The Fighting - this is a brief summary of the account in our book Western Front - South
There were battles around the River Aisne virtually throughout the war.
On 13 September 1914 the BEF, moving north from the River Marne, crossed the River Aisne in pursuit of the Germans and for two weeks both sides fought tenaciously on and around the Chemin des Dames ridge. By the end of the month stalemate had been reached and trench warfare had begun. Had the BEF been just two hours earlier at the River Aisne the outcome could have been quite different. British casualties have been estimated at some 12,000.
Later in the war, in both 1917 and 1918 the Aisne once more figured prominently in the fighting in connection with the Chemin des Dames. As a result of the 1917 failures General Nivelle was replaced and the French Army was undermined by a series of mutinies. In 1918 the extraordinary success of the Kaiser's offensive took the Germans back across the river.
CLICK on the cover picture to the right to see details of the book. |
