commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
A small farming village situated northeast of Arras, at the junction of the D919 and the D33 roads.
Population
Places of interest
* The church of St. Armand, rebuilt as was the rest of the village, after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
World War I
Fresnoy was virtually destroyed in 1917 during the First World War.
After their successes in the spring campaigns (including the taking of Vimy Ridge), the Canadians and British pushed eastwards across open country until they reached German defence lines that, in this sector, ran north to south from Arleux, on to Oppy and then down to Gavrelle.
Following a successful push by the Canadians through Arelux in late April, German positions in and around Fresnoy became the scene of fierce fighting on April 28, 1917.
Ernst Jünger
Ernst Jünger (; 29 March 1895 – 17 February 1998) was a German author, highly decorated soldier, philosopher, and entomologist who became publicly known for his World War I memoir '' Storm of Steel''.
The son of a successful businessman and ...
, who wrote ''
Storm of Steel
''Storm of Steel'' (german: In Stahlgewittern, lit=In Steel Thunderstorms; original English title: ''In Storms of Steel'') is the memoir of German officer Ernst Jünger's experiences on the Western Front during the First World War from December ...
'', recalled the barrage on the village:
''‘Fresnoy was one towering fountain of earth after another. Each second seemed to outdo the last. As if by some magical power, one house subsided into the earth; walls broke, gables fell, and bare sets of beams and joints were sent flying through the air, cutting down the roofs of other houses. Clouds of splinters danced over whitish wraiths of steam. Eyes and ears were utterly compelled by this devastation.’''
A few weeks later, on May 5, the Canadians managed to capture the village. It was lost, however, when ferocious German counterattacks were launched on May 7 and pushed the Canadians and British back. The frontline then stabilised just outside the village.
In commemoration of this battle, Fresnoy Mountain in the Canadian Rockies was given its name in 1919.
*Bilton, D, Oppy Wood, ''Pen and Sword Military'', 2005
*Nichols, J, ''Cheerful Sacrifice: The Battle of Arras 1917'', Pen and Sword Military, 2003
*Jünger, E, ''
Storm of Steel
''Storm of Steel'' (german: In Stahlgewittern, lit=In Steel Thunderstorms; original English title: ''In Storms of Steel'') is the memoir of German officer Ernst Jünger's experiences on the Western Front during the First World War from December ...