Page:History of the Sixth Regiment, United States Marines.djvu/37

32 32 History ok Sixth Regiment, U. S. Makines. was one of the last of the old German lines, well fortified, and held with determination by the enemy in view of its strategical value. The regi- ment marched to trenches near Suippers, where it bivouaced for the night. In .-p ite of the early autumn chill and the rain, the men slept for several hours on the wet ground. At noon hot rations were served and the spirits of the men revived. This position, which the French had con- structed as a part cf their reserve defenses, was occupied until late in the afternoon of October 1st, when the regiment was ordered forward to relie e the French in the front lines north of Somme-Py. Twenty per cent of the regiment was left behind in compliance with divisional orders. Ammunition and pyrotechnics were picked up on the march, which was for twelve kilometers, on roads blocked with traffic. The 2nd Battalion took over the first of four parallel lines of trenches, De Krefeld, the companies being placed from right to left, 79th Co., 80th Co. and 78th Co. The 96th Company on the left occupied the Bayou de Bromberg. Between the 96th Company and the 78th Company the enemy held trench De i'Elbe. More in advance the enemy also held trench Du Pache, trench de I Elbe and trench D'fZssen, and annoyed the companies of the 2nd Battalion with his machine gun tire Liaison was established between the French on the left and the 2nd Battalion, French troops being inter- mingled with the 96th Company. On the right of the 2nd Battalion was the 1st Battalion of the 5th Marines, Major George W. Hamilton commanding, in trench Des Prussien. The 1st Battalion, of the 6th Regiment, took position 800 meters in rear of the 2nd Battalion, with the 73rd Machine Gun Company attached for combat purposes. The 3rd Battalion took position 1000 yards in rear of the 1st, in trenches Dusseldorf and Gottingue. The 15th Machine Gun Company was at- tached to the 3rd Battalion. This sector, the scene of many previous hard-fought battles, had been subjected to heavy artillery fire for months, which, added to the natural condition of the terrain, produced a condition of unusual barren- ness and devastation. The surface soil was very thin and the network of trenches and shell craters had turned to the surface the chalky earth which underlay it. There was little vegetation, and what there was consisted mainly of stunted trees, practically all of which had been cut by shell fire. Blanc Mont, in the rear of the German front line, was a commanding emminence with sufficient foliage to conceal troop movements. It was known to be strongly fortified with machine gun nests and well- constructed trenches dug into the chalk rock and strengthened with con- crete. The troops had not been in the trenches but a few hours when they were covered with the white mud, which, when it dried, turned to an annoying powder. Blanc Mont was the keystone stronghold of the entire sector. If taken, the Germans would be forced to evacuate Rheims and the Laon district. This stronghold was directly in this regiment's area. In addi- tion to the Second Division, choice French units, consisting partly of