Later, the Germans converted these hills into one of the most formidable positions organised by them in France. Brimont, Berru, Fresne and Nogent l'Abbesse, whose guns slowly destroyed Rheims, were, so to speak, her jailers for four years.
In April, 1917, during the French offensive of the Aisne, one division, known as the "Division of aces" (because its four regiments have the fourragère decoration), penetrated into Berméricourt and advanced to the outskirts of Brimont, but was unable to hold its ground against the furious counter-attacks of the Germans. It was only in October, 1918, that the French 5th Army, in conjunction with the victorious attacks of the 4th Army in Champagne, after forcing the Germans back to the Aisne and the canal, and after crossing the Aisne canal on October 4 in front of Loivre and near Berméricourt, forced the enemy, whose communications were now threatened, to abandon one of the most valuable portions of his 1914 positions. On October 5, the French re-entered Brimont and Nogent l'Abbesse, progressed beyond Bourgogne, Cernay-les-Rheims, Beine, Caurel and Pomacle, and, in spite of desperate enemy resistance, drove back the Germans to the Suippe.
_After visiting the fort return to the village of Brimont._
From here the =Château de Brimont= may be visited, but this will have to be done on foot as the road has been destroyed, traces only of it being left in places (_the lower photograph on p. 152 shows the beginning of the road in the village_).
The =Château de l'Ermitage=, also known as the Château de Brimont, _is situated about 500 yards south of the village, at the entrance to a_ large park, completely devastated. It was the scene of desperate fighting (_see p. 152_).
_Return to Brimont, cross the village (skirting the church) and continue straight on to the_ =Cran de Brimont Redoubt= _on the road to Rheims._ Numerous German trenches, etc., are to be seen here.
_Turn to the right into G.C. 9, which dips down to the_ Plain of Rheims. The region hereabouts bristle with barbed-wire entanglements and is crossed with numerous trenches. It was ranged to an incredible degree by the bombardments.
_At the bottom of the hill which starts at the Cran de Brimont, cross Soulains Wood, of which only_ a few torn tree-stumps remain.