Impression sketch of French soldier killed on battlefield - by Jamie. From an original image that can be seen at:
<http://wereldoorlog1418.nl/battleverdun/battleverdun33/morthomme03.jpg> [Accessed:
1 April 2016]
i
Two Forces
funnelled into Verdun
By actions of a
mincing machine -
Each side pushed
one for resistance,
Another for
success.
Renewed phase began
6 March - from
The left bank of
the Meuse, German
Reserve corps
edged from the right
To hit fort Vaux.
The left bank
targeted Dead Man Hill,
A valued French
artillery look out -
The plan to then
aim for Bois Bourrus,
And French
artillery.
From awareness of
preparing their
Plan, lines of French
defence formed
Four divisions -
the less experienced
67th division being hit.
With ease the German
force crossed
The Meuse, about
villages of Brabant
And Champneuville
- as aimed artillery
Failed the French.
Their shells sunk
harmlessly into swampy
Ground - with failing defences
by evening,
Found both Regneville
and Forges villages
In German hands.
Hope dipped on
day 7 March, as protected
Germans marched
about the failing French
Efforts - Dead
Man's Hill laid in their sights
To take.
A twist by
morning found over confident
Germans lacking consolidation,
before
More counter
attacks; Bois des Corbeaux
Was French again.
Beaten back into
defence, German assault
Against Dead Mans
Hill was stopped until
9 March - at
Bethincourt the enemy once
More halted.
Renewed forces
saw Germans fight -
Despite with their
huge losses regain
Bois Des Corbeaux
- four days back
And forth.
The grinding down
on men raised
Losses - 82,000 Germans
versus
89,000 French -
until the lines again
Settled down.
Hill 304 maintained
French artillery -
Advantages over
advance against
Dead Mans Hill -
there soldiers fall,
To turn on hill 304.
On the 20th day,
main German front
Moved west from villages
Malancourt
And Avoncourt -
to crush the French
29th division.
In disastrous defeat
started rumours;
French traitors
to give positions away -
3000 were taken prisoner; totals seen
To be utter disaster.
Under the
crushing stalemate of death,
The fight fell to
Bois Avoncourt - crossing
Every yard of
ground, as heavens poured
Torrents.
Under the deluge
earth turned to vile
Mud; where
gunnery sunk - wounded
Drowned in dirt, as
the living were
Sucked down.
Fatigue created desperation;
as thirst
Forced risks by
Dead Mans Hill, where
A soldier drank
between green slime
Of a pond.
Within the depths
a body floated, face
Down and bloated,
as if he had been
Swallowing those
waters for many
Days.
ii
From France came
a communiqué
Telling of a
quiet night East of Meuse,
While west of the
river saw a very
Different matter.
During nightime
hours the Germans
Made numbers of
attacks en masse;
Malancourt came
under their severe
Bombardment.
Three sides of
the village fell under
Siege - a
situation that had been held
By French advance
battalion numbers,
To last all night.
With French
controlling all the exits
To the village, the
troops evacuated
The ruins of
Malancourt - marking
Actions about
Verdun.
The fury of
fighting became divided into
Two distinct parts
- close to Malancourt
Was German gain
of Avoncout wood;
The date March 20.
In order to break
the French presence,
The Invaders
sprayed liquid fire - after
Hand to hand
confrontations, the French
Returned.
Days led to day
March 29; the enemy
Suffered with
their counter attacks,
From French
artillery in combination
With machine guns.
Their aim was the
Avoncourt redoubt -
What taken ground
was gained to be
Abandoned with
masses of their dead,
Before entrenched
French.
The German
presence again evolved
To Hill 304; in
determined tactics each
Side weary gave surrender, or remained
Insubordinate in
trenches.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1916. More
Fighting Near Verdun - Village Captured. The Daily Telegraph,
[online] 1 April 1916.
P.9. Col.1. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12206729/Daily-Telegraph-April-1-1916.html> [Accessed: 1 April 2016].
Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal
communication, 1 April 2016).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary
#worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Verdun
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