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Vauquois
 The
Butte de Vauquois - originally a hill rising from the plain between the Argonne
Forest and Verdun - modified by years of mine warfare into a sea of craters.
 Surviving
underground workings on the French side of the hill. Recently excavated by
the local association, Les Amis De Vauquois. The preservation underground
is remarkable.
 A
member of the Flanders tours groups exiting from the French workings. The
tunnels under Vauquois can be visited on the first Sunday of each month.
French speaking guides are always available - if you are lucky an English
speaking guide MAY be
available.
Turkheim
 The
mediaeval walled town has many traditions - amongst them being the night
watchman locking up the town at 10.00 each evening.
Le Linge
 The
memorial to Infantry regiment 152 - the Red devils - These specially trained
mountain troops were major protagonists in the fighting in the Vosges. The
memorial marks the spot were the Red Devils ambushed a German Landwehr infantry
regiment on the approaches to Le Linge.
 The
preserved battlefield of Le Linge. The top few metres of the hill have
been excavated. Adjacent to the preserved battlefield is an excellent
museum.
 The
Flanders Tours group on the Le Linge battlefield with our German guide Sebastian
Laudan.
Tete De Faux
 A
French cemetery on the route up to the Tete De Faux. the French were
hampered by a tortuous route through the mountains to reach the front
line. Our guide Sebastian, explains the difficulties of fighting in the
Vosges.
 The
route to the crest - a long climb!
 Relatively
easy terrain in September, but what about winter - all of this would be under
several metres of snow!
 The
summit of the mountain - no man's land - note the barbed wire still remains on
this largely untouched battlefield.
 The
French front line.
 The
"apex" of the German defences. If the Tete De Faux was to be
considered as a pyramid, the Germans held one face of it. The Pioneers
fortified the front line with stone works like this, albeit that this
construction post dates most of the heaviest fighting.
 The
route down - difficult in places, but at least no one was carrying the 65 lbs of
equipment typical for a soldier of the Great War!
 Inscription
of the unit of Landwehr Infantry Regiment 12 who built this "stollen".
The inscriptions on the entrances to shelters is relatively common.
 German
cableway station. This structure was the upper station of an aerial
cableway. Heading on, up the mountain, were tunnels exiting near the front
line on the summit.
 An
abandoned German cemetery on the slopes of the Tete De Faux. Whilst the
bodies were removed to concentration cemeteries many years ago, the graves
remain, as do many of the memorials to individual soldiers.
Hartmanswillerskopf
 A
view into the Vosges Mountains from the Route Des Cretes - built by the French
Engineers to provide a supply line to the front.
 The
memorial to the Chasseurs Alpine. This is located on almost the highest
point on the Grand Ballon - itself the highest peak in the Vosges.
 Beyond
the memorial is the Hartmanswillerskopf. This peak , overlooking the Rhine
Plain, saw some of the heaviest fighting of the Vosges campaign. The
French held the right hand peak, the Molkenrain, whilst the Germans clung
precariously to the left hand peak.
 A
French strongpoint on the shoulder of the mountain. It should be noted
though that on the Hartmanswillerskopf, like the Tete De Faux, many of the
fortifications post date the heaviest fighting.
 The
Flanders Tours group following a restored trench line - the terrain at this
point is still relatively easy going!
 Fortifications
on the mountain top.
 Whilst
much of the mountain top has been tidied up, there are still the odd corners
where nature still dominates. However, once the mountain top is left
behind, the battlefield remains remarkably untouched.
 Sebastian
Laudan on the peak of the Hartmanswillerskopf.
 This
peak was heavily fought over at the height of the battle. The group in the
photo had the advantage of not being under machine gun or trench mortar fire.
 The
memorial to the Chasseurs, the "Blue Devils". The view beyond is
that of the Rhine Plain.
 A
view from the attackers perspective - looking upwards from one of the tracks
just below the summit.
 Descending
from the memorial - the Rhine Plain beyond - at this point the track is not
particularly steep or difficult!
 A
German heavy minenwerfer baseplate, still in its emplacement. Several of
these remain although the weapons themselves are long gone.
 German
shelters just below the summit. Just to the right of the picture the track
falls away to a 45 degree scree slope.
 Machinery
room for compressors and generators used by the Germans to power aerial
cableways and compressed air mining tools.
 The
long trek down to the foot of the mountain. From this point onwards the
track follows the shoulder of the mountain towards the German front line.
 German
memorial on the side of the mountain. Various units are represented
here. This is largely unchanged from 1917. The Rhine Plain in the
far distance.
 Sebastian
Laudan points out individual unit memorial plaques.
 Rest
break. A German strongpoint at the top of the Suisse Lipique.
Natural features were extensively utilised by the German Pioneers.
 A
tunnel through the rock. This leads through the rock from the entrances in
the previous photograph to the lower levels (next photo).
 An
external view of the lower aspect of the same German strongpoint. The
impregnable nature of these defences becomes obvious. Add to this winter
conditions and several metres of snow!
 The
Suisse Lipique. This front line fortification has much in common with the
Great Wall of China or Hadrian's Wall. This virtually continuous
fortification was the German front line and extends for more than a kilometre
down the flank of the mountain. French lines were less than 100 metres
away.
 The
trench system here typically descends downwards at 45 degrees. Built in
the stone trench are dugouts, fire steps, sniper shields etc.
 Within
the German lines - an abandoned cemetery. Headstones remain, but like the
Tete De Faux, the bodies have long since been removed to a concentration
cemetery.
Return to the 2005 Photo Gallery
or
go to the Flanders Tours Home Page
or the 2006 Tour Programme
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