egbert Posted 6 October , 2012 Share Posted 6 October , 2012 I have already posted two picture-threads from my visits to the Vosges mountain battlegrounds here on GWF. They are "My walk from Schratzmännele via Barrenkopf to Kleinkopf" and "My climb up to the Buchenkopf".Asked by many pals here for a continuation of the Vosges battleground "series", I am ready to let you participate in my two excursions to the mountain of the mountains, the most tragic, the bitter faught and the most bloody of all - the Hartmannsweilerkopf (HWK). The HWK mostly saw the fiercest battles in 1915, heavy artillery bombardments continued until 1918. The mountain cost the lifes of some 30.000+ brave men, who stayed up there, guarding the mighty HWK for eternity.The thread will evolve over time with hundreds of pictures. So please come in and join the - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 6 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2012 On my first tour I was accompanied by my friend Louis, a French expert on the Vosges battlegrounds. The tour lasted 8 hrs, was some 12 km long and included 600m height difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 6 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2012 Here is an overview of the morning tour which starts at famous Hirtzenstein which has its own history of fierce battles, follow the lovely mountain stream "Goldbach" to fortresses "Unterer Rehfelsen", Mittlerer Rehfelsen", "Jägerfelsen", "Aussichtsfelsen" to the summit of HWK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 6 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2012 Partial view from starting point Hirtzenstein. This historic picture gives full view of HWK southern slope . Historic picture of Hirtzenstein who changed sides many times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 6 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2012 At first I thought what a lovely walk along the Goldbach stream...... passing the place of German wartime baths called Leopoldsbad This is what is left today, just a small stream in a side valley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 6 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2012 This picture shows the same place more busy then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 6 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2012 Walking through Goldbach valley the first bunkers and trenches come up. This one with old inscriptions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 6 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2012 Around the corner a memory pyramid with inscription "Den Tapferen Gefallenen" = dedicated to the brave fallen. Once the place of a cemetery in "Camp Möllendorf" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 6 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 October , 2012 Post war picture from same pyramid including the plaque with the names of the fallen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithjk Posted 6 October , 2012 Share Posted 6 October , 2012 Nice one Egbert. I look forward to following the HWK saga Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Ring Posted 6 October , 2012 Share Posted 6 October , 2012 At last more interesting photographs. Thank you Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandy hall Posted 6 October , 2012 Share Posted 6 October , 2012 Looking forward to following your expedition. Mandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim_oz Posted 7 October , 2012 Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Egbert wonderful Im looking forward to you pictures as always Tim B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Walking further the easy path, this memorial shows up , dedicated to the "Fallen of the Gelben (Yellow) Ulanen April 1915 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 I should also mention , that all following pictures up to the summit were taken in the German frontlines, so all infrastructure you see is German. I will later explicitely point out the French frontline structures. Not far behind the memorial is an ancient well, now run dry, from Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment (LIR) 56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Walking along the valley we pass some ascends to higher located front line trenches... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 ....and lots of bunkers, dug-outs and mountain galleries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 In the vicinity of deeply bored galleries this memorial from Ulans "Welcome you dear barracks" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Entrance to underground galleries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Louis is a real expert on HWK. He knows each rock, stone and pebble by name. Here he leads into a gallery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 7 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 7 October , 2012 Exiting the galleries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 8 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 8 October , 2012 This next picture is interesting. It shows an 8000V power cable used by the Germans. One of the side effects Louis explained to me: they wired the frontline and thus protected their first line trenches from intruders and unwanted guests . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 8 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 8 October , 2012 This sign hints to the constructors of the bunker which is situated above a bored gallery "8.Kompanie LIR 56" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 8 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 8 October , 2012 Some few yards later, this plaque, carved in the rocks above the "Maschinenstollen" honors dead soldiers from Garde-Jäger-Bataillon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 8 October , 2012 Share Posted 8 October , 2012 Ive been looking forward to your thread egbert. Hope to be visiting some of the battlefield after our Verdun trip Regards Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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