own qualities.

-The Germans had contacts in Paris

-who learnt of the plans...

-..months before the attack

-was to take place.

-The Germans even found

-the exact battle plans...

-..on the body of a dead French

-officer just days before the attack.

-They moved swiftly to prepare.

-The Chemin des Dames is a warren

-of tunnels and underground caves...

-..that can protect thousands of

-soldiers from any bombardment.

-The Germans took advantage of this

-and the French faced a disaster.

-The attack on and around the Chemin

-des Dames began on 16th April 1917.

-The weather was dreadful and the

-French shivered in the icy rain...

-..as they waited for

-the signal to advance.

-Just like the Somme, when the

-French came out of the trenches...

-..they realised the 'overwhelming

-barrage' had been ineffective.

-The barbed wire was uncut.

-Germans rushed from their

-dugouts to man the defences.

-It was a terrible massacre.

-The French were slaughtered

-in their thousands.

-It was suicide.

-By nightfall on that dreadful day

-in April 1917...

-..the French had suffered

-over 90,000 casualties.

-Nivelle refused to accept failure

-and insisted the attacks continue.

-They still failed despite

-the heroic efforts of the soldiers.

-The fighting was just as barbaric

-in the deep underground caves...

-..and the miles of corridors

-of the Chemin des Dames...

-..where soldiers on both sides

-tunnelled to survive.

-This is the Dragon's Cave

-of the Chemin des Dames.

-How do you feel in such a place that

-evokes the early stages of mankind?

-Usually, people go to such places in

-search of fossils and odd wildlife.

-Here, man has found refuge in

-these caves for millions of years.

-But then men were driven here

-to wage war.

-The progressives would say

-that man evolved from these places.

-When you think of World War I...

-..you are struck by the numbers

-of soldiers from both sides...

-..who were driven back underground.

-It's just amazing.

-They even had a hospital

-and some 6,000 soldiers here.

-The machine gun was pointless here,

-so they made their own weapons.

-Their knuckle dusters had bullets

-in them to smash enemy faces.

-Some spades had edges like knives

-whilst others were like a saw.

-You'd think it was an era where

-weapons were carved from stone.

-I'm also amazed by human nature

-throughout the centuries.

-In the depths of barbarianism

-we find the desire to create.

-We try to create something whilst

-living in the worst of situations.

-It can be seen in the chapel which

-is similar to that built at Henllan.

-They wanted something better

-for themselves.

-I also think of the politicians

-who are meant to lead nations...

-..into a bright future.

-They are responsible for sending

-the soldiers to such places.

-This was hell, but another

-living hell awaited them.

-This was hell, but another

-living hell awaited them.

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-Yes, exactly.

-Early man evolved from this

-darkness into the light...

-..but the soldiers of 1914-18

-arose into an even worse hell.

-We've seen many memorable places but

-this is the most powerful of all.

-It's taken 15 minutes to see only

-a small percentage of the tunnels.

-It's incredible.

-We return to the eternal fact that

-man will do anything to win a war.

-We learn nothing.

-We learn nothing.

-

-No, not a lot, that's true.

-Nivelle was relieved of command

-on 25th April.

-After abandoning

-the disastrous attack...

-..the French had suffered

-200,000 casualties.

-By the end of

-this disastrous attack...

-..I'm not surprised that elements

-of the French army began to mutiny.

-They had fought fiercely...

-..to stop the Germans from

-claiming the holy French soil...

-..but the suicidal attacks

-had to stop - enough was enough.

-I'm surprised that

-this hadn't happened earlier.

-Those who had survived the fighting

-had seen enough at Verdun...

-..a year earlier.

-One could say that Verdun

-was possibly the saddest...

-..and bloodiest place in France.