Private Battlefields Tour in Argonne from Paris in Van (2/7 travelers)

The Germans retreated in early September 1914, entrenched on this natural height, each finger of which forms a bastion of this natural fortress. It was on this obstacle that the soldiers of the 4th French Army came up against on September 13, 1914, who participated in the counter-offensive succeeding the first battle of the Marne.

A hotbed of fighting, this strategic position was the scene of fierce fighting that took place here in the Massiges sector between 1914 and 1918.
The number of French soldiers killed, wounded or missing is estimated at 25,000, and certainly as many German soldiers.

The monument faces the front line of the 1st American army on the morning of September 26, 1918, when the attack began, the victory of which commemorates it, the Meuse-Argonne offensive. This lasted until November 11, 1918 and forced the enemy to retreat from its front.

It consists of a Doric column in solid granite, surmounted by a statue symbolizing Liberty, which dominates the ruins of the old village by more than 60 meters.

On the walls of the foyer is an engraved map of operations, with a story and a special tribute to the American troops who served here. The observation platform of the memorial can be reached at certain times by a staircase of 234 steps, from where visitors enjoy a view of almost all of the land conquered during this offensive.

If there is one essential site in the Land of Argonne, it is this cemetery which allows us to understand what the Americans mean by "Duty to remember".

Located in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, the 52-hectare Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery is the largest American necropolis in Europe. Inaugurated in 1937, this necropolis has 14,246 graves of American soldiers who perished during the Meuse Argonne Offensive from September 26 to November 11, 1918.

The Romanesque memorial and its chapel overlook the cemetery.
A map explaining the Meuse-Argonne offensive is engraved on a wall of the loggia. On another wall are engraved the names of 954 American soldiers who disappeared during the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

Inside the chapel, the badges of the American divisions and higher army units are represented on the stained glass windows.
On the front wall of the chapel are engraved the names of the villages and places where the American army fought.

Explore thousands of objects from the Great War at Jean Paul's informal museum, which will show you the soldier's daily life.
Behind each object on display hides a personal and moving story.
Helmets, weapons, combs, coins, cutlery, pocket watches go back even today ...

Jean-Paul de Vries has been looking for and finding these objects since 1976.
In his museum, he exhibits finds that bear witness to this life in the trenches. Each object was found within a radius of 4 kilometers around Romagne sous Montfaucon. By showing the lives of soldiers, Jean-Paul de Vries hopes to make people understand the atrocity of war.

The village is known to have been the site of the arrest of Louis XVI and the royal family who tried to join troops remained loyal to the monarchy based in Montmédy,

Varennes was occupied by German troops at the start of the First World War. The village was on or near the front line during most of the conflict.

Varennes-en-Argonne was the first city to be liberated by American troops during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive launched on September 26, 1918.

The Pennsylvania Monument in Varennes-en-Argonne:

Located on the heights of Varennes-en-Argonne, this impressive monument was erected and funded in 1928 by the State of Pennsylvania (United States), in memory of the soldiers who died during the battles of 1918 to liberate this area. Its terrace offers a magnificent panorama overlooking the Aire valley.

Built at the top of a hill that overlooked the surrounding plain at an altitude of 290 m, which made it an observatory and a landmark for the regulation of artillery fire during the First World War. In the autumn of 1914, the Germans transformed the village into a veritable fortress.

The French and the Germans buried themselves in trenches at the top of the hill which was transformed by more than 500 explosions, the village of Vauquois was totally destroyed.

From February to March 1915, the ruins of the village were hotly contested.
Kilometers of galleries (about 23) were dug, spanning several levels, up to 100 meters deep, in order to penetrate under the enemy camp, causing it as much loss as possible by the explosion of mines.

In May 1916 a huge funnel was created by the explosion of a 60-ton mine that killed 108 French soldiers. In September 1918 the Americans took possession of the position definitively.