GAULLE Charles de. 3 L. A. S., 12, 22 and 27 December 1914, to his mother Jeanne de Gaulle; 4 pages in-8 in ink, 1 page in-12 in pencil with address on verso (military correspondence card), and 3 pages and a quarter in-8 in ink. Three letters from the front to his mother. 12 December. He came out of the trenches: "We were rested in the rear for a few days before moving on to another kind of exercise. The general impression is that we are going to take the offensive on the whole line very soon, and I can assure you that the Germans will feel us coming. As far as we are concerned (the 1st Corps), we had already once - several weeks ago - almost left, but the failure at Wailly stopped us in our tracks. As you know from the official reports, reserve regiments had lost quite a lot of ground there and it was the 1st Corps that was given the task of taking it back and holding it. Moreover, the 33rd did not have to move. [...] For the first time since 15 October I was able to sleep with my clothes off and in a bed. It feels very strange to be out of the danger zone and no longer expecting to be suddenly shot in the skin or lose a limb by a shell. We shouldn't be surprised or worried that the Russians have stopped. If we wanted to define their military character according to their history, we would say that they are very slow and very tenacious. Once again, their resources are unlimited and those of their adversaries are gradually being exhausted. I grant you that we have been too hasty in celebrating their triumph: this has caused public opinion unnecessary disillusionment. Just as it is extremely wrong to talk about the heroism of the Belgians, the millions of men that England is supposedly putting under arms, and the imminent famine in Germany. The resumption of the offensive on our side comes at exactly the right time. We must be confident, resolute and patient. Since the battle of the Marne showed French superiority, the war has been decided in our favour. The rest is a matter of time and sacrifice. So let us know how to wait and suffer"... 22nd December. "On the offensive, not far from before but closer to Xavier [his brother]. All going well. Lots of love. 27th December. "Christmas passed for us in the midst of a very violent cannonade, because on our side we have made great efforts these days to break through the enemy line and we have gained quite a lot of ground. Unfortunately, the Germans were very strongly entrenched, and we could only drive them out of their holes with the help of formidable artillery. It took the artillery a long time to make an area untenable, and it used up a huge amount of bullets. This explains our slow progress. What's more, the 1st Corps has remained in reserve until now, and we haven't had any engagements on our new ground until now. Colonel Claudel took him on 'as his deputy. I really like this new job, firstly because of its importance, and secondly because it's interesting, as you get to see a lot more than you would as a company commander. However, I was a bit sad to leave my 7th Company. I had only commanded it in the trenches, but it had fully satisfied me there. In two months it had already lost 27 killed and wounded under my command, which was not excessive. [...] Events were certainly not moving fast. The Russians continued to be hamstrung by their lack of railways. But the wear and tear is to their advantage. On our side, there is no doubt that the offensive we are taking with all the wisdom and resolution accumulated through many lessons will soon succeed across the board"... LNC, I, p. 116 and 124.