Tag Archives: WW1

Then and Now Gallery: Field Hospital at Les Islettes

Caption:  28th Division Field Hospital at Les Islettes Location:  On the rue Jules Bancelin, which is the D603 and the main road through town. Source of Then Photo:  Pennsylvania in the World War:  An Illustrated History of the Twenty-Eighth Division, Volume II, page 780. Source of Now Photo:  Graham Gaulke Note:  The building on the left is the building in which the exposition “Glass in the War” was located.  From the photo, it is not clear whether the hospital was in that building or whether Continue reading →

Happiness is… Exploring the Battlefield with (International) Friends

The webmaster and his son together with Markus Paulick and family from Germany and Wim Degrande and his son from Belgium.  In August 2014 this group spent two days exploring areas where the 28th Division AEF fought, including le Chene Tondu and areas around Montblainville.  With Wim’s knowledge and research of the area they looked at two semaphore bunkers (Blinknetzstellen), two German camps (Lager) and the Geman hospital located on the Eastern edge of le Chene Tondu.  When one moves off the beaten path, one gains a Continue reading →

Travel Tips: “To Understand and to Feel the War”

The attached .pdf file is a presentation by Dr. Paola Filippucci given to the Flanders Heritage Society entitled “To Understand and to Feel the War:  Memory and Tourism on the Western Front 1919-2011.”  It shows many of the sites that can be visited in the Meuse-Argonne with quotes from various individuals at various points in time.  Dr. Filippucci is the external Director of Studies in Social Anthropology at Emmanuael College, Cambridge University. Her research is focused on the First World War and on France. Keynote1_Filippucci (Warning:  Continue reading →

Technology & History: Lidar views of the Meuse-Argonne

Experienced battlefield hikers are familiar with the multi-tiered “Lager” or camps that the German Army built into the hillsides in the Meuse-Argonne.  Picture postcards of them can be easily found on the internet.  The concave holes in the hillside generally suggest that there was a camp or other German military installations present during the great war.  However, because of the passage of time, new growth, the absolute size of the camp, etc. it can be difficult to see the whole picture. The link below shows the location Continue reading →

News & Events: The Annual Bourse Militaria at Les Islettes

The author heard about this militaria show a few years ago, but he was first able to attend it this year.  It really is a remarkable show, with militaria from a wide range of time periods.  Attendance was easily several hundred people, from many countries in Europe.  Sellers and buyers came from France, Germany, the Netherlands and who knows where else. The author’s favorite purchase:  A porcellan plate “In Grosser Zeit.  Weltkrieg 1914-15.”  The author’s greatest regret:  Not purchasing a map showing the front lines Continue reading →