Soissonnais < Aisne < Picardy < France The Butte Chalmont

This route, running through the heart of the battlefield of spring and summer 1918, takes you to one of the most remarkable memorials of World War I. Remarkable in terms of size but also for the originality of its subject. Although it commemorates a decisive victory, this work by one of the greatest post-war sculptors is marked by a poignant solemnity.

2 Oulchy-le-Château

3 • Est. time: 4hr15 1 1 • Length: 15km 4 2 • Lowest point: 87m

• Highest point: 162m D 1 • Level: Difficult 12 5 • Waymarking: Yellow & brown 6 • Passing through: Oulchy-le-Château, Grand-Rozoy, Beugneux, 11 Nanteuil-Notre-Dame, 7 Armentières-sur-Ourcq 3 8 10

9 © Carte IGN 2013

ON THE ROUTE NEARBY

Monument des Fantômes Oulchy-Le-Château: striking Romanesque church, Monument des Fantômes on the Butte 1 © Stéphan Lefebvre Renaissance priory, remains of town walls 1 Chalmont

Underground quarries in hamlet of Wallée Churches at Beugneux (12th century) 2 TOURIST INFO.: and Grand-Rozoy (15th-16thcentury) Tourist Information office Armentières-sur-Ourcq: fortifiied house (private) Cruises on the Ourcq leaving from Tel. 03 23 53 17 37 3 with double drawbridge, towers and 15th century postern. Silly-La-Poterie CREATION AND UPKEEP OF ROUTE: Village of Oulchy-le-Château

D Depart square in Oulchy-le-Château, go up steps 8 Go up track on the left, then as far as water tower leading to church. Walk alongside it and priory. Take on the right then back downhill to Armentières-sur- Rue St-Jacques (2nd on right) leading to old railway Ourcq (viewpoint). line called the “chemin de la petite ligne” as far as 9 Bear right, go through village and alongside castle. D22 road. 10 At junction take road on the left. Cross railway lines 1 Take road on right for 1.5 km. Route card taken from (caution ). After Moulin Noël go straight on. 2 On 2nd bend, bear right onto farm track. Turn right 11 Turn right onto D473 then left onto a track, 50m www.randonner.fr onto D229 road. the walking/hiking further on. website. 3 Off route: at the statue of , walk up to the left onto the Butte Chalmont as far as the Monument des 12 At hamlet of , take road on left which will take Fantômes. Return to D229. you back to Oulchy. 4 Bear left and go into hamlet of Wallée. Bear right after the church and carry on along track. 5 Bear left and go through the hamlet of Les Crouttes. See all our good 6 On the bend, go straight on, cross a ford on the Ourcq deals on and go up to village of Nanteuil-Notre-Dame crossing www.facebook.com/ over the railway lines. conception : www.grandnord.fr randonnee.aisne 7 Take the D79 (towards Armentières), cross the Ordrimouille stream and carry on for 500m. 1/2 Soissonnais < Aisne < Picardy < France The Butte Chalmont Episodes in History

ROAD TRIP A question of tactics FROM THE CHEMIN DES DAMES TO THE MARNE An American On 27th May 1918, at daybreak, the Germans in the Great War launched a powerful attack on the heights of the 46 km – Depart Château-Thierry Chemin des Dames which had been in French hands since October 1917. On terrain judged to be impregnable, it came as a complete surprise. French and British troops were caught offguard and surged back southwards with no time to destroy bridges across the river Aisne. In just a few hours the Germans advanced towards Paris at lightening speed. They reached the Marne on 30th & 31st May and captured Château-Thierry on 1st June. From this date and for the first time since the start of the German offensive, allied forces managed to contain then to stop their enemy. Fierce fighting involving French, British and American troops (battles of Château-Thierry, Belleau and Fère-en- Tardenois) halted the German advance on Paris. On 18th July, under the command of Generals Degoutte and Mangin, allied forces launched a Joyce Kilmer, American poet great counter-offensive which took the Germans by surprise. Thousands of soldiers put the German and soldier killed in the army to flight and it continued to retreat right up to © agence Meurisse BNF Gallica 2nd Battle of the Marne the signing of the Armistice. Portrait of General Mangin, 1918: Joyce Kilmer, the in command of July 1918 offensive American poet, came to fight in France. 2013: Catherine, a French-American student, followed in his footsteps. An American in the Great War is a Story of a sculpture THE MONUMENT DES FANTÔMES parallel story, between past and present, featuring the poet’s To commemorate the counter-offensive experiences and American which led to Allied victory in 1918, the French World War 1 memorials around state commissioned Paul Landowski, a Château-Thierry. French sculptor of Polish descent (1875- 1961) to create an extraordinary memorial Download route details on the exact spot where the outcome of the and audio guide on Second Battle of the Marne was decided. www.audio-guide-aisne.com One might have expected it to be a work glorifying the Allied action, but not at all. Heavily influenced by the pacifism of the 1930s, Landowski sculpted «fantômes» (ghosts): seven dead soldiers, with vacant eyes, wearing the different uniforms of the French army corps. In their midst can See details of WW1 be seen the naked figure of a martyred centenary events on hero, symbolising the suffering of mankind plunged into war. www.aisne14-18.com This memorial in pink granite (symbolising and in brochure available eternity) was unveiled in 1935 in the for free in all Aisne Tourist presence of the French President of the Information offices time, Albert Lebrun.

Unveiling the memorial to the second victory on the Marne Find «Aisne-14-18» on © Archives départementales de l’Aisne © Archives 2/2