Aisne << ayn >> River is a river in northeastern France. It rises in the forests of Argonne near Ste. Menehould. It flows north and then west before joining the Oise River near Compiegne. The Aisne is about 180 miles (290 kilometers) long. Canals, constructed in the mid-1800’s, join the Aisne to the Seine and Meuse rivers. Commercial barges and recreational boats navigate these waterways.
Three bitter battles of World War I (1914-1918) were fought in the valley of the Aisne. The first, the Battle of the Aisne, took place in September 1914. British and French forces fought the German army to a standstill, and the opposing sides dug networks of trenches as protection against machine guns and artillery. Nearly four years of brutal trench warfare followed.
