Fattyowls Posted 18 June , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 June , 2020 Steve, John, I have several of that 2nd view on 35mm; as to the first I still shudder at the thought of looking in the low windows of the Ossuary. I've been several times but I've only looked in once. I've got a feeling that no. 2 is Douaumont, although it may be an observation turret. I think the machine gun ones are retractable (could be wrong of course). There is a similar turret on top of Vaux which is shown in post 13 in this thread; Douaumont is the low hump on the horizon in the first photo. What is interesting to me is that in August 1914 the horizon was indeed Germany, which is why the fort is there in the first place. I have it on good authority that on a clear day you can see the 1870 battlefield of Gravelotte-St Privat; now that would be a looking back the other way photograph and a half. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 18 June , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 June , 2020 (edited) Just harking back to Tom's fabulous view in post 257 from 8th June (something I need no excuse to do) my friend MF is also interested in the White War in the Dolomites and posted this about the Eisstadt that Tom mentions. It is from his rather wonderful thebignote.com website. Pete. Edited 18 June , 2020 by Fattyowls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 18 June , 2020 Share Posted 18 June , 2020 You maybe correct about the Ft Douamont photo being an observation turret, I think this is the one from a different angle. Also a close up of one of the retractable machine gun turrets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 18 June , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 June , 2020 There is a story in Alastair Horne's 'Price of Glory' about the bombardment of fort Vaux by a huge German gun sited behind the Jumelles d'Ornes (I think). A sharp eyed and fleet footed sous-lieutenant was stationed in the observation turret watching for the flash of the big gun. He had time to shin down the ladder, raise the alarm and take cover while the shell was in the air. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 18 June , 2020 Share Posted 18 June , 2020 Incredible! The thought of being cooped up in one of those places with huge shells coming over really does give me the heebie jeebies. It might not be the most sensible alternative, but I think I would rather take my chances out in the open. Thanks for the extra pics John, they're first class. 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 18 June , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 June , 2020 Bizarrely I haven't been into Douaumont since my first visit; it spooked me completely. Vaux is a different matter, I have been in a few times and not really felt uneasy. I need to go back to see if the feeling is the same. That said as John's photos show, the view from the top of Douaumont is remarkable, I'd much rather be up top than down under for all sorts of reasons. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 18 June , 2020 Share Posted 18 June , 2020 (edited) As Pete says underground has its own horrors. Memorial to the 400+ German soldiers buried alive, and still there,when a magazine of 60 French 155mm howitzer shells exploded. And a partial mock up of one of the guns they served. Edited 18 June , 2020 by Knotty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 18 June , 2020 Share Posted 18 June , 2020 What a truly horrific war. Thanks John, once again fantastic pictures. I can feel the atmosphere from here up to a point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 18 June , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 June , 2020 There's a dark and equally poignant French disaster site just a couple of miles away. The Tavannes railway tunnel saw an even worse catastrophe with over 500 Frenchmen killed on 4th September. I've been down and peeked into the entrance but as it looked like a working railway line I stayed well out. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 18 June , 2020 Share Posted 18 June , 2020 How bloody awful. The underground stuff just freaks me out in a way that no other aspect of the war does. Being bayonetted comes pretty close though, especially when you know it's coming. 😱 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 18 June , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 June , 2020 This is from memorial-verdun.fr; one of the tunnel entrances in the June before the explosion. The railway today goes through a second tunnel built parallel to the old one. Fort Tavannes is very close to the tunnel on the surface. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomisitt Posted 19 June , 2020 Share Posted 19 June , 2020 17 hours ago, Fattyowls said: Just harking back to Tom's fabulous view in post 257 from 8th June (something I need no excuse to do) my friend MF is also interested in the White War in the Dolomites and posted this about the Eisstadt that Tom mentions. It is from his rather wonderful thebignote.com website. Pete. I hadn’t come across this before, fantastic stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 19 June , 2020 Share Posted 19 June , 2020 Thiepval from the Ulster Tower, July 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 19 June , 2020 Author Share Posted 19 June , 2020 3 hours ago, depaor01 said: Thiepval from the Ulster Tower, July 2008 I'm liking that one Dave. I checked through all my visits to the Ulster Tower and Thiepval and I haven't got a view like that. My only one tries to be artistic by framing the memorial with the trees (and fails). I suspect that every time I go to the tower my mind is on ice cream; the last time I was there we had slogged down and up the Ancre valley from the Newfoundland Park and we were gasping for a Mivvi, or was it a Solero? It was wonderful whatever it was. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
depaor01 Posted 19 June , 2020 Share Posted 19 June , 2020 11 minutes ago, Fattyowls said: I'm liking that one Dave. I checked through all my visits to the Ulster Tower and Thiepval and I haven't got a view like that. My only one tries to be artistic by framing the memorial with the trees (and fails). I suspect that every time I go to the tower my mind is on ice cream; the last time I was there we had slogged down and up the Ancre valley from the Newfoundland Park and we were gasping for a Mivvi, or was it a Solero? It was wonderful whatever it was. Pete. Thanks Pete, I scrolled through the whole thread (some amazing stuff there) and was surprised that view hadn't appeared given the popularity of the Ulster Tower. I drove there solo in a rented car (WAY out of my comfort zone!) during a family holiday and did a few of the must see sites. Memorable. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 20 June , 2020 Admin Share Posted 20 June , 2020 Hargicourt Communal Cemetery Extension, and Hargicourt British, me taking a Silent Cities comparison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 20 June , 2020 Admin Share Posted 20 June , 2020 Views from the Double Crassier; Vimy, St Mary's ADS and Dud Corner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 20 June , 2020 Share Posted 20 June , 2020 And of course in the opposite direction from Dud Corner to the Double Crassier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 20 June , 2020 Author Share Posted 20 June , 2020 Epic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 20 June , 2020 Share Posted 20 June , 2020 As a slight aside, we have probably seen/photographed the grave of the first British casualty of the war, John Parr and the last Commonwealth fatality George Price at St Symphoriem. Not many have seen the first French and German casualties, killed in the same clash a full day before war was declared. This is a link to each, and the photo is of the Peugeot family grave at Etupes and Mayers in the Illfurth German Cemetery. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules-André_Peugeot https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Mayer_(soldier) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 20 June , 2020 Share Posted 20 June , 2020 (edited) Very interesting, good post, Knotty. I love the shot of the Double Crassier too, and Michelle's shots from it, which really belie the distance to the Vimy memorial. Great stuff 👍 Edited 20 June , 2020 by neverforget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knotty Posted 20 June , 2020 Share Posted 20 June , 2020 (edited) Thanks Steve Those shots of the graves were just around the time of the start of the Centenary celebrations, I believe they have been cleaned up a bit since. Mayers does have inscribed that he was the first German casualty of the war. ps the Crassier is cut out of a panorama I stitched together, I will post it later. Edited 20 June , 2020 by Knotty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neverforget Posted 20 June , 2020 Share Posted 20 June , 2020 18 minutes ago, Knotty said: Thanks Steve Those shots of the graves were just around the time of the start of the Centenary celebrations, I believe they have been cleaned up a bit since. Mayers does have inscribed that he was the first German casualty of the war. ps the Crassier is cut out of a panorama I stitched together, I will post it later. We so often get a one sided perspective of the conflict. It's good to see that imbalance redressed now and again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 20 June , 2020 Admin Share Posted 20 June , 2020 St Quentin Basilica from Bodacea Redoubt, 21st March 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fattyowls Posted 20 June , 2020 Author Share Posted 20 June , 2020 14 minutes ago, Michelle Young said: 21st March 2018 A very significant view on a very significant date. Although presumably 100 years before you wouldn't be able to see your own wire let alone St Quentin. Really impressive yet again Michelle. I'm really impressed with all of these and look forward to John's panorama. I may post some of mine for a bit of comedy relief. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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