Two-thirds of the way up the
hill came the trench-living quarters, the kitchens, the bakeries,
the dormitories, and so forth, and the crest of the hill bristled
along its entire length with field guns, effectually screened by
trees. On the further side of the ridge, in chalk pits, were the
great howitzers, tossing their huge shells over the ridge and its
defenses into the river itself, and even on the south bank beyond.
Truly, a position of power, and one that the boldest of troops
might hesitate to attack.
It is quite possible that had the entire strength of the German
position been known, no attempt to cross would have been made,
but there was always a possibility that the counterchecks of the
German army were no more than the rear-guard actions of the three
or four days immediately preceding. Yet Sir John French seems to
have expected the true state of affairs, for he remarks in his
dispatches:
"The battles of the Marne, which lasted from the morning of the
6th to the evening of the 10th, had hardly ended in the precipitate
flight of the enemy when we were brought face to face with a position
of extraordinary strength, carefully intrenched and prepared for
defense by an army and staff which are thorough adepts in such
work."
Yet it was evident that if the armies of the Allies were to secure
any lasting benefit from the battles of the Marne, they must dislodge
the invading hosts from their new vantage ground.
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