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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

My climb up Hartmannsweilerkopf (HWK)


egbert

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I have enjoyed every moment of this thread Egbert, and would love to see the results of your other trip.. Many thanks for all your hard work.

Keith

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i will now merge right into a path circling the Northern slope of HWK, called "Kreuzotterpfad" (=adder path), or "Klippenweg" (=cliff path) and stay more or less on 760m alt.

This is a nice relict , built by Bavarian 1. Armierungs-Bataillon. The well still has its cut-off cock and the water pipe

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I have enjoyed every moment of this thread Egbert, and would love to see the results of your other trip.. Many thanks for all your hard work.

Keith

You're welcome Keith, please remind me when this picture series is finished. We are not yet there ;)

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Walking on "Kreuzotterpfad" I arrive at stronghold no 19, close to "Schlummerklippe". Until 1917 it was a sheltered first aid post, after take-over by Landwehr-Infanterie-Bataillon 124 it was used as barracks for reserve forces. Here is the end of a several km long haul track to supply the front line with all kind of supplies. Today this spot looks rather unimpressive....

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Then and Now

Superb egbert, well done, and a very nice discovery too!

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Actually we are not far away from the front lines, only some 200m uphill. This medical facility even had a bathtub where the wounded could be cleaned

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All these pictures are from the 1km long path that has 2 names, either "Kreuzotterpfad" or "Klippenweg" (=cliff path). The name says it all, to the right steep uphill and to the left steep and deep downhill.

Fading Iron Cross 1916 graffiti

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Entry to underground shelter where more compressed air was produced for the fortresses, pneumatic drilling of galleries and driving of all kind of other machinery

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An inconspicuous sideway left from Kreuzotterpfad/Klippenweg=path leads to nearby complex "Schlummerklippe". One of my favorite places here at North slope. It is indeed a huge complex resembling cliff dwellings.

The center part of the structure is a long and winding down concrete stairways. When looking downhill, the first thing you notice are the bottom concrete walled MG positions.

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This photo is still taken from the stairways. The string of Northern HWK slope-fortresses is some 4oom left and continues with lots of strongholds uphill the other side of the valley to Sudelkopf mountain.

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Turning around on this spot and looking uphill from where I came, you see the upper part of the stairways with the covered entry from cliff path

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Until 1916, "Schlummerklippe" was the largest medical facility at HWK. It consisted of bathhouse to clean the wounded, an operating theatre bored into the mountain and many other facilities for emergency medical treatment inside the cliff rocks.

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At the end of 1916, this largest medical facility at HWK was transformed into barracks for Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment 124 who took over the defense of this part of HWK.

This post war image still shows the glass in the wooden framed windows top left shelter.

MG posts , shown earlier are all behind the photographer, downhill

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