. Battlefields of the World War, western and southern fronts; a study in military geography . egion. The linesof the Crozat-St. Quentin-Scheldt canal and of the Canal duNord provide two north-south barriers of prime importance,especially where they traverse small valleys or dry ravineswhich otherwise might oppose little difficulty to the passageof troops. Only at one point, on the Somme-Scheldt dividebetween Bellicourt and Le Catelet, does the Crozat-St. Quentincanal pass underground for any considerable distance. Thereis a short tunnel at Le Tronquoy which pierces a minor dividewithin the Som
. Battlefields of the World War, western and southern fronts; a study in military geography . egion. The linesof the Crozat-St. Quentin-Scheldt canal and of the Canal duNord provide two north-south barriers of prime importance,especially where they traverse small valleys or dry ravineswhich otherwise might oppose little difficulty to the passageof troops. Only at one point, on the Somme-Scheldt dividebetween Bellicourt and Le Catelet, does the Crozat-St. Quentincanal pass underground for any considerable distance. Thereis a short tunnel at Le Tronquoy which pierces a minor dividewithin the Somme drainage basin; but at Bellicourt the canaldisappears underground for a distance of more than three miles, STRATEGIC POINTS 131 and the surface of the broad divide is devoid of topographicobstacles. Here, then, is a strategic point where troops maypass the long north-south barrier without even seeing it. TheCanal du Nord presents two such points: near Cachy east ofRoye, where the Oise-Somme divide is pierced by a short tunnel;and near Bertincourt north of Peronne, where a longer tunnel. Fig. 44—The Oise Canal at Chauny, part of the Oise valley barrier. Note thatthe bridge has been destroyed and that material has been lost in attempting thepassage. (French official photograph.) carries the canal through the Somme-Scheldt divide. Thegreat military importance of these two north-south canalbarriers, often of quadruple strength (valley, marsh, river, andcanal) will be apparent from a reading of any detailed accountof the Somme campaign. Both the Allied and Teutonic armiesused them as principal lines of resistance. STRATEGIC POINTS ON THE SOMME BATTLEFIELD It is interesting to note to what a marked degree the strategicaspect of the valleys of the Somme region has affected the loca- 132 BATTLEFIELD OF THE SOMME tion and character of towns in the past. From Roman timesAmiens has guarded one of the principal passages of the Sommebarrier, at a point where a narrowing of the valley a
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectworldwar19141918
