Introduction

In this document we present to you the report/ratio of lieutenant Batigny Gaston (54RIF), detached with the casemate n°6, said casemate of Dreve Saint Antoine.

This report/ratio gives a report on the war between the 10 and on May 25, 1940. The document concerning at after May 25, 1940 was destroyed at the time of the imprisonment of the 54e RIF in Germany.

This document was transmitted to us by Mr. Lenne Xavier. We highly thank it.

From the 10 at May 19, 1940

The order of alarm having arrived us, the soldiers gave up their drives and regained the casemate which is organized immediately on the war footing with three turns. The cooks will still remain a few days with the site of the kitchen to the intersection of the roads of Odomez with Saint Amand and Bruile Saint Amand in Drève St Antoine. A station of circulation functions with the same site under my orders with a F.M out of ANTI-AIRCRAFT DEFENCE.

To the casemate one proceeds to the installation, degreasing, etc of all the material, a F.M in D.C.A functions. The convoies of Belgians ravel without interruption on the road flown over rather often by enemy apparatuses. We are grapeshots on several occasions without accidents.

Almost every evening, with 18:00, we receive a stick of bomb and bomb of large gauges. These bombs fall into the immediate surroundings from the casemates and without damage. The men are nevertheless surprised of these attacks without counterparts.

Troops occupy the intervals between the casemates, but I must frequently move in companies of the soldier Vanwassenliore Raymond, volunteer permanent for these exits, in order to go to contact the officers ordering the troops of intervals, because those Ci are obstinated:

-1° not to understand that they must protect us from frontal attacks since we do not have any means of fire in this direction, except the F.M of bell.

-2° to place nests of machine guns or F.M in front of the anti-tank ditch, i.e. at the right in the middle of the fields of fire of the casemate.

During these recognitions sometimes continued towards the intermediate line in order to obtain the information which is lacking to me, we pass in danger zones, but without encumber, except a fall which I make in barbed wires, wounding me rather deeply with before right-hand man, only the flesh are torn, it is thus of no importance.

We must go to seek a supply reduced to the casemate of Hare, with 1:20 of us. Beginning with the end, this service will be ensured by volunteers that I enjoy to quote, because they were in all circumstances above any praise; the sergeant Lucien Debail and the second class Paul Dupuis and Jules Bribaut.

About on May 17, for against attack of the “Bouillet grouping” on Avesnes on Helpes, 4 leave 2nd class: the soldiers Albert Menu, Andre Dumont, Joseph Chanpy and Jean Arcus, the 4 men leave with 3 F.M and 16 limp chargers full by F.M. These weapons will be the greatest lacking thereafter to me, because these 4 men will not return to the casemate on the list of item, I carry them like missings.

During this period my effort continues, especially to give the men in possession of their means, because much do not eat any more. They are thrown into a panic by the noise of the burstings and under the blow of a nervous breakdown. They tressaillent with each bursting, which feel besides strongly in the casemate and prevent about any sleep. I have much evil to persuade them of solidity of the casemate, they persist in seeing cracks everywhere, whereas a negligible number of blows reaches the work. To tell the truth, the days and the nights are long, one waits in a kind of fever, because we receive blows without being able to return them, which exasperates obviously.

In addition, the men are not unaware of that it is impossible for us to serve to us as the mixed weapon under bell (Riebel twinning and gun of 25 short, posed in March, April 1940), that we do not have any ammunition for the mortar of 40 (in spite of my multiple complaints) and that our observation aids are limited to the periscope of bell, épiscopes not having never been replaced by announced diascopes several times.

Finally the men feel isolated, because they do not lose aucunes faults of the troops of interval and finish by regarded as useless, they do not have aucunes confidence in them. No allied plane is seen and except a group of mortars, one hears no friendly artillery starting blows. Finally it there with the fun of the 5th column which does not pass. Let us note that the stator of a diesel was removed and that, so I have an unusable engine. The current is hard to go up, but I arrive there and the atmosphere is slackened a little and trustful about on May 18.

Of 19 at May 23, 1940

On May 19, I observe burstings much more frequent, the shells pass in general above us and burst with 100,150 meters of under wood. Some short blows fall in the neighbourhoods from the casemate, but without damage. Some trees start to be decapitated and one sees with far the roofs flying in glares. The zone becomes increasingly dangerous, we undergo ceaseless bombardments as well by artillery as by aviation and tiny. The reconnaissance aircraft lighting and flying over in quasis permanences; our exits outside are immediately announced and all the courses are sprinkled projectiles.

The supply craft leave each morning without failures. The troops of intervals being obstinated to place itself in front of the ditch anti-tank devices, I must leave on several occasions during days 19,20, May 21. My last exit took place on May 22 and will be fatal to the Vanwassenliore soldier who always accompanies me like volunteer. This May 22, the day begin with a violent one bombardment, then the calm one is restored, the burstings are more remote, the supply craft leave like usually. Their exit is greeted at a few minutes of intervals by a rain of grapeshot, I also note and for the first time the bursting of fusing shells.

The presence of the enemy is felt hard, but no information can be obtained by telephone assembled on light overhead cable which functions intermittently. Lieutenant Gallion seems little with the current from what occurs in our corner, moreover, its PC A. moved with Star of Cernay, but his site not recognized by my men, I avoid at all prices sending runners, because my manpower is far from being complete, we are now 24 on a manpower envisaged of 40 and I am afraid of new losses.

The information which I have comes:

- Of a share of my conversations with the troops of intervals, generally with sergeants, team leader, because of all my exits, I succeeded in only twice speaking with an officer and one only, one officer came to get along with me around the casemate on the shot-firing pattern.

- Of another share: the slightly injureds of the principal lines of resistance and intermediary who come to be made look after, and that I have an infinite evil to make go up on line. A station T.S.F had been quite necessary.

After midday, around 3 p.m., I leave with the Vanwassenliore soldier in direction the forest house Odomez. The outward journey and the return are carried out in a relatively peaceful way and when I join the casemate, some men all take the air against the door. We stop Vanwassenliore and me, speaks to him with his/her comrades while I move towards the crenels of the room of shooting Is, in order to give an account of the damage so to me were not caused with the external executives. I had hardly taken some steps which a formidable explosion resounds, I feel raised ground, I make a pirouette in the air and falls down lying on with dimensions one. It seems me to be touched with the corner of the shoulder, I sees any black and has sorrow to breathe, I absorbed CO2. I feel to fall on me a rain from dust as well as lumps of earth. I reacted of a block and without knowing, I find myself in the casemate. I immediately see several men who bleed. There is the Ohiers soldier who has a wound with the face, the soldier Desmaret, a estafilade with the thigh, the Debail sergeant realizing that Vanwassenliore remained outside will seek it. It is without knowledge. Personally, I recover, my anguish in the middle disappears, I have a splendid blue with the shoulder, in short nothing important. The evening I will realize to have two rather deep cuts with before right-hand man and I will find a small glare in my sleeve.

The Vanwassenliore soldier is immediately neat, it carries an enormous wound along the spinal column, two wounds with the belly, it has an almost divided arm. The shell or the bomb burst with 3m20 of him! He regains consciousness and asks me: you will see my wife, says me he, hold until the end, the end!

Stretcher-bearers of the P.S.B of St Amand Water come to seek it towards 18:00. I knew a few months ago by his wife who it had died at the end of May in Mouchin.

Excel soldier, it gave, of are alive, example of courage and contempt of the danger. I informed Lt Gallion by telephone; the evening, that Ci will be definitively cut!

We remain to 23 with two slightly injureds, without me to count.

I could question the stretcher-bearers, they say to me that the Germans are in the Scheldt and that advanced elements one crossed. I do not speak about it with my men, they too nervous and are disabled. The bombardments are done day in more precise day, the starting blows of the Germans get along very well, they advance. I feel that very clearly saturdays and gives orders so that the guard of night is vigilant. My casemate, indeed, is in a bottom melts and the drève St Antoine is a secondary way ravelled extremely well for whoever would like not to pass by the trunk road. There are thus chances so that an attack starts on me in the near future.

May 26, 1940

Dice the morning, with 4:30, I am awaked by a formidable bombardment which fall down on us and on the skirt of forest. Nothing answers and I am unaware of that I am not supported any more in the intervals. That approximately lasts 1:30, then calm and new bombardment; With far one intends to spit of the automatic weapons, but impossible to detect their presence. The break-in crust of the morning joins together us all except the guettor, I benefit from it to make a statement on to the men our situation and how I see starting an enemy attack.

I comfort them best than I can and each one appears dispos to make its duty.

Towards 10:30 of the morning, a dry blow which is reflected everywhere comes from the bell of guet. I question the guettor who does not answer me, undoubtedly deafened. During this time, resound a second, a third, a tenth blow. The guettor recovers, I give him order to try to detect the origin of the blows. The spot appears rather difficult, because each time we raise the periscope, the blows redouble and in addition, I make a point of preserving it, because it is my only observation aid forwards. The bell resists well and after one moment of anguish, the men take again confidence. Towards 10:55, the shooting rather in a hurry seems to be erased, the guettor announces me flashes which seem to correspond to the received blows, the indications related to the chart give a distance from 1200 to 1300 meters, a blow still strikes, followed by a violent clash inside the bell. Each one heard this noise

Singular, a great silence is done, broken by new blows which will be the last. I precipitate in the elevator cage, the 2nd class Louis Grard does not answer, the trap door is usually rather heavy, I ask a soldier to raise it, it is impossible thing, Grard must be fallen above. We think that the bell yielded. I reduce the mobile floor, Grard is wide in arc of circle, blood runs his mouth, it died, completely crashed to pieces, arm, leg, spinal column, chin. With its with dimensions to lie the interior crown of fixing of the frame of a diascope which with yielded: this part carries a fault, it is a defect of manufacture. The F.M of bell which was fixed in the opening of this diascope is made unusable, I do not have more F.M. the bell is intact, on the other hand the periscope is distorted. I temporarily suspend the service of guet and replaces it by a monitoring with the glasses of pointing. For the evening and the night, I intend to make carry out the guet in the bell of the mixed weapon which has also a periscope, but the position is more uncomfortable with the mixed weapon which cannot be set up and the observation field is limited! The guetteurs with the glasses announce me the fold of armed groups, of the casualties evacuated backwards, the caterpillars which come from the front one. The situation seems to me serious, I give severe orders for the quarter to the glasses, the armament is again checked! The last toilet of Grard is completed, we will bury it in the night.

From 13:00 the bombardment ceases. With 14:30 approximately, we open fire on groups of infiltration made up on average by two or three men. Towards 15:30 - 16:00, all seems calm, we cease fire while continuing to observe, the order is to draw on all suspect movements, because our field of fire is almost only consisted cereal fields and as there is no wind, the oscillation of the stems offers information. There is many ravelled routes, but we cannot beat them not having ammunition for the mortar. To 16:15, a runner coming from the PC of Lt Gallion brings the order written to me to leave the casemate after the destruction of use. The starting order will be given by six red lights launched by the casemate of High Bank (Slt Hardy). The runner did not receive any shots. I do not include/understand anything with this order, being unaware of all of the situation, and I have the tears with the eyes to have to leave “my” casemate whereas I succeeded in inculcating in my crew a combative spirit and of sacrifice, because we want “to hold until the end” as promised. I give the orders necessary for the departures and sabotages. The transportable weapons are dismounted, the parcellings assembled on the bags, etc red lights are not seen, Slt Hardy is obliged to send a man to me preventing me that the starting signal was given for a certain time already. The runner says to me not to have wiped any shots and not to have seen anything suspect. I make precipitate the preparations. A certain panic reigns. Part of the crew must remain with me for the last destruction, the other part, under the control of the sergeant chief Cliquet will leave and will await us at a point fixed on the drève St Antoine. The men spring, as soon as, the open door, they did not make 20 meters that machine-guns crépitent, like like sheep, the others sink through all before I had time to point out them. In the casemate, remain the Debail sergeant and two men. We cannot bury our Grard comrade under the fire of the machine-guns, moreover we do not find any more the keys square necessary to the opening of the gas oil barrels, we cannot any more move them to 4 because they are piled up the one on the others. In fact, the oil barrels are in a cavity arranged in the middle of the cases of vivres of reserve (this to avoid the wasting and the initiatives individual). We operate the last destruction: diesel, patent keies of the 47, pins of the crenels, secret collecting of papers, etc have our turn, we leave while crossing through the barbed wires and directly towards the nearest edge to drill, I close walk. Arrived at the edge a ball whistles unpleasantly with my ears: it is the only manifestation of the enemy.