evolution Posted 2 October , 2009 Share Posted 2 October , 2009 I think for it to be said that there is no interest for this area on this forum as opposed the Somme or Saliant is a very hard comment, just to see the hits these pictures get shows how untrue that statement is. If your interest is this region then it is down to you to show us!, many I think do not realise that because these areas are so remote much is as it was when war ended in 1918, just that nature has claimed back what is her's, and you are showing how it now looks. I have wanted to go there for many years, after reading a book called "The Hidden Western Front" which showed all the areas that are off the so called tourists track, just that I am after so long of going there I find my self going no further than the Saliant, I have hardly touched the Somme, just get to eeeeps and as far down as Lens, there is so much to see, where does one say, "ok enough of this place I will now go else where", so you see if it was not for you we would not see what we are missing, so keep them coming please, and as far as there is no interest on this forum I say RUBBISH, post away, you I think will be surprised how mush reaction you will get! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 2 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 2 October , 2009 Yesterday I spent three or four hours deciding on pictures, editing, uploading to Flickr and then creating this thread. There were 22 views, most of which were me editing my posts. Five hours later no-one had commented, except for Egbert within the thread. Naturally I thought there was little interest. Egbert had similar thoughts when he created his own two Vosges threads. There is little doubt that Somme and Ypres threads get a lot of traffic; even threads about other areas of north west France where the British served - such as Arras - are far less well visited. That, perhaps, explains why the comment was made. I do recognise that there are people who think that because this section of the Front was contested by the French and the Germans, it is of no particular interest to British members who comprise most of the membership. However, I'm very pleased that you think that we've drawn attention to unknown areas, and I thank you (all) sincerely for your interest. I'll try to build on that in this thread and others to come. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 2 October , 2009 Share Posted 2 October , 2009 I have clicked onto the thread from time to time, as I did with the previous ones. I know absolutely damn all about this area, which it what makes these threads so fascinating. You are correct that my major area of interest is the Salient and the Somme....after all, I am British, but that doesn't mean that I am not interested in other areas, or indeed even other theatres....even the Eastern Front (and I know even less about that!) I think, Dragon, you'd be surprised at how many of us find your thread of interest. Please keep posting! Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Ring Posted 2 October , 2009 Share Posted 2 October , 2009 I have clicked onto the thread from time to time, as I did with the previous ones. I know absolutely damn all about this area, which it what makes these threads so fascinating. You are correct that my major area of interest is the Salient and the Somme....after all, I am British, but that doesn't mean that I am not interested in other areas, or indeed even other theatres....even the Eastern Front (and I know even less about that!) I think, Dragon, you'd be surprised at how many of us find your thread of interest. Please keep posting! Bruce Gwyn I agree with Bruce. Please keep posting. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 Thank you. A little further on, on the French primary line, there is a fortified trench. I've seen archive pictures of such a trench occupied by soldiers using machine guns and hand grenades. and Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 and This place is infested with chicken wire. Did they use that in the Great War? I would be grateful if someone could tell me. See it here in the lower half the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 This is looking back along the wall. I have arrowed a plate covering a hole ?for firing through? (Sorry, I don't know the words - please tell me.) You might be able to see a set of square viewing holes set in the wall to the left of the plate. Same, with plate arrowed and, at the front of the picture, more wire (arrowed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 More interpretive shots of the wire - and I took this one because the scene seemed strangely abstract, almost like a stained glass effect. And Where do human relics end and nature begin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 After scrambling down the walls, a final look back. Peaceful. It could be any wall in any forest, but the clues say that it is not. Incidentally, sorry about the contrasty nature of the photos. Bright sunlight and dark forest create a difficult dynamic range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 Back on the German lines, there are several small buildings. Just in view here, (foreground),the remains of a blockhaus. Quite a lot of them were destroyed when the forest workers' tracks were constructed. And another: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 There's another one up there: This is the secondary German lines and it's possible to see trenches running to it. It was one of several built in case the primary front lines ruptured. Rear entrance: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishmen1916 Posted 5 October , 2009 Share Posted 5 October , 2009 Great Photos Gwyn, thank you for posting them. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted 5 October , 2009 Share Posted 5 October , 2009 Stunning! More please! Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 Getting the numbers of men and supplies up the mountains necessitated the construction of télépheriques. This concrete platform is the remains of a station (not unlike the one on Tête des Faux as shown in Egbert's thread). The arrival chamber is directly underneath. I believe you can scramble down to it, and apparently there is an inscription which says, "Umgebaut 1 Ldst. Inf. Batl. Freib XIV Aug. 1917". (I think this means: 'Modified by the 1st Territorial Infantry Bn of Freiburg in August 1917' but someone who knows more German than I do could perhaps correct me.) and You can see the steepness of the mountainside. I'm usually a have-a-go sort of person, but here I don't trust myself not to end up slithering down into oblivion, so I don't try to access the chamber. ***** More to come! I have to edit them and upload to Flickr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMarsdin Posted 5 October , 2009 Share Posted 5 October , 2009 Keep them coming Gwyn ! And I don't even have to leave my armchair ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 5 October , 2009 Share Posted 5 October , 2009 The netting wire (Gwyn calls it chicken wire) was used to cover the front line trenches to keep handgrenades away from falling into one's own trench. This was a precautionary measure since the enemy trenches were only a couple of meters away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 5 October , 2009 Share Posted 5 October , 2009 Trench near doomed Reichackerkopf summit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 Thank you for the explanation, Egbert. I'm grateful for insights, as otherwise I have to muddle through with my own imperfect terminology! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 5 October , 2009 Share Posted 5 October , 2009 I believe you can scramble down to it, and apparently there is an inscription which says, "Umgebaut 1 Ldst. Inf. Batl. Freib XIV Aug. 1917". (I think this means: 'Modified by the 1st Territorial Infantry Bn of Freiburg in August 1917' but someone who knows more German than I do could perhaps correct me.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 A little further on, there is another concrete bunker. This was used by electricians whose function was to manage the electrical and telephone connections for the German defences of Reichackerkopf. Internally, the walls are mainly sound and the corrugated iron roof is intact: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 There were two rooms: This is the second: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 The window. Imagine the slopes with the forest shot to match-sticks. Not quite home here at Christmas, but there's a tree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1690philip Posted 5 October , 2009 Share Posted 5 October , 2009 Great photographs thanks for posting them. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 The walls were originally at least partially lined with wood, as the photo shows. It remained intact after the War. Apparently, a local family displaced by the war made this their home for six years while they awaited the reconstruction of their house in the valley. A last look - before it recedes into the shadowy forest again and is lost to view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 5 October , 2009 Author Share Posted 5 October , 2009 The next one is a bit of a climb and I'm beginning to wonder whether I can make it. The temperature is about 28°, there is little shade once you leave the tree canopy, the afternoon sun is full and fierce and I've got about a cupful of water left. But it's worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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