ABSTRACT
The days immediately preceding the general offensive on 16 June were relatively calm along 34e Division d'Infanterie (DI's) front, with the Germans inflicting only their 'habitual' bombardment through which the division carried on improving its trench system. Unfortunately, the situation on the division's front had not drastically improved since the days immediately following 11 May. General Pillot wrote angrily to Petain bemoaning his situation from the first day the principal units of 77e DI reoccupied their forward trenches. The next day a slightly more pragmatic note was distributed by Pillot in which he talked about the intense bombardment churning up the buried dead, thus releasing strong odours and creating an unsanitary situation. Throughout these difficulties Pillot exercised exceptional leadership. Much like Barbot before him, Pillot took a deep interest in the evolution of the trenches in his sector, and closely tracked their progress in the hope of maximizing the amount of work the division could accomplish before any renewed attack.
