Summary: I. French newsreel item on the destruction caused in the last few months on the Western Front, 1918.
II. French newsreel item on damage to the cathedral and city of Rheims, France, by April 1918.
III. French newsreel item on a bombardment seen indistinctly through the fog near the River Luce. The shelling strikes a distant village, Hangard-en-Santerre. Western Front, 1918.
IV. French newsreel item on the Schneider CA1 tank and two notable tank crews, Western Front, April 1918.
Description: The banks of the Neuville Canal, near Rheims, are lined with damaged houses. The glass factory at Neuvillette is reduced to rubble and a few walls. Old German dugouts and fortifications cover the area east of Saint Quentin. One small fort near Courcy is occupied by French soldiers. The whole area shows extensive damage, churned up earth, cratering, and shattered woods. A few soldiers wander through the badly damaged village of Beaumont, north of Verdun.
The streets of the city are damaged and the town hall is burnt out. In front of the cathedral the statue of Joan of Arc is still in place - it was subsequently removed to a place of safety. The inside of the cathedral shows more shell damage, light pours through the gaps in the roof.
While French soldiers watch, the Schneider CA1 demonstrates its ability to push over small trees. A portrait shot of Sergeant-Major Deloche, recommended for the Médaille Militaire for escaping after being held with his tank for 48 hours. A portrait shot, panned between them, of Lieutenant Domercq and Sergeant-Major Mouren with their tank 'Mets-z'y-en'. Both were awarded the Legion of Honour for their tank exploits.
Production Details: Section Cinématographique de l'Armée Française (Production company)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Deloche (Sergeant-Major) (person)
Domercq (Lieutenant) (person)
Mouren (Sergeant-Major) (person)
French Army (regiment/service)
French Army (regiment/service)
Keywords: destruction, French military - area: artillery bombardment & [+] (object name)
destruction, French military - area: artillery bombardment (object name)
buildings, French - religious: cathedral & [damaged] (object name)
buildings, French - institutional: town hall & [wrecked] (object name)
combat, French - artillery bombardment [D] (object name)
armour, French - tank: Schneider CA1 (object name)
01/3(4-15).9 (event)
01/3(4-15).8 (event)
01/3(4-15).9 (event)
01/3(4-15).8 (event)
Neuville (Canal), Somme, France (geography)
La Neuvillette, Marne, France (geography)
Courcy, Saint Quentin, Aisne, France (geography)
Beaumont, Meuse, France (geography)
Rheims, Marne, France (geography)
Luce (River), France (geography)
Hangard-en-Santerre, Somme, France (geography)
France (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Silent
Soundtrack language: None
Title language: None
Subtitle language: French
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 508 ft; Running time: 9 mins
