|
The Battle of Rossignol was an early battle of the First World War and part of the Battle of the Frontiers. In order to counter the German invasion of Belgium French commander-in-chief General Joseph Joffre ordered an attack upon the centre of the German advance. This was to be spearheaded by the French Fourth Army comprising the Colonial Corps and II Corps. Simultaneously, the German army broke with their Schlieffen Plan and turned the 5th Army southwards towards the French border. The French Colonial Corps advanced towards Neufchâteau expecting the nearest German forces to be several days march away. Advance elements of the 3rd Colonial Infantry Division marching column clashed with German cavalry north of Rossignol and soon found themselves facing a strong defensive German position. After several bayonet charges through dense woods failed to make progress, French troops retreated southwards to Rossignol. The German 11th and 12th Divisions pushed around both flanks and engaged that part of the Colonial Corps still on the march. With the French II Corps behind schedule and unable to offer any support, German artillery destroyed the bridge at Breuvanne, the only means of reinforcing the 3rd Colonial Division at Rossignol. The German forces were then able to defeat the French troops remaining in the village. The remainder of the Colonial Corps pulled back to defensive positions. The battle saw the destruction of the 3rd Colonial Division as a fighting force, with some 10,520 men killed, wounded or missing. The division's commander Léon Amédée François Raffenel was killed as was one of his brigade commanders Charles Rondony (the other brigade commander, Charles Montignault, was captured). An additional 868 men were lost from the supporting 2nd Colonial Division, while German losses amounted to between 3,473 and 3,984 men. The alleged involvement of francs-tireurs at Tintigny and Rossignol resulted in reprisals in which 63 civilians were killed shortly after the battle and a further 122 executed following court-martial. == Background == Germany declared war upon Russia on 1 August 1914 and upon France two days later. The German high command sought a quick victory over France in the west before the Russian Army could complete its lengthy mobilisation process. They implemented a modified form of the Schlieffen Plan, a pre-war deployment plan that sought to outflank the French fortifications south of Verdun. On 4 August German armies The advanced into Belgium, whilst holding a static defensive frontin the south. The French Colonial Corps, part of the Fourth Army was situated at Stenay (North-eastern France) on the Chiers River, with the XII Corps on its left flank and the II Corps on its right. The Colonial Corps was formed of ''Troupes coloniales'' raised in France for service abroad, as well as troops raised in the colonies, such as parts of the Army of Africa. The corps comprised the 2nd and 3rd Colonial Infantry Divisions with supporting non-divisional assets. The 3rd Colonial Division, which saw the heaviest fighting at Rossignol, was composed entirely of regular army troops and was considered one of the elite formations of the French army. The men were all volunteers, as French law forbade the use of its metropolitan conscripts abroad, and almost all had seen action in the colonies. The only reserve elements in the formation, the 5th and 6th reserve squadrons of the 6th Dragoon Regiment which had recently joined the division as reinforcements, were composed mainly of former Colonial Corps soldiers and so were rated highly.〔〔 The division was reckoned to be of a similar standard to that of the British regular army.〔 General Joffre, commander-in-chief of the French armies, decided to strike against the German centre in Belgium in order to threaten the communication lines of the German right flank which would be subject to a simultaneous attack by the northern French forces.〔 In accordance with this plan the French Grand Quartier Général (army headquarters) issued orders for the French Fourth Army to move north into Belgium at 9.30pm on 20 August. The Colonial Corps was to establish itself at Tintigny, in Belgium on 22 August whilst the II Corps was to move on Léglise via Bellefontaine to cover the right flank.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Rossignol」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|