Translations:CP 02906/20/en
- ↑ Here, Proust seems to allude to an article which appeared in the newspaper “Le Figaro” on 31 January, 1915, p.3, under the title of “The Affair of Hartmannwillerkopf”. It reads: “This is nothing but an episode of war; but it is a magnificent incident. At the summit of Hartmannwillerkopf, we had a large reconnaissance team which was violently attacked by important forces on 19 January. We had wanted to evacuate the team. It was a difficult situation. The slopes in this part of the Vosges are a mess of rocks. [...] It was snowing. You could not see further than 10 metres due to the wind. Because the objective was to save our comrades, our officers and our troops did not hesitate [...]” Following this report of their gruelling advancement, hope of saving their comrades dwindled but their ambition to reclaim the summit remained intact. -The battles to reclaim the summit of Hartmannswillerkopf lasted from January to June 1915, and the resulting war did not end until 1918 as each army occupied a part of higher ground. [PK]