Cheyenne record., 1917-10-11
KEY TO FLANDERS
Bapaume Has Been Objective oil
Many Great Campaigns.
II Was Here That D'Artasnan, The,
Young offseer Of Cadets, Won Last
Ing Fame.

Bapaume, which the Germans gave
mp after they had striven to make
1t an impregnable fortress, has bee1.
AS the "key to Flanders" 1t was tha
objective Of more than dozen great
campaigns in the last GOO years,
writer in the Kansas City Times re-
calls.
Strangely, the stubborn trench fight
ing that has been going on before Ba-
paume during the last year is the re-
occurrence of one of the notable fea
lures Of the Thirty-Years' war, that
long struggle that devastated Europe
in the middle of the seventeenth cen.
tury. The armies of Ferdinand II of
Austria and of Maximilian of Bavaria
had pushed across Germany and into
France and held Bapaume and the
important territory which lies about 1t.
Marshal de Ia Meilleraye, with
strong French army, laid siege to the
city. The Austrians and Bavarians
had strongly fortified it and had dug
powerful intrenchments around it on
three sides. French attacks were
beaten back and, finally the besiegers
settled down to wearing. waiting
struggle. Then, as in 1916, the besieg-
ing soldiers chafed under the monot-
onous strain of trench warfare. De
In Meilleraye. though regarded as one
OF the most brilliant commanders of
his day, was freely criticized and the
imperious and impatient Richelieu sent
word finally in 1611 that Bapaume
must be taken.
De Ia Meilleraye preferred to with
hold his attack longer. but feared to
do so. He assembled his subordinate
generals for n conference as to the
method of attack. One of them said
thHt Il Young officer of cadets named
D'&rtagnan had observed a point OF
weakness in the city'S walls. D'Arta-
gran was called in and stated that at
the point which attracted his attcn-
ton there seemed to be weaker de-
fenSH than elsewhere. "Simulate an
attack on another part of the city and
Civ" me company of my comrades
from Gascognc, I promise you I'll get
into the place" he said.
"Wcll. sir" the marshal replied, "I'll
Si'N !'u W iiStt N'ti siHN, bul Npu wiz
answer with your head for the sue
cess OF this audacious adventure"
The following day Bnpaumc was talk
en- by assault, after D'Artagnan's men
had pierced the defenses at the point
he had promised. The same D'Arta-
gnnn later became marshal of France.
Bnpaume is Il position of vital i'm
portance; it marks the last limit of
the last ridge of the Artois hills to
which an army pressed from south and
west can cling. After Bapaume coma
the plains of Flanders, with Cambrai
Falencienncs and Douai in plain sight.
Louis NJ is the first commander his
tory records as n beSieger of Bapaume
He destroyed the city. Francois be-
sieged and took it. Later it fell into
the hands of the Spaniards, and after
that the Austrians held it for awhile.
1t has been French since it's capture
in 1G41 by De Ia Meilleraye. In the
Franco-PruSsian war the French won
one of their few victories at Bapaume.
General Faidhcrbe checking the Ger
man advance Mt that point.
Though Bapaume in time Of peace
had only 1000 inhabitants, it was an
important manufacturing center with
T extensive camhric, calico, thread and
sugar industries.