egbert Posted 27 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 27 December , 2012 This is the entrance to towering firing position of Schwerer Minenwerfer "Jaguar". The summit of HWK is some 300m uphill/background air-line distance and that is also the firing line of course. This position is some 200m difference in altitude to summit plateau. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 27 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 27 December , 2012 Same structure of firing position in the center of this post war picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 27 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 27 December , 2012 Inside firing position of Schwerer Minenwerfer "Jaguar" in "Elsässerstein" (engl=Alsatian Rock) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 27 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 27 December , 2012 THEN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 27 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 27 December , 2012 NOW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 27 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 27 December , 2012 From the firing position indicating the Minenwerfer-target line uphill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithjk Posted 27 December , 2012 Share Posted 27 December , 2012 Absolutely amazing Egbert. This thread just gets better and better, thank you so much Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 28 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Thanks Keith! March 1916 inscription from Minenmwerfer Abteilung in Dewitz-Stollen (=gallery) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 28 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Detail from entrance to HQ Minenwerfer Kompanie 312. The "Elsäßerstein" here was taken by the French for one day only on 22.12.191 but were repelled by the German counterattack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 28 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Platoon leader of Minenwerfer-Kompanie 312 was Lt Killian who wrote the best book about the HWK that is based on his day-by-day account diary. After the wars, ex-Lt Killian became a renowned surgeon and university professor in the Rhine valley city of Freiburg. He donated this plaque in 1972 which was attached above the entrance of his former MW-Operation Center and Minenwerfer "Jaguar" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 28 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Traces of Krupp steel everywhere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Traces of Krupp steel everywhere And a lot of Blue Circle cement, is this correct egbert? Sean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 28 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 28 December , 2012 And a lot of Blue Circle cement, is this correct egbert? Sean. I am not a "Blue Circle cement" expert Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 I am not a "Blue Circle cement" expert Sean That makes two of us!! A friend of mine made a comment some time ago, that a lot of the concrete was made using the British cement. His understanding was that it was still being used during the war, purchased through a third-party country I suppose. I wonder if anyone can confirm this? Hope you had a great christmas egbert Sean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithjk Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 I have read at least two contemporary accounts of 'Blue Circle' bags being found in the vicinity of German pillboxes Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Thanks keith, my apologies for interrupting your thread egbert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Upton Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 On 29/12/2012 at 03:55, keithjk said: I have read at least two contemporary accounts of 'Blue Circle' bags being found in the vicinity of German pillboxes Previous very extensive thread which debunked this myth quite effectively: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithjk Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Thanks Andrew, I stand corrected Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 29 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2012 Finally I left Klippenweg and descend further downhill to wards point of morning departure. I am now walking downhill the famous war road "7 Kurvenweg", a road constructed in early 1915 by 2000 soldiers for hauling the supplies uphill. The road winds up 12km to the very top and has 7 distinct curves or serpentines. This is bend no. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithjk Posted 29 December , 2012 Share Posted 29 December , 2012 One of my Christmas presents (selected from my Amazon wish-list !) is 'Haute-Vosges 1914-1918' by Daniel Roess. I believe it has been mentioned in one of Egbert's or Dragon's threads, but I'm unable to find it at the moment. The book contains a host of wonderful photographs (both wartime and postwar) of the Vosges battlefields. I suspect a lot of them will match up with modern photos in Egbert's and Dragon's threads. For anyone interested in the war in this area, I would recommend this book. It is still available on Amazon, so get in there sharpish ! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 29 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2012 Right above my standpoint run the largest aerial cableway uphill to station "Sprösser" and proceeding to topstation as shown in post #251 and following...... Post war picture from THEN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 29 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2012 .....as you can see in this wartime drawing. I came from Jägerstein right away the yellow path here to curve/serpentine/bend no.3 . The large wooden pylon can be easily recognized in the drawing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 29 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2012 Between here and the next bend no.2 is this nicely walled source. It is said to be an old watering place for the mules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 29 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2012 Right before bend no.2 is the memorial for Major General Sprösser, commander of 82. Landwehr-Infanterie-Brigade. It is said that he was equally well liked by all soldiers and officers under his command. The memorial consists of a well and was built by the 14th Mecklenburg Jäger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 29 December , 2012 Author Share Posted 29 December , 2012 THEN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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