Norwich bulletin., 1916-12-13
STORIES OF THE WAR
Morning on sapaune and peronne.

| The Allies are creeping floser to
Bapaume every day and bringing
nearer the eventuaIity of another
great battle there where French heroes
| of nearly all the ages have fought.
The town has seen almost as much
war as Peronne.
General Faidherbe gained there jan
| uary 8. 1871, one Of the few French
victories of the F'ranco-Prussian War,
| defeating General Won Goeben.
| The possession of the town had
previously been disputed a half dozen
| times, besieged two or three, and
sacked once. Louis Xl. besieged it,
Quint restored it. Francois I besieged
| it and took it. t'fell later into the
| hands of the Spaniards from whom it
was taken and made French by de La
Meilleraye, Marshal of France in 1645,
! with the aid Of the nuslzeteers of
| Cyrano de Bergerac.
For the Germanic coalition today as
for the Prussians in 1870 and the
/ Spaniards in 1641, Bapaume is a posi-
limit of the last ridge of the Artois
hills to which an army pressed from
| the south and west can cling; after
| Bapaume come the plains of Flanders
with Cambria, Valenciennes and
/ Douai in plain sight Bapau1ue taken,
4
| Quentin an unsafe shelter for the
| German staff
The Germans certainly appreciate
| the value of the position no less than
and they have organized its accord
| ingly, but the French 16-inch mortars
are now almost within range oe the
| town.
It was critical period Of the 80
| years war that 3apaume became
4 ITy.rI, oh NJ ~ Te III L.
| probably more to do with it's conquest
| than either d'Artagnan or Cyrano, but
there was less romance in his role.
! De Ia Meilleraye had taken Arras
after the famous siege, then turned to
| Bapaume, called the key to Flanders"
There are many analogies between his
| campaign and that of the Allies today.
| Today, as then, the people are finding
the war long" Then. as today, par
| lor military critics picked out the
flaws in the plans and complained of
Slowness and lack of energy in ex-
| ecuting them. The army of the
Hapsburgs had dug itself in around
Bapaume as the Germans are dug in
| there today.
Then, as now, me.tlesome soldiers
| of France chafed in rhe trenches. Like
the poilus of 1915, they wal1owed in
mud when in the open and waded
| waist deep when underground. Mar
shall de la Meilleraye was then, as
have been generals in the present war,
| criticized for dilatory tactics, and his
laurels, gained at Arras, had begun
to fade; he saw the shadow CT dis
| grace falling upon him. Cardinal
| Richelieu, impatient and inperious, in
sisted upon greater activity and en-
ergy. Then, as to6ay, the reply was
1 more cannon, more ammunition; -
| Richelieu sent more cannon, naote am
/ nunition, with an order to attack
| De la Meilleraye assembled mis- lieu
| tenant@generals, de LorSueil and Har-
court, in a council of war to decide
whether they should risk the assault.
"f know in the regiment Of the
Guard said N. de LorgueiI 'a, most
| capa Bile officer and a man of spirit and
resources. He came to me lately, re-
| turning from duty, and told me some :
thing that impressed me. Call him in,
Marshal; he will repeat better than I
| what he Observed
| The officer of cadets came IN, and
! with the accent of .Armagnac told how
| he had noticed a portion of the town
wall at the suburb of SAint-Pierre
! that was not so well defended as the
| rest. Stimulate an attack in force
upon another part ofthe ramparts' he
said, and give me company Of my
| comrades from Gasccry; 1 promise
you Pll get into the place"
well, SIR said the Marshal, ST will
send your commission to be signed,
| but you shall answer for the success
| of this auracious venture with your
| head"
/ The following day, January 10, 1645,
| Bapaume was taken by assault, and
| the officer who planned and organized
| the attack and led it to success earned
| there one Of his titles to the baton OF
marshal himself. 1t was d'Artagnan.
Historians are conflicting in dates
1 and many details as to the taking of
Bapaurne. Some place it in 1871,
others in 1645 which is more probable.
1 In the latter case Cyrano de Bergerac
could not have participated with his
cadets in the final assault. He had
been wounded at Arras by a sword
| thrust in the throat that had sent him
! back to Paris, an invalid for the rest
1 Of his days. D'AEtagnan, though, was