3 New photopages about the Bois des Caures near Verdun

Pierre Grande Guerre

Pierre Grande Guerre

New member
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Dear Friends,

May I ask your attention for 3 new photo-pages?
New pages about the Bois des Caures, "Hazelnut Wood", 12 km north of Verdun. An impression of a trip in june 2006 through the wood along the D 905.
Cruising the battlefield of 1916 from Samogneux, via the Command Post of the legendary Col. Emile Driant, to the location of the former German Reprisals POW Camp at Flabas.
Of course new pages will be developped in the near future, like for instance the Artillery Bunkers at Duzey, more German bunkers on the Aubers Ridge battlefield and several pages about the St. Mihiel Salient, focusing on the American offensive of september 1918.

As always, I do really hope you will enjoy my new photo impressions about the Bois des Caures.


Pierre GG

Col. Driant's Comand Post:
driantsbunker001nr7.jpg


Flabas:
flabas002vx5.jpg
 
Hello Pierre,
Is the first photo of a german soldier? If so, are there many monuments to german soldiers?
I love your web site. It has some great photos of places that are not in everyday books.
Cheers,
Cliff :thumbup:
 
cliffn said:
Is the first photo of a german soldier? If so, are there many monuments to german soldiers?
Click to expand...
Cliff, he has dropped his helmet to place his mask on. Also look at the rifle. It is a great site as you said. :thumbright:
 
@ Cliffn & Tony. Thanks for the compliments, guys. :)
It is a French Soldier. The sculptor, Gaston Broquet, tried to catch the expression of horror of a soldier short after the battle, lifting his gasmask, overseeing the battlefield.
If you click and scroll furtheron, you will see a picture of the total statue, top to feet, with the Adrian helmet, thrown off at his feet.

Pierre GG
 
@ Cliffn. You will not see statues of German soldiers along the Western front. After two long bloody occupations in Belgium and France in both world wars , you can imagine the Germans were not popular enough the erect a statue.
In Belgium they collected after the war all the German bodies from several cemeteries and concentrated these corpses in 2 cemeteries: Vladslo end Langemark. On these German cemeteries are only statues of mourning family members to be found. You can watch these pictures on my site.
So a reason for why I never detected a stuatue for a German soldier along the Western Front.
Besides that, in history it seems to be always the winners of a war, who erect their monuments.

Pierre GG
 
Pierre Tre Bien
Excuse my French .A really nice job again . I have not been to Eurpe but those feelings do not only exsist in France and Belgium .
Your young Friend lives on a cery nice piece of WW1 History. Pond Fram.
MArk G
 
Thanks Mark. My young friend, Stijn, and his family received us in last june with much hospitality on their Pondfarm and showed "the mrs & me" around on their historically interesting farm. I would recommend you to visit Stijn's website about the Pondfarm. ( If you did not do that yet! :D )

Pierre GG
 
You're welcome, Otto! :)
By the way: it is funny to see how many of you adress me, an ordinary Dutch guy from Amsterdam, in French!
Never mind, as you know: Je comprend et je parle Français. :D

Saluts cordiales!
A Outrance! :)

Pierre GG
 
Pierre,

Janet and I are considering a short visit to the western front. Do you have suggestions for tour companies and where to go etc? A major complication is I am in a wheelchair. Thanks for your thoughts.
 
@ joerookery.

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Hi Joe,

We always do our battletrips on our own. I plan the trips with maps some months before.
Nowadays, I thought since 2005, there are 2 battlefield travel guides about the Western Front, North and South, with excellent schematic battlefield maps and pictures of the famous Major & Mrs Holt. They also launched a battlefield guide about Gallipoli. Even at home these guides are very pleasant to read! These guides and maps saved me a lot of time for planning my trip of last spring! I throw in a link for you about these battlefield guides. Click here: LINK. I just ordered also their battlefield guide today about Operation Market Garden of the 2nd World War in the Netherlands.

But if you prefer to go with an organised tour, I don’t have any experience myself. I do know that most battlefield tours are organised for obvious regions in the regions were the British Troops were active: Ypres and the Somme. In towns like Ypres (Belgium), Albert or Peronne (France) these battlefield tour companies, mostly run by English people, have offices where you can make reservations.
Your wheelchair is no problem visiting the most of the large cemeteries and important sites. Especially in France these sites are accommodated with asphalt paths with exception of Beaumont Hamel (gravel paths). Some spots on the battlefield may alas be just viewed from a distance, because sometimes the mud can be as annoying as 90 years ago. But this is also an obstacle for a guy, walking with a stick like myself. :D I would suggest: always bring a nice pair of binoculars, and a compass. For each battlefield you need at least 3 days.
In France the accommodations on the sites are modern and most of the time, it seems to me, wheelchair friendly. But I don’t know for sure. If you are not living in one, like another friend of mine, you don’t realise all the time about these accommodations, until you are confronted on a trip together with unexpected difficulties this situation could rise.

If I can be of more specific help, please email me or perhaps open a new topic about travelling tips, Joe, in which I would gladly contribute, where I can.
Many words, Joe, to tell you, I am sorry, I don’t have any experience myself with battlefield Tour operators.
But I do hope you will appreciate my tip about the travel guides of the Major & the Mrs. :?

Pierre GG
 
Pierre,

Thanks! I have heard about these books, but had not talked to anyone who had used them. That is most gracious of you. We are just starting our search. We have considered taking the railroad from Copenhagen. Or perhaps a rental car from Rotterdam. Still early. There is a forum member named Martin, who has given us many tips. Always looking for more information. Thank you again. :sign7:
 
@ Joe.
If there is no traffic jam it is from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, about 3 hrs. by car to Ypres, Belgium, and 5 hrs to the Somme, France.
About these guides, I indeed really tested the work of the Major & the Mrs. And they are stunningly accurate. I am seriously :D but nevertheless very enthousiastic about these guides. Of course I have seen some sites they never mention in their guides ( i.e. the forbidden premises of fort tavannes), but on the otherhand I discovered some unexpected sites thanks to the Major & the Mrs. like sheltercaves for German troops in a former quarry in the dense Apresmont forest in the St. Mihiel Saillant, for which I am grateful!

So, if you made your choice of battlefield or perhaps a combination of the highlights of both, let me know. Perhaps I can advise you more specifically then.
Btw: I personally prefer Verdun the most , as best, respectfully preserved battlefield area with always "new" spots to discover. But of course the emphasis is on the French troops.

Amsterdam is only one hour by car from Rotterdam. 8)
Succes with planning, Joe.

Pierre GG 8-)
 
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