Back to Champagne, FOUR YEARS LATER

In Issue 111 of Voie Libre, we told you about the genesis of the 60 cm gauge network in the Champagne region in 1915. In this article, we return to the Marne area, four years later, to tell you about the civilian destiny of these former military lines.

Éric Fresné

Like all départements of North-Eastern France, Marne was devastated by 1919. 36 villages had even been completely razed to the ground. It was in this context that the Ministry of Liberated Regions (MRL in the French acronym) attempted to organize reconstruction. It classified the areas into three categories depending on the scope of destruction suffered. From the Chemin des Dames to Argonne, the North of Marne was listed in the yellow and red areas. However, this devastated region did have one small advantage. It was criss-crossed by the extensive 60 cm gauge Champagne network. This system had been built as early as 1915 by the IVth Army (see Issue 111 of Voie Libre). And adjacent to it were the networks of Argonne (IInd Army), of the Reims mountain and of…

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Voie Libre International (Digital) - 1 Issue, OCTOBER / NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023 - 115

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