CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Share Posted 1 September , 2010 A few snaps from my recent quick trip to the WF... I've left out some of the more 'usual' places and arranged them geographically rather than chronologically. (If interested, the WW2 side of the trip can be found on the WW2Talk forum) Starting from the north: the (pre- Strandfest) northernmost reach of the Western front at Lombartzijde (coastal erosion has turned what, in June 1917, was dunes to flat beach). The photo taken looking directly inland was from the exact position of the end of the last German frontline trench. A 'nice surprise' in the middle of the beach too!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Quick jump to the St.Quentin vicinity... The famous well (reconstruction) in St.Quentin around which Major Bridges and his bugler played the toy instruments to rouse the demoralised troops into movement in August 1914... Grand Seraucourt CWGC cemetery containing the remains of soldiers and airmen from 1914 through to 1944... ...The Bellicourt American Monument... ...The Napoleon tunnel at Riqueval... ...inside the tunnel... Tennesee memorial, Riqueval... ...Somme American Cemetery, Bony... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 ...down to the Chemin des Dames... ...Caverne du Dragon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KONDOA Posted 1 September , 2010 Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Good pictures Dave. Weather looks ideal. Roop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Cerny en Laonnais memorial chapel,,, ...Cerny en L. German cemetery... ...Cerny en L. French cem... Cerny en L. Loyal North Lancs memorial... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 ...Californie Plateau - monument to the 'nameless dead' caught in the web of history... ...Hurtebise Farm memorial to the actions of 1814 (French vs Russians) and 1914-18. There's also a 1940 memorial on the nearby wall... ...destroyed village of Craonne... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 ... MG post above Craonne Ft.de Malmaison German Cemetery (1939-45)... Vendresse CWGC cemetery... Vendresse churchyard... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Soupir Italian Cemetery... ...Soupir German Cemetery... Soupir Nr.1 French cemetery... Soupir nr.2 French cemetery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 ...Bourg et Comin... part of 1/Cameron Highlanders HQ Coy killed when their dugout suffered a cave-in - Sept 1914. Two other members lie across from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Marshall Posted 1 September , 2010 Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Great photos, Dave. I've not visited any American Cemeteries myself, so it was interesting to see the Medal of Honor recipients' graves. I had no idea they were engraved as they are. Cheers, Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 ...this row contains the 4/DGs - killed upon entry to Bourg by MG fire from house windows on September 13th 1914... Soupir Chateau remains...served both as a regimental HQ and an ADS during the war... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Quick skip to Verdun and the Argonne now... Montfaucon American monument... ...view of the church from the top... ...one of the 7(?) OPs surrounding the remains of the village (found 5 of them)... ...Nantillois German cemetery... Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, Romagne... ...and my specific reason for visiting M-A cemetery (been here many times before, but never knew I was related to this guy)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Chattancourt (Mort Homme) French cemetery... ...remains of Cumieres (destroyed village) church... Bois de Caures... Bois de caures (Driant's PC)... ...Ft.Douaumont... ...Ft.Douaumont... ...Ft.Douaumont... ... ...Verdun-Bevaux french cemetery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 ...onwards and...err..downwards! Alsace next... Cernay French cemetery with the Hartmannsweillerkopf (right) and Molkenrain (left) in the background ...Russians , Czechs, Vietnamese and (1) British lie amongst the Frenchmen (and colonies) who died from the first week of the war all the way through to 1946 in here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Cernay German cemetery... graves from August 1914 through to January 1945 (plus several regimental memorials and a nice selection of original grave markers) in here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 'Le Vieil-Armand', 'Hartmannswillerkopf' or 'Silberloch' French cemetery and the Hartmannswillerkopf... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Soultzmatt Roumanian cemetery... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 ...and Illfurth German cemetery (the most southerly German cemetery on the Western Front... here lies buried Lt.Albert Mayer, the first 'killed in action' casualty of WW1 (2nd August 1914) - he beat Cpl.Peugeot to this dubious honour by a matter of minutes/hours))... ...Mayer's grave... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Finally... down to the very end of the line and Pfetterhouse, la Largue and Mooslargue. The first two photos are taken from the exact spot that the French line ended (according to the two June 1917 trenchmaps I was using). One is on the spot looking towards Switzerland (beyond the clearing a few yards in front of the camera) and the other shows the location of wire field that lay in front of this final line. The german line (across the river to the east of these positions) continued southwards a little further, but was unopposed by any combattant nation so this was the final 'offensive' zone. ... ...and the famous Pfetterhouse customs house on the Swiss border a mile or two to the west of the firing line... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 1 September , 2010 Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Lovely strong photos, Dave. I love the web of war sculpture. For interest, these cards are from my collection. Re post #16: the cross at Hartmannswillerkopf: Early visitors to the remains of structures at HWK: and the Roumanian cemetery at Soultzmatt (post #17): If you would prefer that these didn't interrupt your sequence, I'll delete them till you've finished. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 If you would prefer that these didn't interrupt your sequence, I'll delete them till you've finished. No probs Gwyn. Just about finished now (took nearly 3000 photos - and I ain't posting all them!!! )... one more post of 'randoms' and I'm done. Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 ...a few random shots from the journey down and back... Coucy le Chateau (largest keep in N.France (I think) - dynamited by the germans in 1917... ...mis-spelled memorial at coucy... 1917 and 1940 graves in Eperleques churchyard... Waxweiller (near Prum, Germany) war memorial...a very thought provoking list of names on there. one in the UK... Ashford, Kent (stopped there on the way down (and back)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 .... a quick quiz question to end... I never knew what this was until last week (when I asked someone!!!). I'd seen them many times, but never heeded much notice of them. Anyone else know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Jones Posted 1 September , 2010 Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Brilliant photos! Excellent start with the oyster on the beach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 1 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 1 September , 2010 Oh...nearly forgot.... it was well worth it. If nothing else, then just for THIS .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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