egbert Posted 12 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 12 October , 2012 From another angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 12 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 12 October , 2012 The entrance to formidable U.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 12 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 12 October , 2012 A look down from entrance control into the abyss, where I am about to dissapear..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 12 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 12 October , 2012 ....turning back , bidding a last farewell to sunshine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 12 October , 2012 Share Posted 12 October , 2012 You be careful on those steps egbert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 12 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 12 October , 2012 My friend leads the way into chambers, galleries and to MG embrasures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 12 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 12 October , 2012 This is a look back in time when the corridors were filled with personnel and material. Here heavy trench mortar ammunition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 12 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 12 October , 2012 (edited) Sean, you are 10 minutes too late. Thanx for your warning but it is too late. In the line of GWF duty I earned my wound badge in black, when I did not pay attention and slammed my unprotected head into the rocks above me. I was unconscious for some seconds, blood poured down from my hairs and a bit of tooth was broken. Louis attended my injuries with his first aid kit and I was awarded the wound badge..... Military censorship does not allow presenting the wounded to the public. So this picture only shows the place of horror. Edited 12 October , 2012 by egbert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 12 October , 2012 Share Posted 12 October , 2012 Sean, you are 10 minutes too late. Thanx for your warning but it is too late. In the line of GWF duty I earned my wound badge in black, when I did not pay attention and slammed my unprotected head into the rocks above me. I was unconscious for some seconds, blood poured down from my hairs and a bit of tooth was broken. Louis attended my injuries with his first aid kit and I was awarded the wound badge..... I did warn you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveMarsdin Posted 12 October , 2012 Share Posted 12 October , 2012 Excellent thread Egbert ! Do you need or have to have a guide to explore the hill ? Is it all accessible to the public ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 12 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 12 October , 2012 Steve, if you prepare yourself with maps, trenchmaps, images etc, no, you do not need a guide and can do all walking and climbing by yourself. I just took the advantage to ask Louis, a long time WW1 internet friend to guide me in his "home district". Part 2 of my climb, some 100 pictures later, I did by myself, after thorough preparation.....(It is by far more than a hill, it is a mountain with 956m altitude. All trails are fully open to the public) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johntaylor Posted 12 October , 2012 Share Posted 12 October , 2012 Fascinating pictures Egbert. I live in Basel within sight of the HWK, and agree this an area that is quite anything else on the Western front. British visitors don't tend to come here since the fighting was between the French (and Americans) and Germans, but it's an extraordinary and now beautiful place. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 12 October , 2012 Share Posted 12 October , 2012 Steve, you may also want to take an old Brodie with you, if you intend to follow in egberts footsteps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 MG embrasure. Opening towards M.R. for excellent cross fire and two-way support Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Memory stone from 5. Batterie Landwehr-Artillerie-Rgt 12 in U.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 View from U.R. down to Rhine Valley. The village is called Wattwiller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Trench mortar opening in U.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Camera rotates further to left (looking East) down to Rhine Valley. I do not need to elaborate on the strategic position of this fortess. The Rhine valley was German heartland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Camera slews further left (North) where you can see Mittlerer Rehfelsen (M.R.), a sister fortress guarding the ridge (the camera shor from where I took picture post #71) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Panorama picture covering Feste Bamberg (left) and M.R. (right). 4 fortresses protected a French breakthrough into this hillside location from where enemy artillery spotters could direct artillery fire into the German heartland. That was the importance of HWK. Those who possessed the summit and Eastern ridges could control the movements in the Rhine valley. Thus the bitter fought battles up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 The following two pictures demonstrate the importance of cross fire protection from/to U.R. to/from M.R. This view from U.R. towards M.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Here I have marked two MG embrasures firing and covering the area from inside M.R. towards U.R. Maybe you can recognize the 2 holes in the rock with that picture resolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 View from U.R. towards Feste Bamberg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 13 October , 2012 Author Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Time to leave U.R. View back to the top of the rock formation with one of the MG embrasures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spconnolly007 Posted 13 October , 2012 Share Posted 13 October , 2012 Thanks again egbert. I assume that you covered this section without the need for any medical attention? Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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