Battleground Europe

[IanA]

Ah, yes: hope you liked the Christmas Truce 'add on' to a tour - some thing that Jack dug up during his researches. The fault is all down to this part of the writing team - shifting house from Italy was a big upheaval and then getting all those bookcases fitted ... excuses, excuses. Well, at least it came at Christmas, even if it was not the anticipated Christmas (sorry, MrsA) and we hope that you enjoyed it. One of my favourite battlefields in terms of landscape and tranquility. Try the Burgoyne Diaries if you have not read it before: an unusual but, to me, a fascinating read written by an extraordinary man.

Ha! Thank you, Nigel. They say that confession is good for the soul...

I did enjoy it and I agree that the area is much under-rated. I have walked it a few times. I will look out for the Burgoyne book. Many thanks for the recommendation.

[Guest]

I would love to see Peronne and Biaches/ La Maisonette covered. Such an interesting area and also involved the British from January 1917 with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

[nigelcave]

Could not agree with you more. The French effort is really sadly neglected in print - i.e. in French publications: in terms of guide books in print it seems to be confined to the new Michelin - which actually is very handy - and a useful section in the Holts' Somme book. I am contemplating a couple of Battlegrounds on the French sector/effort, which would probably incorporate some British material when the British held some of the line south of the Somme for several months in 1915/early 16 and then when they took over the whole of the French sector (or at least to Chaulnes) in the winter of 1916/17. Biaches/la Maisonette is particularly interesting (and some references to the Franco-Prussian war and the siege of Peronne, in which la Maisonetter also figured, might be appropriate as well). I spent a couple of weeks more or less exclusively in the French sector at the beginning of March - enjoying everything from snow to quite reasonable temperatures and sunshine.

[CROONAERT]

. Biaches/la Maisonette is particularly interesting (and some references to the Franco-Prussian war and the siege of Peronne, in which la Maisonetter also figured, might be appropriate as well).

Other than being the location of several German batteries (9 German guns at the Maisonette during the first bombardment of Peronne and 6 batteries (2 in front of the Maisonette, 2 at Biaches and 2 between Maisonette and the Moulin on the Rte de Barleux) during the 2nd bombardment, did anything particularly significant actually occur here in Dec - January 1870/71? (Though an interesting relic from one of the Biaches batteries still exists near the remains of Fort Caraby)

I am contemplating a couple of Battlegrounds on the French sector/effort, which would probably incorporate some British material when the British held some of the line south of the Somme for several months in 1915/early 16 and then when they took over the whole of the French sector (or at least to Chaulnes) in the winter of 1916/17.

Nigel...If you do decide to go ahead with it and should you need any assistance (material wise - maps , documentation, individual stories, etc etc) with this (though mainly for the French actions of the area), give me a shout! Along with much of the rest of the French sector (and the campaign of the armée du Nord from the earlier German war!) it's an area that I've studied in some depth for a number of years now and I've amassed a decent little personal archive for it.

Dave