During their advance on the
Marne,
Germans are seen to have
fully
Entrenched themselves -
formidably,
Into solid ground - anchored
by
Concreted emplacements and
gun-pits,
Of formidable strength - as
explained
By a collective of French
Engineers.
Within these cemented bases
Are fierce 16-inch
howitzers.
Numbering possibly fifty,
Of the artillery, whose
range
Is longer than the Allies.
Similar to their experiences
In South Africa, with a
crippling
Lack of artillery power.
Yet all is balanced by the
courage,
Of battery crews fighting,
To the last man's determined
aim.
Attacks and counter attack,
Waged on for 6 days and 6
nights.
Blasting most heavy at
night,
Against the British who take
The brunt of this fighting.
While the casualty list
grows,
Each time the enemy come on,
They are forced back with
Grit of determined British
steel.
The town of Soissons
receives,
The full force of twenty
attacks,
And counter attacks - over
24 hours, -the Allies being
Cool headed, decide the
enemy
As lacking fighting spirit -
In taking five prisoners,
The Germans begged for mercy
-
Yet their force
collectively,
Are solidly more formidable.
The artillery of the enemy
Being credited with
efficiency.
Except their shells often
lack
Explosions, due to poor
fuses.
German range finding is
helped
By numbers of their
aeroplanes.
Flying over the lines bombs
fall
On Allies - within 20
minutes,
Is made a barrage of
accuracy.
Still in the clothes of
civilians,
Are hurriedly recruited
French
Postal Telegraph Engineers.
Their belief of fifty
howitzers
And siege guns are reasons,
For plugging up the line.
For the long days and
nights,
The English are given
praise,
By French of 'Le phlegme.'
A vital sticking power
before
The hammering of morale.
This stands against the
change
Of a weeks weather, where
The allied trenches stand
Waist deep in water -
A sign of things to come-
'Pitiless and incessant'
rain
Marked with chilling winds
Coming from N.E. and N.W.
How true is it believed,
That 'Tommy Atkins',
The every man soldier,
Thinks of it all as the 'Beano.'
All a party, to stick it out
-
Examples of officer pluck,
Is one of who, had slept,
Beneath shelter of a
haycock.
Thought himself very lucky,
As he gives considerations,
To German white elephants,
Of their siege guns being
Stuck heavily in the mud.
In opposing idea of Germans
Needing music bands to rouse
Their men to fight - the
British
Troops - need only the
shriek
Of shells and thunder of
guns,
In their plight - while
battle rage
Is for advantages of high
ground
Making the north bank of the
Aisne,
Will be more decisive than
the Marne
In spite of strengthened
positions,
The Germans are forced to
give
Up ground - against their
intention,
For a wedge forced between
allies,
In a blow for the fight for
Paris.
With the headquarters of the
enemy
Believed to be in Mons,
regiments
Are advancing through
Belgium,
As part of that plan - but
the men
Are weary, again the
statement
Of German pleasure of
capture.
Grit of the British and elan
of French
Will soon be added the
vigour of India,
And more of the overseas
Dominions.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1914.
Shelling Soissons - Artillery Duel. The Daily Telegraph,
[online] 22 Sept. p.6. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11109694/Daily-Telegraph-September-22-1914.html[Accessed: 22nd September 2014].
Mann, J., 2014. 100
years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 22
September 2014).
#WW1
#WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone
#worldwaroneremembered
Ruins of Saint Jean des Vignes Abbey, Soissons 2006
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