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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Road Ypres - Menin ("Menin Road") - Flanders/Belgium


Malte Znaniecki

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No 2

Location: Road Ypres - Menin

Subject: Stretcher-bearers passing the battle-field. In the back-ground an exploding German shell.

Space of time: 21 September 1917

1917meninroad0014al.jpg

Source:

Der Weltkrieg im Bild : Frontaufnahmen aus den Archiven der Entente. - München : Verl. "Der Weltkrieg im Bild", [o. J.]

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No 4

Location: Road Ypres - Menin at Gheluvelt

Subject: Soldiers of German Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 126

Space of time: July 1915

kleinzillebekehooge00012hw.jpg

Source:

Schwäbische Kunde aus dem großen Krieg / i. A. d. früheren Württ. Kriegsmin. bearb. von Hptm. d. Res. Schmückle; Hermann Missenharter [Mitarb]. - 3. Buch. - Stuttgart [u. a.]: Kommissions-Verlag der DVA, 1918

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I suppose it is a bridge to cross bogland or a very small river beside the road.

I agree - it does appear to be an elevated walkway. Certainly the ground beneath appears to be very wet! Mind you, if indeed that's what it is, I wouldn't want to be caught on it during a bombardment - it appears rather exposed!

cheers

Steve

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Can anyone zoom in on the bridge?

This photo comes from my website (as attributed by Malte - thanks) - and I have the original Keystone stereoview at home. I'm pretty sure Malte's explanation above is correct.

The photo on the website has been compressed to make it a reasonable size for web use; when I get a chance I will scan the bridge structure in fine detail and post the image here.

Alan

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  • 2 weeks later...
Can anyone zoom in on the bridge?

This relates to the picture in post #3 in this thread - I have sacanned a small section of the "bridge". It certainly looks like a walkway, there are definately handrails, although how well they will come out in the attached remains to be seen.....

Alan

post-5390-1140900049.jpg

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Alan,

many thanks for the zoom. It's very good to see what I presumed.

Do you have any information where exactly the photo was shot ?

Many thanks again

Malte

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Malte,

No more information I'm afraid - the card in one in a series of stereoviews of the war published by the Keystone View Company. There is a certain amount of information on each card; on this one the title on the front is "British soldiers Gelaning in the fields of War: Menin Road". There is more information on the rear of the card, but this doesn't relate to the location.

I think with any of these cards one has to have a certain amount of scepticism about the location, although the line of trees would suggest a road, but exactly which road and where on it.......well, impossible to tell I think.

Alan

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I must say the first time I saw the complete photo in this thread, my immediate reaction was : This looks like the Boezinge Canal (between Ypres and (north of it) Boezinge. There were quite a lot of bridges there. Infantry bridges, and a lot more primitive. But seeing that the bridge of the photo is not primitive at all ...

Just a question : can we be sure this "nice" bridge is a military bridge, not a pre-war bridge crossing a lake or pond north that due to the ploughing of the battlefield has run "dry" ?

Aurel

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Aurel,

since my self-constructed time-machine standing in my cellar does not work properly (I don't think this matters on me) I spent 3 hours this morning with my telescope on the top of our roof.

But the sight on the area was bad. I suggest that there was too much fog in the atmosphere so I'll try it again when the sun comes out.

And you won't convince me of any theory like "the earth could be round and not flat". No chance.

From my opinion - regarding the shattered landscape roundabout - this bridge is too less damaged that it could have been standing at the place before the bombardments started there. Unfortunately I have no maps showing small rivers or lakes beside the road (if it really happens to be the Menin-Road) that could get passed over a bridge which is in orthogonal position to the road. Puzzling.

Malte

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From my opinion - regarding the shattered landscape roundabout - this bridge is too less damaged that it could have been standing at the place before the bombardments started there. Unfortunately I have no maps showing small rivers or lakes beside the road (if it really happens to be the Menin-Road) that could get passed over a bridge which is in orthogonal position to the road. Puzzling.

Malte

Malte,

Actually you took the words right out of my mouth. For these two points were indeed my counterarguments (countering my own prewar bridge + dry pond hypothesis). But I did not post this, because I wanted to test you, try to find out if on this Sunday morning your brain works full capacity. :P

So :

1. Correct, the bridge looks too intact.

2. No ponds or small lakes so close to the Menin Road as far as I know. (But I don't habe the appropriate trench maps right here with me.)

Aurel

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