French Zouave Captain holding a wounded German soldier at gunpoint at Mt. Cornillet during the Battle of the Hills, May 1917
French Zouave Captain holding a wounded German soldier at gunpoint at Mt. Cornillet during the Battle of the Hills, May 1917. Yesterday 106 years ago, on April 17, 1917, the Battle of the Hills of Champagne began, also called the Third Battle of Champagne, a supporting offensive to the main French effort on the Chemin des Dames of the Nivelle Offensive. The French planned an ambitious offensive to capture the many mountain peaks of the Moronvillers Hills in the Champagne region east of Reims, where the Germans enjoyed excellent observation over French positions. 13 French Divisions of their 4th Army were to be pitted against 17 German Divisions of their 4th Army, but the French had a huge advantage in artillery guns. The French Infantry were to capture one mountain peak at a time in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough, cutting German supply lines to the Chemin des Dames. The Germans held magnificent defensive positions on the Moronvillers Hills, most notably the Mt. Cornillet, Mt. Blo...