My walk from Schratzmännele via Barrenkopf to Kleinkopf

[mandy hall]

Hi Egbert

I agree with Steve's comments and I would love to see your photos. I have read all 3 of the threads from yourself and Dragon from begining to end. These are threads that I always look at if something new has been added.

I actually drove through Vosages last Saturday morning, but we were on our way back from spending a week in Tuscany heading for the ferry at Calais so we did not have time to stop, although on the way as we had taken an extra day to get to Italy we did go and look at the Verdun battlefields. The Vosages will more than likely be part of our holiday planning for next year. Found this leaflet on the net http://www.tourisme-alsace.info/lei/essais/photos/212000209_d1.pdf.

I would urge you to reconsider Egbert.

Mandy

[rendellers]

I agree that resizing photos for the forum takes a lot of time and also uses up the forum's 'space' but please consider sharing your photos via say flickr here which I have used to put up cemetery photos. The more albums you do the quicker you get! Another host could be photobucket. Yes a lot of people may seem to be interested solely in Flanders and the Somme. I would probably include myself however I also really enjoy looking at other fronts, say Gallipoli or the Vosges, because of the passion and expertise of those who visit them.

Regards

Lindsey

[Tony Ring]

Thanx Eddy

Ok, here we go: the trench in post #54 is a French trench. The French trenches generally were not as solid and thoroughly constructed as the German ones. The Vosges battlegrounds saw a lot of stone revetments and stone based trench fortifications as it is a natural material from the sites. Remember, all material (concrete, wood) had to be brought up with mules, hand carried or by funicular railway. During artillery drum fire it does not matter whether you were killed by stone fragments or wood fragments, both were deadly. Otherwise in times of relative calmness stone was an ideal material for protection. In fact the Germans encountered situations during the 1915/1916 Hartmannsweillerkopf fightings (remember this small mountain cost 60,000 men on both sides over the course of 4 years)when the French artillery fire set the wooden frames and reinforcements on fire that forced the defenders to evacuate front line trenches, I think it was a trench system along the "Himmelsleiter"! The stone made trenches are the reason why most German trenches still today are up there and are generally in excellent order after so many years.

Sudelkopf was indeed my last trip a couple of weeks ago with tons of photos. But if you look at the small number of hits to Gwyn's and my 3 Vosges battleground threads (Reichsackerkopf, Buchenkopf and this thread) - I think it is not worth to post them here. 1. it would be very time consuming to resize and crop etc and 2. as other British pals have convinced and have explained me: this is a mostly Brit forum and the majority of visitors are overwhelmingly solely interested in Flanders and Somme.

Egbert.

I do enjoy reading your postings and hope to see many more.

When you have time please continue.

Tony

[tim_oz]

egbert

I understand the work involved and really appreciate what you have shared with us, but dont sell yourself short 2,000+ views means a few of us are intrested. In fact it was your original posts on the Buchenkopf which started my intrest in this end of the front and mad me realisre that the war did not stop at the Somme.

Tim B

[egbert]

All pictures from Gwyn are gone. Gwyn are you able to reinstate these brilliant images please?

[Dragon]

Are they? I can see them!

I haven't removed anything. What shows up where they were?

[egbert]

Gwyn, thanks for esponding - I don't know what happened - they are all there by now. Before, I could see only a tiny-small squarebox with an X inside. But again- I can see all of your pictures now.....

[Dragon]

Weird. Anyway, I'm glad they are there. I wouldn't have just deleted them.