Der schon lange ersehnte Tag ist erschienen. 440 Uhr morgens setzt das deutsche Trommelfeuer allen Kalibers und mit Gasgranaten ein. Es dauert bis 940 Uhr vormittags. Ob sich der Tommy das so vorgestellt hat? – Ein wenig Ahnung wird er schon gehabt haben. Unsere Infanterie geht sofort zum Angriff vor, und das Vordringen klappt ausgezeichnet. Nur herrscht ein so dichter Nebel, daß man kaum die Hand vor Augen sehen kann. Wir rücken sofort von der Guisancourt-Fme ab. Uns tränen die Augen, da wir eine ganze Zeitlang durch unser eigenes Gas hindurch müssen. Bald begegnen uns schon die ersten gefangenen Engländer. Wir marschieren über unsere Schützengräben hinweg nach Gouy, das völlig in Trümmern liegt nach dem Krähenberg. Hier übernehmen wir einen Störungsunterstand der 13. Inf. Div. Unsere Division ist erste Stoßdivision. So weit man zurückschaut, auf jeder Straße, auf jedem Weg rücken ganz systematisch endlose Reihen der nachfolgenden Kolonnen heran. Der Vormarsch ist in vollem Gange!Abends rücken wir vom Krähenberg ab über Bony, über unsere und des Engländers vorderste Stellungen hinweg nach Hargicourt. Die Dörfer liegen alle in Ruinen. Wir übernachten im Freien am Dorfausgang. Die ganze Nacht beschießt der Feind das Dorf sowie den Steinbruch.
The day we all were longing for is there. 0440 in the morning the german drumfire opens up with all calibers and with gas grenades. It goes on until 0940. If the Tommy might have imagined like that? - He might have had a little clue. Our infantry immediately starts the attack and advancing works perfectly. However, there is a fog so intense, that we can't see our own hands. We immediately leave the Guisance farm. Our eyes are tearing because we have to pass through our own gas for quite a wile. Soon, we see the first captured Englishmen. We march across our trenches on to Gouy, which lies totally in ruins and from there to the Crow's Hill [Krähenberg]. Here we take over a defect clearance dugout of the 13th infantry division. Our division now is storm divison. As as you can look back, on each and every road and path, endless columns systematically move forward. The advance is in full progress!In the evening, we leave the Crow Hill via Bony to Hargicour, crossing our and the Englishmen's first trenches. The villages all lay in ruins. We hole up and camp for the night in plain open outside the village. The enemy shells the village and the quarry all night.
FRA
Il giorno che abbiamo così lungamente atteso è arrivato. Alle 04.40 del mattino il tambureggiante fuoco tedesco si apre con tutti i calibri e con granate a gas. Esso continua fino alle 09.40. I Tommy avrebbero potuto prevederlo? Avevano avuto un piccolo indizio. La nostra Fanteria inizia immediatamente l'attacco e l'avanzata procede perfettamente. Purtroppo, c'è una nebbia così fitta che non riusciamo quasi a vedere le nostre mani. Lasciamo immediatamente la fattoria Guisance. Gli occhi ci lacrimano perché dobbiamo passare attraverso i gas che noi stessi abbiamo lanciato. Presto cominciamo a vedere i primi prigionieri Inglesi. Andiamo marciando oltre le nostre trincee fino a Bony, ridotta completamente in rovina e, da lì, verso la "collina del Corvo". Qui ci impossessiamo, non autorizzati, di un ricovero in trincea della 13^ Div. di Fanteria. La nostra, oggi, è una divisione d'assalto. Come si può vedere volgendosi indietro, lungo ogni strada o sentiero, colonne senza fine muovono in avanti ordinatamente.La sera lasciamo la "collina del Corvo" via Bony verso Hargicourt, attraversando le Prime trincee nostre e quelle Inglesi. I paesi sono ridotti in macerie. Ci sistemiamo per la notte cercando di rintanarci all'aperto fuori dal paese. Il nemico bombarda il villaggio e le cave per tutta la notte.
The day we all were longing for is there. 0440 in the morning the german drumfire opens up with all calibers and with gas grenades. It goes on until 0940. If the Tommy might have imagined like that? - He might have had a little clue. Our infantry immediately starts the attack and advancing works perfectly. However, there is a fog so intense, that we can't see our own hands. We immediately leave the Guisance farm. Our eyes are tearing because we have to pass through our own gas for quite a wile. Soon, we see the first captured Englishmen. We march across our trenches on to Gony, which lies totally in ruins and from there to the Crow's Hill [Krähenberg]. Here we take over a defect clearance dugout of the 13th infantry division. Our division now is storm divison. As as you can look back, on each and every road and path, endless columns systematically move forward. The advance is in full progress!
AntwortenLöschenIn the evening, we leave the Crow Hill via Bony to Hargicour, crossing our and the Englishmen's first trenches. The villages all lay in ruins. We hole up and camp for the night in plain open outside the village. The enemy shells the village and the quarry all night.