240 replies to this topic

[egbert]

The mystique Vosges battlegrounds were always calling and I finally started to explore the first mountains by climbing up the Buchenkopf (Tete de Faux). It is one of the many hard fought peaks and not so much visited by tourists as the tour from either side takes some 3-5 hrs. Thanks to the the great preparation of Gwyn I did not need to work out the tour from scratch. Gwyn gave me all necessary information and thanks to the internet even gave valuable hints in the evening when preparing the next tour. Coming from Bonhomme the way up is littered with bunkers, barbed wire, chevaux-de-frise and remnants from the terrible figthing.

Featuring one of the many German blockhouses on the way to Etang de Devin

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[egbert]

Concrete German dug-out

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[egbert]

with buried passages who knows where to ...

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[egbert]

Reaching the Hexenweiher=Etang du Devin. Once this was a crisp clear mountain lake from where the Germans pumped drinking water up to the peaks. The paths winds up from there , left side of lake up to funicular station then turning more right to Rabenfelsen fort, further via Sattelstützpunkt to the peak of Buchenkopf

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[egbert]

Next to the lake the old pumpingstation

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[egbert]

...

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[egbert]

After a good climb up and passing wire and lots of trenches, we reached the funicular railway station, suddenly appearing in the thick forest

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[egbert]

Still there after so many years lies the majestic mountain station with thick layers of concrete. Remember, 1915 there was no single tree left, just devastated mountain range

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[egbert]

....

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[egbert]

Peak station when it was very busy up there

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[egbert]

Today it is a lonely being, deep in the woods, having served its purpose and now indulging the eternal sleep

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[Chris_Baker]

Terrific, egbert. Keep them coming!

[egbert]

(I will Chris)

.....being explored by the famous messenger dog himself

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[egbert]

...or was it just a ghost from 1915?

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[egbert]

Go on then! From here all supplies have to be carried by men in the summerheat of 30 degrees celsius (as seen here) and the winter snow with 3-4 meter thickness.
The forest soil is covered with moss , trenches everywhere. What is so different from the other battlegrounds is the absence from debris like shell splinters, grenade remnants -because everything is overgrown, including the brave soldiers who lost their lives and lie there known only to God

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[egbert]

bunker entrance on the way up

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[egbert]

as this one was explored by the vigilant messenger dog

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[egbert]

embrasure

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[egbert]

Chester is looking for the connecting trenches

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[egbert]

At first I thought he gave up and instead indulging a bunch of terrific blueberries, but - he quickly reorientated and led me to this shallow communication trench

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[egbert]

Then finally we arrived at  the massif rock 'Rabenfelsen'. A monolith commanding the anticline leading to Buchenkopf. This rock is caved by German soldiers and sits like an impregnable concaved tooth. Several deep, walled trenches arrive to the rock from several directions

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[egbert]

then used as an observation outlook with a wooden platform

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[egbert]

This man deep trench leads to the entrance of this massif fortress

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[egbert]

Entrance into Rabenfelsen

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[egbert]

after 5 or so meters inside....

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