The Battle of Rossignol (22 August 1914) one of the first battles of the First World War, was part of the Battle of the Frontiers on the Western Front between the German and French armies. To counter the German invasion of Belgium, the French commander-in-chief, General Joseph Joffre, ordered an attack upon the centre of the German front. The attack was to be conducted by the French Fourth Army comprising the Colonial Corps and II Corps. Simultaneously, the German army 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.
Advanced elements of the 3rd Colonial Infantry Division (Léon Amédée François Raffenel) 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 Division and 12th Division 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 bridge was on the only route by which the 3rd Colonial Division at Rossignol could be reinforced. The Germans then defeated the French remaining in the village, the rest of the Colonial Corps pulled back to defensive positions.
The 3rd Colonial Division was destroyed as a fighting force, with casualties of about 10,520. Raffenel was killed as was Charles Rondony one of his brigade commanders; Charles Montignault, the other brigade commander, was captured. Another 868 men were lost from the supporting 2nd Colonial Division; German casualties were between 3,473 and 3,984 men. The alleged involvement of francs-tireurs at Tintigny and Rossignol resulted in reprisals in which German troops killed 63 civilians shortly after the battle; another 122 were court-martialed and shot.
Background
Germany declared war upon Russia on 1 August 1914 and upon France two days later. The German high command sought quick results over France in the west before the Russian Army could complete its longer mobilisation. The Germans implemented a modified form of the Schlieffen Plan, a pre-war deployment plan that sought to outflank the French fortifications that were south of Verdun. On 4 August German armies advanced into Belgium, whilst holding a static defensive front in the south. The French Colonial Corps, part of the Fourth Army was situated at Stenay (North-eastern France) on the river Chiers, with the XII Corps on its left flank and the II Corps on its right. The Colonial Corps was formed of 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 Divisions. The 3rd Colonial Division, which saw the most 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 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 (GQG, army headquarters) issued orders for the Fourth Army to move north into Belgium at 9.30 p.m. 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.
Prelude
The Colonial Corps set off northwards with an advance guard drawn from the 3rd Colonial Division (General Charles Montignault). This unit, comprising the 1st Colonial Infantry Regiment, the 4th battery of the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment, two platoons of the 3rd and the 6th Squadron of the 6th Dragoon Regiment, marched north to Virton, Belgium. The French troops brushed aside German cavalry reconnaissance units and met no resistance. The French advanced through Chauvenoy, St Vincent and captured the bridge at Breuvanne by nightfall on 21 August. The remainder of the 3rd Colonial Division followed on behind, hampered by late changes of orders, blocked roads, hot weather, a rainstorm and thick fog; the unit made the journey in twenty hours.
The opposing German forces comprised the VI Corps (General Kurt von Pritzelwitz) which took little offensive action on 20 August except to capture Neufchâteau to billet the XVIII Reserve Corps. Late on 21 August German strategy was changed, instead of proceeding westwards the 5th Army (Crown Prince Wilhelm) was directed to turn south to capture Virton. The 11th Division (5th Army) was to take Tintigny and the 12th Division Rossignol, with the 4th Army protecting their right flank. The French Fourth Army cavalry and aerial reconnaissance units had detected the strong German presence and the lack of westward movement. GQG refused to change their assessment of the situation and told French generals that the German forces were still assumed to be proceeding to the north-west at some two to three days march from the 3rd Colonial Division.
Battle
Morning
At 6:40 a.m. on 22 August General Léon Raffenel, commander of the 3rd Colonial Division, reached St Vincent in heavy fog where he met with the Colonial Corps commander, General Jules Lefèvre. Lefèvre issued his orders for the day, stating that Raffenel was to march to Neufchâteau and secure billets. Lefèvre indicated that he did not expect to encounter the enemy until 23 or 24 August. The German 4th Army spotted the advance of the Colonial Corps by aerial reconnaissance and their cavalry screen but did not know whether this force intended to continue north or move eastwards. The German 11th and 12th divisions were warned to expect contact with strong French forces.
Final confirmation of the French intentions came on the morning of 22 August when the German cavalry screen encountered French troops of the 6th Dragoons moving northwards on the road to Neufchâteau. The opposing cavalry met some south of Rossignol and the French drove back the Germans, clearing the road. The remainder of the 3rd Colonial Division, following in column along a road hemmed in by thick hedgerows and wire fences, was in good spirits in anticipation of an easy march. The French dragoons soon crossed the Semois River and cleared the village of Rossignol before heading into the dense Ligny forest. Around into the forest they met elements of the German 2nd Regiment which had been advancing southwards from Les Fosses. The Uhlans dismounted and opened fire before withdrawing northwards.
The French cavalry resumed their advance but further north came upon the 157th Infantry Regiment deployed in defensive positions behind a crest, from which it could carry out enfilade fire upon the road, at several kilometres range. The French cavalry suffered many casualties from rifle fire and withdrew behind a crest. At 7:23 a.m. the French advance guard commander requested additional orders from his superiors - he was told to recommence the advance but protested that it was impossible to do so. The 2nd Battalion, 1st Colonial Infantry Regiment was sent forwards to clear the road by the bayonet. The colonel of the colonial regiment believed he was facing only a small German detachment, with their nearest major units still believed to be some to the east. Frontal bayonet charges were unable to penetrate the strong German positions, with the French hampered by the dense forest that surrounded the road and limited visibility to . The German forces were forced to remain in their positions, unable to counter-attack due to the continuous assaults and inability to deploy their artillery within the forest.
Late morning
Raffenel met with his advance guard commander and decided the German forces were of no significant strength. Raffenel established his command post in Rossignol and ordered the 2nd Colonial Infantry Regiment, which had arrived at 10:00 a.m. under the command of Charles Rondony, to support the 1st Colonial Infantry in the forest. Raffenel also ordered the divisional artillery deployed near the village where it could fire on the forest under protection from the 3rd African Chasseurs and one detached battalion of the 2nd Colonial Infantry.
General Martin Chales de Beaulieu, commander of the German 12th Division, became aware that the 157th Infantry Regiment was under great pressure and had suffered many casualties. Beaulieu ordered the 63rd Infantry Regiment and a battery of artillery to move around the French left flank to Termes. This force entered Termes at 11:00 a.m. and engaged French troops still moving along the road towards Rossignol. A firefight erupted and a battery of the German artillery went into action on nearby Hill 363, supported by the machine-guns of the infantry. A French artillery battery, still in column of march and unable to move off the road due to marshes and fences, deployed on the highway and within minutes had destroyed three guns and killed or wounded most of the crews. The two remaining German batteries deployed behind the crest of Hill 363 and commenced indirect fire upon the French column. The supporting 63rd Infantry Regiment was unable to advance to the road but continued to harass the French forces.
Simultaneously the 11th Division (General Von Weber), moved to seize Tintigny via Ansart and discovered the French 3rd Colonial Division in column of march on the Rossignol–Breuvanne road. Deploying some artillery onto Hill 345, near Breuvanne bridge, the remainder of the 11th Division advance guard continued its march southwards. Thus the French found themselves threatened on both flanks.
French withdrawal The French continued to attack the German centre in the Ligny Forest and by 10:30 a.m. most of the 157th Infantry Regiment's officers had become casualties and the German troops began to waver. French officers, easily distinguished by their gold braided kepis and white gloves, suffered particularly heavy casualties – including three battalion commanders who were hit by one burst of machine-gun fire. Lacking senior commanders the French were fragmented into squad-sized units led by subalterns and non-commissioned officers. Lieutenant-Colonel Guerin, noting the disorganisation amongst the remaining troops, took the initiative and ordered a fighting withdrawal towards Rossignol. A covering position was established some south of the forest edge. The French cavalry at Rossignol, receiving orders to defend a French battery deployed to the east, failed to locate the artillery and instead attempted to charge the German artillery on Hill 363. Unable to reach the gunners due to marshland, impenetrable fences and German return-fire they moved south across the Breuvanne bridge and west towards Termes. This difficult movement badly disorganised the unit and it took until the end of the day for it to reform, ruling out its involvement in the battle.
Encirclement of Rossignol