Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus
Souain-Perthes-lès-Hurlus is a small commune in northeastern France, in the Marne department of the Grand Est region. It covers about 153 square kilometers and has around 263 residents (2023). The town is part of the Châlons-en-Champagne arrondissement and the Argonne Suippe et Vesle canton; the mayor for 2020–2026 is Jean-Marie de Grammont.
The area has significant World War I history. On December 9, 1915, near Souain, a prototype armoured vehicle with a Baby Holt caterpillar was successfully tested in the trenches, in the presence of General Philippe Pétain. The village is also linked to the Souain corporals affair that occurred on March 17, 1915.
Near the village is the Monument de la Légion Étrangère, an ossuary holding the remains of about 130 Foreign Legion soldiers who died during the Champagne offensive in September 1915. The ossuary was erected in 1920 by William Farnsworth, and a local street, Rue Henry Farnsworth, is named after his son.
The war left the region badly damaged, and rebuilding took many years.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:13 (CET).