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Personifications of Alsace and Lorraine in a German postcard. Lorraine looks to France, but Alsace to Germany, a point made by the poem.
Metal grave markers at the Laventie German Military Cemetery, Laventie, France. A plowed field and village is in the background. © 2013 by John M. Shea
Five British S.E. 5a biplanes in flight.
Headstone of Corporal P. Cotter of the Royal Irish Regiment, died September 3, 1916 at the age of 32, and buried in Delville Wood Cemetery, France. © 2013 John M. Shea
British postcard of a British pilot and observer with their mascot, a small dog, in their plane and ready for their flight over the German lines.
"The enemy assault will continue for some time, but our enemies must themselves see that they will not be able to attain their aim. Our troops are fighting splendidly and I attribute to their courage that such colossal superiority in strength does not crush us.The French fight brilliantly and are bleeding to death. They do not hesitate at any sacrifice. With the English, the individual man is very good and tenacious, but the leadership is deficient. Among the Americans I have found that the majority do not know what they are fighting for. I asked an American prisoner what they were fighting for and he answered, 'For Alsace.' Then to the question, 'Where is Alsace?' he replied, 'It's a big lake,'" ((1), more)
"South of Peronne, the armies of Debeney and Rawlinson crossed the Somme on September 5th. Mangin's French Army was now north of the Ailette River, its right wing moving eastward along the Chemin-des-Dames. The Franco-American troops had driven the foe from the Vesle River and occupied the heights between that river and the Aisne.In Flanders the British had recovered Neuve Chapelle and Fanquissart, while Lens had been evacuated but not yet occupied by Gen. Horne's army.The Germans were now in bad plight. Since their great offensive began in March, they had lost more than 1,500,000 men in dead, wounded, and captured. Their reserves were scanty and the morale of the troops was declining." ((2), more)
"The enemy also endeavors to sow dissension in our ranks by means of leaflets dropped from aëroplanes above our lines. Ten thousand of these are sometimes gathered up in a day. The enemy knows what strength resides in our State and Empire; hence he seeks by his leaflets and false rumors to arouse distrust among us. There have always been some traitors to the Fatherland, a few deliberately false, others unintentionally so. Most of these now reside in neutral countries, having deserted us to escape sharing in our battles and privations, and to escape being executed as traitors.Be on your guard, German soldiers." ((3), more)
"September 7th.—Surplus rejoined, bringing with them strong reinforcements of officers and men. They had been waiting close to Delville Wood. For one of them at least, the remains of Ale Alley, Beer and Stout Trenches, and the Sugar refinery at Ginchy held memories of the rough times our 1st Battalion had there in 1916." ((4), more)
"On the following day [the enemy] commenced to withdraw also from the east bank of the Somme, south of Péronne, and by the night of September 8 was holding the general line Vermand—Epehy—Havrincourt, and thence along the east bank of the Canal du Nord.The withdrawal was continued on the front of the French forces to our right.Throughout this hasty retreat our troops followed up the enemy closely. Many of his rearguards were cut off and taken prisoner; on numerous occasions our forward guns did great execution among his retiring columns, while our airmen took full advantage of the remarkable targets offered them. Great quantities of material and many guns fell into our hands." ((5), more)
(1) September 4, 1918 statement given to newspapers by German Crown Prince Frederick William who already knew from German commander Erich Ludendorff that the war was lost.
The Great Events of the Great War in Seven Volumes by Charles F. Horne, Vol. VI, 1918, p. 303, copyright © 1920 by The National Alumnia, publisher: The National Alumni, publication date: 1920
(2) Germany's five offensives of 1918 began on March 21 and continued through July 17. After that final, failed offensive and the Allied victory in the Second Battle of the Marne, the Allies took back nearly all the ground that German forces had captured. Although both sides suffered heavily, the allies had advantages in armaments including tanks and airplanes, and in the arrival of 250,000 American troops in France each month. On September 5, the Americans, who had been fighting under French and British command (as some would continue to do), were about to launch their first offensive as the new American First Army.
King's Complete History of the World War by W.C. King, page 455, copyright © 1922, by W.C. King, publisher: The History Associates, publication date: 1922
(3) Excerpt from address issued September 6, 1918 by Marshal Paul von Hindenburg. Clearly indicating their concern, authorities would pay for propaganda leaflets that were turned in.
The Great Events of the Great War in Seven Volumes by Charles F. Horne, Vol. VI, 1918, p. 278, copyright © 1920 by The National Alumnia, publisher: The National Alumni, publication date: 1920
(4) Beginning of the entry for September 7, 1918 from the writings — diaries, letters, and memoirs — of Captain J. C. Dunn, Medical Officer of the Second Battalion His Majesty's Twenty-Third Foot, the Royal Welch Fusiliers, and fellow soldiers who served with him.
The War the Infantry Knew 1914-1919 by Captain J.C. Dunn, page 537, copyright © The Royal Welch Fusiliers 1987, publisher: Abacus (Little, Brown and Company, UK), publication date: 1994
(5) The ongoing attacks by the Allies did not allow the Germans time to consolidate their positions, forcing them to fall back repeatedly in attempts to hold a defensive position. The Allies increasingly commanded the air, and bombed and strafed ground forces, in some cases turning a retreat into a rout.
The Tank Corps by Clough Williams-Ellis & A. Williams-Ellis, page 238, publisher: The Offices of "Country Life," Ltd. and George Newnes, Ltd., publication date: 1919
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