A logistics chef-d'œuvre

The French objective was laid down: the Steenbeek river between the Blankaart and the northern edge of Houthulst Forest. It would be anything but easy. The Germans had three fortified lines of defence in the region. Whereas the Germans were able to make meticulous preparations, the French had only a month in which to build stations, first aid posts, artillery positions, storage places, narrow-gauge railways, workshops and living quarters.
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Préparé

From the station at Roesbrugge, a place the French staff had never heard of before June 1917, lorries, buses and narrow-gauge trains came and went day and night. From 25 June onwards, the first troops were deployed. To give an idea of the magnitude of the logistical operation, it is worth noting that in total 14 km of roads, 24 km of narrow-gauge railway, 22 km of drinking water conduits and 200 water tanks were constructed. Existing roads were widened and repaired. 3,000 motorized vehicles and 40,000 horses came and went, while every day roughly 135,000 rations were distributed to the men.

  • Sap01 ca000673 p© Ministère de la Culture
    A modest French encampment on the banks of the Yser, Roesbrugge, 1917.
  • Sap01 ca000670 p© Ministère de la Culture
    French soldier just outside Roesbrugge, 1917.

Air supremacy

General Anthoine was not the type to procrastinate. To maximize the work of the artillery, the decision was made to have an assertive presence in the air. Several fighter squadrons, including that of Georges Guynemer, actively and aggressively guarded the airspace at various altitudes. German aircraft were repelled from the front so that French spotters in balloons or planes could do their work. On 27 July alone, there were 32 dogfights. Three German planes were shot down, one of them by Guynemer. As 31 July approached, preparations went up a gear. Stations and aerodromes behind German lines were bombarded.

Mal Douglas Haig et le Gel Anthoine 19 Aout 1917 au champ daviation Bergues National Library of Scotland© National Library of Scotland
Douglas Haig and François Anthoine in conversation at the Bergues military airfield, 19 August 1917.
Georges Guynemer
Read my story
Georges guynemer par lucien
Georges guynemer par lucien

Georges Guynemer

Georges Guynemer

Georges Guynemer dreamed of flying as a boy, but his poor health and frail stature played tricks on him. Yet he did not give up. On his fourth attempt, he was accepted into the air force in late 1914.

In 1915, he obtained his licence and was assigned to ‘Les Cigognes’, France's most notorious fighter unit. Guynemer's star rose quickly and he became an aviation hero and ace, with dozens of victories to his name. His experiences were widely reported in the press. The timid youngster struggled with that notoriety, but was nevertheless extolled as a paragon of French bravery.

In mid-July 1917, the ‘Cigognes’ were sent to Bergues to support French efforts in Flanders. A few days before, the overstretched Guynemer had collapsed. The high casualties and nerve-wracking air battles were taking their toll. His feverish eyes were deep, his jaws sunken and his skin pale. He was paper-thin, enigmatically shrunken.

Meanwhile, Guynemer's fame had reached unprecedented heights. Fearful of losing their golden boy, his superiors promoted him to commander, hoping to keep him grounded.

On 11 September 1917, averse to much paperwork, Guynemer took off again towards the Flemish front. Over Poelkapelle, he disappeared into the clouds and was never seen again. His death, like his life, remained shrouded in legend. After the war, a monument was erected in his honour in Poelkapelle, featuring the stork, the emblem of his squadron.

Crescendo

The French air superiority paid off. After several days of poor visibility, on 21 July the weather cleared and the spotters could set to work once more. The red roofs of the farmhouses stood out against the wide azure sky, which in the Westhoek is so all-encompassing that it seems to have squashed the land flat. From 23 July onwards, the trench artillery joined the deafening orchestra and blasted away the trenches, barbed wire and shelters of the first German lines. Between 26 and 31 July it reached a crescendo. The French artillery fired between 80,000 and 100,000 shells a day.

The Germans were sheltering under the ground, but the bombardments made aid, supply and communication extremely difficult. Exhausted and under great strain, they almost longed for the arrival of the French infantry.

  • A French 220 mm mortar in action at Ferme Rouge near Boesinghe 10 August 1917 IWM Q 78974© IWM Q 78974
    A French 220 mm mortar in action at Ferme Rouge near Boesinghe, 10 August 1917.
  • Batterie de 240 mm Les servants camoufles portant les gargouses de poudre© Ministère de la Culture
    Camouflaged artillerymen carry powder charges to a battery of 240 mm mortars.
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