Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Route Nationale 2 The Route nationale 2 (N 2) is a route nationale in northern France. Route Paris-Soissons-Laon- La Capelle-''Belgium (N 6)'' History The N 2 was initially defined in 1811 as ''route impériale'' 2, running from Paris all the way to Amsterdam via ...

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

Corbeny Corbeny (; in the Middle Ages: Corbunei) is a Communes of France, commune in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The river Ailette (river), Ailette flows south through the northwestern pa ...

Aisne Aisne ( , ; ; pcd, Ainne) is a French department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. It is named after the river Aisne. In 2019, it had a population of 531,345.Ailette. It acquired the name in the 18th century, as it was the route taken by the two daughters of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

, Adélaïde and Victoire, who were known as ''Ladies of France''. At the time, it was scarcely a carriage road, but it was the most direct route between

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and the , near Vauclair, on the far side of the Ailette. The château belonged to Françoise de Châlus, former mistress of Louis XV, Countess of Narbonne-Lara and former lady of honour to Adélaïde, whom the two ladies visited frequently. To make the way easier, the count had the road surfaced, and it gained its new name. The ridge's strategic importance first became evident in 1814 when

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

's young recruits beat an army of Prussians and Russians at the

Battle of Craonne The Battle of Craonne (7 March 1814) was a battle between an Imperial French army under Emperor Napoleon I opposing a combined army of Imperial Russians and Prussians led by Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. The War o ...

.

World War I

Localisation EPCI du chemin des Dames dans l'Aisne, France

Three battles were fought along the Chemin des Dames east-to-west ridge located to the north of Paris during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. All are named after the river which flows on the south side of the ridge. Their names are as follows: *

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne (french: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated aft ...

(1914) – Anglo-French counter-offensive following the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

. *

Second Battle of the Aisne The Second Battle of the Aisne (french: Bataille du Chemin des Dames or french: Seconde bataille de l'Aisne, 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the Germa ...

(1917) – main component of the

Nivelle Offensive The Nivelle offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917) was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front in the First World War which was named after General Robert Nivelle, the commander-in-chief of the French metropolitan armies, who led the offens ...

. *

Third Battle of the Aisne The Third Battle of the Aisne (french: 3e Bataille de l'Aisne) was a battle of the German spring offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Forces arrived completely in ...

(1918) – third phase (

Operation Blücher Operation Blücher refers to several German army operations named after Prussian Field Marshal Blücher: * Operation Blücher, a World War I alternative plan to Heilger Michael. It called for an attack on Allied forces near the Aisne River, sche ...

) of the German spring offensive. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the Chemin Des Dames lay in that sector of the Western Front held by the French Army. Its strategic importance made it the staging ground of several major battles that took place between 1914 and 1918. The German army took a defensive stand on the ridge in September 1914, stopping the advancing Allied armies after the Battle of the Marne. After intensive combat, Germans took control of the plateau in November 1914. The

front line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...

then remained static until March 1917, during which time several thousand soldiers died in local attacks or

coup de main A ''coup de main'' (; plural: ''coups de main'', French for blow with the hand) is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow. Definition The United States Department of Defense defines it as ...

operations. On 25 January 1915 German forces captured the Creute farm (today ''La Caverne du Dragon'' or the Dragon's Lair), the last remaining French position on the plateau. The best-known battle, called the

Second Battle of the Aisne The Second Battle of the Aisne (french: Bataille du Chemin des Dames or french: Seconde bataille de l'Aisne, 16 April – mid-May 1917) was the main part of the Nivelle Offensive, a Franco-British attempt to inflict a decisive defeat on the Germa ...

, took place between 16 April and 25 April 1917. To soften up the German defences, General

Robert Nivelle Robert Georges Nivelle (15 October 1856 – 22 March 1924) was a French artillery general officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion and the First World War. In May 1916, he succeeded Philippe Pétain as commander of the French Second Army in the ...

, an artilleryman by training and experience, inflicted a six-day artillery preparation involving 5,300 guns. This, of course, provided ample warning that a major French attack was coming. Then, on 16 April, seven French army corps attacked the German line along the Chemin des Dames ridge. But, Nivelle had underestimated the enemy's defensive preparations: The Germans had created a network of deep shelters in old underground stone quarries below the ridge, where their troops took shelter from the French barrage. The German positions also dominated the southerly slope over which the French attackers were progressing. On the first day, French infantry and some colonial Senegalese troops progressed to the top of the ridge in spite of intense German artillery counterfire and poor weather conditions. However, as French infantry reached the plateau, the advance was slowed and then stopped by the intense fire of a very high number of the Germans' new

MG08/15 The ''Maschinengewehr'' 08, or MG 08, was the German Army's standard machine gun in World War I and is an adaptation of Hiram S. Maxim's original 1884 Maxim gun. It was produced in a number of variants during the war. The MG 08 served during W ...

machine guns. As a result, the French took 40,000 casualties on the first day alone. Furthermore, during the following 12 days of the battle, French losses continued to rise to 120,000 casualties (dead, wounded, and missing). The final count, when the offensive was over, was 271,000 French casualties and 163,000 Germans casualties. The German defenders suffered much less, but lost some 20,000 prisoners, 40 cannons, and 200 machine guns. The high French casualty count, in so few days and with such minimal gains, was perceived at headquarters and by the French public as a disaster. Furthermore, the agonizingly slow evacuation of the French wounded also demonstrated a lack of logistical preparations. Nivelle had to resign, and the French Army became plagued by many refusals to march amounting to mutinies in several infantry divisions. This situation developed into a threat of complete disintegration. General

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of World ...

, who had opposed this offensive, was called in to take over from Nivelle and to re-establish order. This he did without harsh collective punishments. A total of 629 men were sentenced to death, but only 28 men, who had fired weapons at their superiors, were executed. Conversely, Pétain instituted positive changes, such as longer home leaves and better food and medical/surgical assistance for the troops. Eventually normality came back in the fall of 1917. The British army took over the defences at the western end of the ridge during the following twelve months, thus bringing relief. During the summer of 1917, the Battle of the Observatories was a series of local attacks and counterattacks to gain control of high positions commanding the views between

Craonne Craonne () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History It was the site of the Napoleonic Battle of Craonne in 1814. The former town was totally destroyed by artillery during the Nivelle Offensive in Worl ...

and

Laffaux Laffaux () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne. The commune ...

. In October, after the Allied victory at the

Battle of La Malmaison The Battle of La Malmaison () from 23 to 27 October, was the final French action of the 1917 campaign in the First World War, which had begun with the Nivelle Offensive. The French captured the village and fort of La Malmaison and took control ...

, the German forces left the Chemin des Dames and moved to the north of the Ailette River valley. The

Third Battle of the Aisne The Third Battle of the Aisne (french: 3e Bataille de l'Aisne) was a battle of the German spring offensive during World War I that focused on capturing the Chemin des Dames Ridge before the American Expeditionary Forces arrived completely in ...

came as a complete surprise to the Allies, including British troops who had been sent there to rest in a quiet sector. A German breakthrough was aided by orders of a French general to mass troops in the front line – a tactic by this date discredited. The penetration broke into open country and fighting went on from 27 May to 6 June 1918, but ran out of energy owing to lack of a strategic objective and lengthening supply lines. During the

Second Battle of the Marne The Second Battle of the Marne (french: Seconde Bataille de la Marne) (15 July – 18 July 1918) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during the World War I, First World War. The attack failed wh ...

, the last fight on the Chemin des Dames occurred between 2 August and 10 October 1918.

Today

There are numerous war memorials and cemeteries, German, French and British, all along the chemin. Beneath the ridge is an almost square kilometre (250 acre)cave network called "The Dragon's Lair" (''La Caverne du Dragon''). The caverns originally were a tunnel system created from excavations of limestone for building purposes in the 17th century. The caves are some below the surface. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the caves were used by both French and German forces as

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

s and command posts, sometimes simultaneously. The artillery bombardment of the area actually cracked some of the overlying cliffs, which can be seen today. A noteworthy visitors' centre that offers guided tours is now located at the site. In January 2020, the father-son team of Alain and Pierre Malinowski discovered the entrance to the long buried tunnel. The remains of over 270 German soldiers have been recovered to date. The route was used during Stage 6 of the

2014 Tour de France The 2014 Tour de France was the 101st edition of the race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race included 21 stages, starting in Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, on 5 July and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 27 July. The race al ...

as part of the race's tribute to the men killed in the 1914–18 War.

Cemeteries

Approximately half of those who are buried at Chemin des Dames cemeteries could not be identified, and were interred in ossuaries or into collective graves. Note: The following list of national cemeteries does not include the names of municipal cemeteries in France holding burials of soldiers lost in the battles.

French national cemeteries

* Soupir (I & II) *

Berry-au-Bac Berry-au-Bac () is a commune in the department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also * Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne. The ...

* Braine *

Cerny-en-Laonnois Cerny-en-Laonnois is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The lac de l'Ailette forms all of the commune's northern border. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The followin ...

*

Craonnelle Craonnelle is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 Communes of France, communes in the French Departments of F ...

*

Crouy Crouy () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also * Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 Communes of France, communes in the French Departments of Fran ...

* Oeuilly *

Pontavert Pontavert () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department *List of medieval bridges in France The list of medieval bridges in France comprises all b ...

*

Vailly-sur-Aisne Vailly-sur-Aisne () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains a cemetery, Vailly British Cemetery, at Vailly-sur-Aisne. Population See also * Communes of the ...

* Vauxaillon *

Vauxbuin Vauxbuin () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne. The commu ...

German national cemeteries

*

Cerny-en-Laonnois Cerny-en-Laonnois is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The lac de l'Ailette forms all of the commune's northern border. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The followin ...

*

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

"Bousson" *

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

"Champ de Manoeuvre" * Montaigu (I & II) * Mons-en-Laonnois * Soupir *

Sissonne Sissonne () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is about 20 km east of Laon, close to the source of the river Souche. The community dates back to the 12th century with the first church built c.1107. ...

*

Veslud Veslud is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne. The communes ...

British national cemeteries

* Soupir *

Seraucourt-le-Grand Seraucourt-le-Grand () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Population See also * Communes of the Aisne department The following is a list of the 799 communes in the French department of Aisne ...

"Grand Seraucourt" * Montcornet *

Sissonne Sissonne () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is about 20 km east of Laon, close to the source of the river Souche. The community dates back to the 12th century with the first church built c.1107. ...

*

Vailly British Cemetery Vailly British Cemetery is a war cemetery at Vailly-sur-Aisne, France, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Most of the men interred at Vailly were killed in the Battle of the Aisne in September 1914. Theodore Wright (1883–1 ...

*

Vendresse-Beaulne Vendresse-Beaulne () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It was established in 1923, combining the commune of Beaulne-et-Chivy with the neighboring commune of Vendresse-et-Troyon. Population See also ...

*

La Ville-aux-Bois-les-Pontavert LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

Italian national cemetery

* Soupir

Other national cemetery sections

* Denmark: section in the French National Cemetery at Braine * United States: section of

Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial The Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial () is an United States of America, American military cemetery in northern France. Plots ''A'' through ''D'' contains the graves of 6,012 American soldiers who died while fighting in this vicinity duri ...

near

Fère-en-Tardenois Fère-en-Tardenois (, literally ''Fère in Tardenois'') is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is named for the Tardenois region. Population Personalities It was the birthplace of Camille Claudel (1864 ...

References

* * Rouquerol, J., 1934, "Le Chemin des Dames 1917", Editions Payot, Paris 1937.

External links

Panoramic views of The Dragon's Lair site, the visitors' centre, and the museum

Pictures of Chemin des Dames – Fort de Conde, Caverne du Dragon

Site covering Chemin des Dames in WW1 (in French)
{{authority control Western Front (World War I) Geography of Aisne Transport in Hauts-de-France Tourist attractions in Aisne