Battle of Rossignol - Misplaced Pages

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General Joffre had decided to launch an attack against the German centre in order to threaten the communication lines of the German right flank which would be subject to an attack by the northern French forces. p3

The 3rd Colonial Division was composed entirely of regular army troops (except for the 5th and 6th reserve squadrons of the 6th Dragoons which had recently joined the division as reinforcements) and was considered one of the elite formations of the French army. The French Grand Quartier Général issued orders for the French Fourth Army to move north of the Semois River at 9.30pm on 20 August. p4

A detachment from the 3rd Division acted as the leading element, advancing north it met no resistance and pushed aside German cavalry reconnaissance units. p5

The remainder of the division followed, hampered by alte changes of orders, blocked roads, hot weather, a rainstorm and thick fog. On the move from the night of 20 August for more than twenty hours it had marched 17 miles. p7

The German forces, comprising the VI Corps, remained almost static during this time the only exception being the seizure of Neufchâteau, Belgium which was intended to house the XVIII Reserve Corps. Late on 21 August the German strategy was altered, instead of proceeding west the Fifth Army, under the Crown Prince, was to turn south towards Virton. The VI Corps was ordered to capture Rossignol (12th Division) and Tintigny (11th Division) on 22 August. p9

French GQG still presumed the German forces to be proceeding north-westwards, some two to three days march from the 3rd Colonial Division. This was in spite of Fourth Army cavalry and aerial reconnaissance showing a strong German force in the Neufchâteau area. p11

At 6.40am General Raffenal, travelling ahead of his men with his staff in cars with a dragoon escort, reached St Vincent. p12

He issued his orders for the day there, stating that the division simply had to march 25 kilometres to Neufchâteau where it was to billet itself. He stated that he did not anticipate meeting any German fores until the 23 or 24 of the month. The Third African Chasseurs were to cross the Ligny forest and await the division's arrival in Rossignol via road.The German Fourth Army had spotted the advance of the Colonial Corps by aerial reconnaissance and means of a cavalry screen, withdrawing ahead of the French column, but did not know whether this force would continue north or move eastwards.p13

The German forces finally had confirmation of French intentions only on the morning of 22 August when the advance elements of the 3rd Division were spotted.p14

Rossignol was positioned north of the Semois, which was effectively unfordable by cavalry or infantry, on the road to Neufchâteau. The morning of 22 August elements of the 6th Dragoons, the foremost French unit, pushed German cavalry from the road ahead but could not patrol the flanks of the column owing to thick hedgerows and wire fences. The French column was in good spirits in anticipation of an easy march to good billets in the town.

The 6th Dragoons advanced through Rossignol into the Ardennes forest and within 2km came under heavy rifle fire that caused many casualties. Unable to advance their commander retired behind a crest whereupon he received orders to continue the advance, this being about 7.25am. Protesting that it was impossible to do so in the face of a strong force of German infantry the infantry was instead sent forward with fixed bayonets. The Germans were behind a crest and commanded enfilading fire upon the road from several kilometres range.p16

A series of frontal bayonet charges were made but the strong German position and the narrow front upon which the French were able to deploy - hemmed in by the forest - led to many French casualties. Losses among the French officers, easily distinguished by their gold braided caps, were particularly heavy with three battalion commanders mown down by a single burst of machine gun fire.p17

The German 2nd Uhlans had made first contact with the Colonial Division and had been supported promptly by infantry. The 157th Infantry Regiment deployed for action along the crest but was unable to advance, despite the support of machine guns, owing to the continual French charges and the inability of supporting artillery to deploy within the forest.p18

General Raffenal established his initial command post some 400m south of the forest's edge. Despite meeting personally with the advance guard commander he refused to believe that a sizeable German force was in the vicinity and ordered the 2nd Colonial Infantry (3 battalions) to move in support, commanded by General Montignault, and established the divisional artillery at Rossignol where it could fire on the forest and be protected by the 3rd African Chasseurs.p20

The German divisional commander, receiving word from General Vollbrecht, his advance guard commander, ordered the 157th Regiment, then under great pressure and having taken many casualties, to be reinforced by the 63rd Infantry with a battalion of artillery in support.p21

The French main body, commanded by General Rondony, arrived at Rossignol by 10am and he immediately sent two battalions into the forest in support of the advance party, keeping one battalion to help defend the divisional artillery. The German 63rd Infantry, who had moved to the south-west of the 157th Infantry came across some of the main body of French troops still moving towards Rossignol. A firefight erupted and the German artillery was deployed on nearby hill 345 in the open. A French battery in march column on the road, unable to move off due to surrounding marshes and fences, went into action from the road and had wiped out the German artillery within minutes, destroying three pieces and killing and wounding almost all its men.p22

This shocked the German artillery commander who deployed the remaining two batteries behind the crest and commenced indirect fire. The 63rd Infantry remained unable to advance, but harassing the French flank and rear until noon. Raffenal was concerned by the delay incurred to his supporting elements in moving up to Rossignol. In the forest the French attacks, at squad-level or even smaller, were beginning to tell and by 10.30 the centre of the 157th Infantry began to give way, their officers almost all out of action.p23

However at the same time the French Lieutenant-Colonel Guerin, seeing mass disorganisation among the French troops who remained, orders a retirement southwards. A covering position is established 300m south of the edge of the forest. The 12th Division commits its reserve brigade to take the southern edge of the woods.p24

At 11am the bridge over the Semois, the only access to Rossignol, was destroyed by German artillery fire from behind the hill 345, which had been reinforced by the artillery of the 11th division. Leaving two battalions of the 3rd Infantry, the entire 7th Infantry and the corps artillery stranded south of the river.p25

The French Corps cavalry, still in Rossignol, received confusing orders to a defend an artillery battalion east of Rossignol that it could not locate and to charge the German artillery on hill 345 that it could not reach, thwarted by marshland and fences.p27

The German 11th Division, less the one battalion of artillery at Hill 345, reached Tintigny by 10am and continued onwards to St Vincent.p28

Around this time the Colonial Corps headquarters was moving towards St Vincent on the way to Neufchâteau. South of the town they encountered a small unit of German cavalry which was dispersed by the platoon of Dragoons in escort, shortly afterwards the headquarters staff came under rifle and artillery fire.p30

The 7th infantry Regiment and the Corps artillery were committed to the eats of St Vincent to defend the town and the Corps commander moved his HQ to Jamoigne, where the lead elements of the 2nd Colonial Division were arriving, though he had no authority from the Army commander to issue orders to this formation.p32

Acting on his own initiative the commander of 2nd Division ordered the 22nd Infantry Regiment to Termes in support of the 3rd Division.p33

The 3rd Division, cut into two by the destruction of the bridge, hurriedly organised the defence of Rossignol, which was becoming surrounded by the 12th Division. The forward elements were still fighting a retreat from the woods.p34

By 12.30 the 157th Infantry and 2nd Uhlans had reached the southern limit of the forest and came across Rodony's defence force - which had orders to hold Rossignol "at all costs".p35

For more than two hours Rodony's men, reinforced by those retreating from the woods, in position on a crest north of Rossignol held the Germans in place despite coming under artillery fire from their rear. One German advance was defeated by French machine gun and rifle fire but a second at 2.30pm forced the French back and by 3.30pm the Germans gained the crest.p36

By 5pm the remainder of the 2nd Divison had been turned over the the Colonial Corps commander (General Lefevre). By this time the 7th Infantry had been forced from St Vincent.p37

This had been due to heavy attack by the 22nd German Brigade, numbering 5 and a half battalions compared to the French ten companies.p38

The 7th Infantry was able to reform on a line to protect the retreat towards Limes.p39

At Rossignol the German artillery, held until now on the road through the forest, was able to come into action following the loss of the French covering position. Some 400-500 Frenchmen, survivors of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Colonial Infantry together with engineers and chasseurs attempred a break-out to the south-east between the 11th and 12th Divisions. Hit by artillery and running into the German VI Corps and V Corps command posts only a remanant of this force was able to join the 2nd Colonial Division at Jamoigne. The first German assault on Rossignol proper came at 4pm. Made without supporting artillery fire, it was repulsed at the edge of the village within half an hour.p40

An artillery bombardment was commenced and some of the houses set ablaze before a second assault was made at 5.30pm. Encircling the village and driving off the remainder of the French artillery to the south (who fired their last shells, disabled their guns and killed their horses before surrendering), the Germans were in possession of the village by 6.50pm. No pursuit was made of the retreating French elements.p41

The French suffered 10,520 men killed, wounded or missing from the 3rd colonial Division and 868 from the 2nd Division. The Germans lost between 3,473 and 3,984 from the 11th and 12th Divisions. The entirety of the 3rd Division's artillery was lost.p42

A day of heavy fighting before the German 12th Division and 3rd cavalry Division finally took the village of Rossignol. That morning at Tintigny, in the German rear, a soldier had been shot - almost certainly by an advanced French patrol or mobilised Belgian foresters. In revenge German troops falling back on the town shot several civilians in the streets of the hamlet or else burned them alive in their houses. A large group of villagers were taken prisoner and interrogated by a German officer after which forty of the men were shot.

A further group were marched towards the battle, where upon hearing the sound of gunfire four were executed, the remainder were taken back to Tintigny and used as human shields against French artillery fire the next day. In all 63 inhabitants were killed by German forces and the hamlet almost completely destroyed. Subsequent to the battle the rumour spread around German troops that the French at Rossignol had been assisted by civilians. In addition to those executed by German courts-martial at nearby Arlon, a 122 civilians (108 of which were from Rossignol) were executed on the orders of Colonel Richard Karl von Tessmar by telephone from Luxembourg.

fr:Ernest Psichari killed in battle, defending his artillery pieces.

fr:Bataille de Rossignol

Order of battle

France

Colonial Corps

2nd Colonial Infantry Division

2nd Colonial Infantry Brigade

4th Colonial Infantry Regiment

8th Colonial Infantry Regiment

4th Colonial Infantry Brigade

22nd Colonial Infantry Regiment

24th Colonial Infantry Regiment

Organic elements

1st Colonial Field Artillery Regiment

5th (Reserve) Squadron of the 6th Regiment of Dragoons

Company 22/1 of the 1st Engineer Regiment

3rd Colonial Infantry Division

1st Colonial Infantry Brigade

1st Colonial Infantry Regiment

2nd Colonial Infantry Regiment

3rd Colonial Infantry Brigade

3rd Colonial Infantry Regiment

7th Colonial Infantry Regiment

Organic elements

2nd Colonial Field Artillery Regiment

6th (Reserve) Squadron of the 6th Dragoon Regiment

Company 22/3 of the 1st Engineers Regiment

Non-divisional elements

5th Colonial Infantry Brigade

21st Colonial Infantry Regiment

23rd Colonial Infantry Regiment

3rd African Chasseurs Regiment

3rd Colonial Artillery Regiment

Companies 22/2, 22/3, 22/16, 22/14 of the 1st Engineers Regiment

Germany

VI Army Corps

11th Infantry Division

21st Infantry Brigade

10th Grenadier Regiment

38th Fusilier Regiment

22nd Infantry Brigade

11th Grenadier Regiment

51st Infantry Regiment

11th Cavalry Brigade

1st Cuirassier Guard Regiment

8th Dragoon Regiment

11th Field Artillery Brigade

6th Field Artillery Regiment

42nd Field Artillery Regiment

12th Infantry Division

23rd Infantry Brigade

22nd Infantry Regiment

156th Infantry Regiment

24th Infantry Brigade

23rd Infantry Regiment

62nd Infantry Regiment

78th Infantry Brigade

63rd Infantry Regiment

157th Infantry Regiment

12th Cavalry Brigade

4th Hussar Regiment

6th Hussar Regiment

44th Cavalry Brigade

2nd Uhlan Regiment

11th Chasseur Regiment

12th Field Artillery Brigade

21st Field Artillery Regiment

57th Field Artillery Regiment

Non-divisional elements

6th Foot Chasseur Regiment

Machine gun detachment of the 51st Infantry Regiment

6th Foot Artillery Regiment

6th Supply Train Group

Sources for order of battle

Journal du commandant Jean MOREAU, chef d'état-major de la 3 division coloniale par Jean-Louis Philippart et Éric Labayle

Editions Anovi, 2002

M. DENOLLE, LA GRANDE GUERRE vécue - racontée - illustrée PAR LES COMBATTANTS, tome premier, pages 61 à 65, Librairie Aristide Quillet, éditeur. Paris 1922

References

Horne, John N.; Kramer, Alan (2001). German Atrocities, 1914: A History of Denial. Yale University Press. p. 56.
Horne, John N.; Kramer, Alan (2001). German Atrocities, 1914: A History of Denial. Yale University Press. p. 57.
The Church quarterly review, Volumes 94-95. Spottiswoode & Company, 1922. 1922. p. 52.