4 CHEMINEES

In the incredible leap forward of the Germans on 23 June, the assault waves from the crest rolled forward passing Fleury and reached as far as the ouvrage de Froidterre. In their progress they met determined pockets of resistance. On the Southern slope of the Ravin des Vignes, 400 Poilus were sheltering in an arched gallery, buried 12 metres below ground, which took its name from the four ventilation chimneys which are all that can be seen from the higher ground. During the terrible days of June, conditions inside were atrocious. Wounded and unwounded men struggled to breathe, in the knowledge that at any moment they could be buried alive, or gassed, or burned alive by flamethrowers. They were saved on 23 June when men of the 114 th Chasseurs Alpins Battalion courageously cleared the enemy away from the entrances at bayonet point.