Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/80/1 - May - June 1917 - Part 2

8   11
Had dinner with the
English correspondents,
Warren Allin, Gerald
Campbell (Times)
Lawrence, Rennie &
another American.
They live in a comfortable
chateau. They were able
to see something of the 
fight in April here - (watched
one attack closely - but
as it did not succeed
could not report it). I 
think they are kept
fairly tightly from what
little L. said
After all - one cant forget
that the French had
borne the main burden of 
this war for 20 months
before we began to get
really into the Collar.
No one can accuse France
of not having done her
fair share.
 

8  12
May 25^th. We came
early to Soisson, H'qrs
of 6 Army under General
Marigin or Manjin,
who is blamed for the
recent shell failure of /
French offensive. His
subordinate, who travelled
with Bruce & stuck up for
him vigorously.
Soissons & the road 
to it is surprisingly 
little shelled. I cd scarcely
believe at on entering
Soissons that the Germans
up to 6 weeks ago had
been so close. The Cathedral
has a few shells in it,
deliberately put in by
a German battery whose
orders were found. But
the
 

13
[Hand drawn diagram- see original document]

8  14
On March 12 the French still
occupied the [trench] along
the Soisson.
The French held the xxxxx bridgehead in Soissons.
French were in Distillery
Germans in glass factory. The Germans
had a position beyond Coal heaps. 100 000 [[?]] intact when 
/ French retook / factory. The little
damage done is extraordinary 
Mar. 18. They found by Les Allemands sin vont
Fights at Cuffy    [[Labiontaique?]].
          Cavalry↑
Pont Rouge .       [[Nuissy?]]
Taken by a             Fight there
regiment                 too.
in a hard fight.
The Germans were at Conde.
They c. attd [[Nuissy?]] & surrounded
it.
By the end of March April
they had Laffaux & Fort of
Conde - v. strong
The arty crossed & had to
take up its new positn
 

15
They had here to work up
a set of valleys leading up
to the height along which ran
the Chemin des Dames.
[hand drawn diagram  - see original document]
A neck in this was the Haute
Bise - where Napoleon fought
when he ws fighting at Craonne in 1814
& where a monument is
put up to him. They got
on the summit but / Germans
had very heavy forces here
in [cover], & v. many guns -
& they xxxx put up a very
strong resistance. The French
have part of Craonne & are
along / top o / ridge - but
it took 9 days to do one
days work.

8  16
Then battle of Ap 17 16 began.
in a new part further right.
Germs Lost 60 guns in retiring
from Conde line.
Battle lasted 16^th 17^th & 18^th .
At Haute Bise - Napoleon
[hand drawn diagram - see original document]
Batt [[??]]  Eng - [shorthand] /
Houses French trench
S Nons Sapin
Les
16^th ent. Chasonne & Sapin
not / Les Grinons
[Hand drawn diagram-see original document.]
8 times attacked
18^th a regt got on to Vierge Croix
sans tete  & sent patrol
 

17
The troops who attacked
Les Grinons met with
very heavy m.g. fire.
The losses on these
slopes were heavy.

8 18
La Croix sans Tete.
At one time G were
thrown out of Grinons
[Hand drawn diagram-see original document]
↑ 18 Ap. Succeeded
Germans began to
attack retreat 17 or 18.
Patrols & inf. came on
the guns near Croix
sans Tete as they were
going. They let them harness
limber up & then
shot their horses The
[Hand drawn diagram- see original document]

8  19
We had not time to
go up the hill to see the
positions - the Germans
had strong dugouts, &
caves - hard to reduce.
These we didn't see. But
one could tell from the
shattered condition of
the hillside that the
French bombardment
had been heavy. The trunks
of the trees on Mt Sapin were
often lying at angles - 
[Hand drawn diagram-see original document] & the foliage
thin - but I
did not see
the heavy scars of
German retaliation
on the support area &
 

8  20
I doubt if the ^German artillery
barrage can have been
intense on the supports.
The villages up
the Aisne Valley are
all practically in
Nomansland & are 
knocked about moderately
- but not so much as
they wd be on our front;
while I am sure the
French must have deliberately
tried to save Soissons -
& they by not making it
too hot for the Germans
there - & they succeeded.
They had every right to.
No one can grumble ^or cavil at
what France has done.

Lyons ws, I think, the
Canadian Correspt.

8  21
But the tension on
the French front is not
what it is on the British
front. It has been a
story of quiet, very quiet,
trench life punctuated
with fierce battles.
We motored back
to Creil & came to
Paris by train. Bruce 
came to the Hotel Crillon
& there we sat in the
lounge while Lyons
worked upstairs.
A few mon about 10.30
whom shd I see coming
in - to the lift - but
John Masefield. I
brought him in to the
 

8  22
others.
Lyons is Editor of
the Toronto Globe. He is
a Liberal in Canada, & 
is anxious to encourage
corporate radicalism
there - trades unionism
& state enterprise up
to a point; not so far
as we go in Australia
but to the extent of
nationalising the
necessary monopolies.
He is a hard worker
& was within 300 yards
of the Canadian front line
when their troops went
over the top at Vimy.
He tells me the Canadians
 

8  23
are careless in consolidation
- will not use wire -
very much what is 
said of our own troops, with
what truth it is hard to
say; also, they are
apt to go too far; but
their formal saluting
discipline is stricter
than ours in back areas.
He is a Scotsman by 
birth, I shd say, but a
Canadian for most of
his life. He does not
“blow" like many Canadians
- he is very fair & just
& ^has a good grasp of military
matters.