27-06-2008, 11:18 PM
| #1 (permalink) |
| Top Moose   Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Under the stairs
Posts: 8,593
 | German Officer in Champagne in Great War & 1940. In that book I'm reading at the moment , Blitzkrieg In Their Own Words is an interesting chapter called, On the Old Warpath in the 'Lousey Champagne Country'. A German officer, Hauptmann Hilsheimer finds himself in the same location he served in The Great War. Can anyone help pinpoint some of the places he mentions. "...leading to Orfeuil, bullets started whistling around our heads. I just had time to cast a glance at the fork in the road where the small house containing the local sick bay stood in 1916....In a few minutes the battery was off the road ready to fire...the enemy's resistance had become stiffer.The firing was mainly coming from the German Cemetery honouring our World War heroes, where the irreverent poilus had set up their machine guns..." First query, which German Cemetery does he mean? The next bit I will copy & post there's too much text to type in. Second query, anyone have any info on the named locations in this extract in The Great War?   Last edited by Owen; 27-06-2008 at 11:33 PM. |
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28-06-2008, 12:28 AM
| #2 (permalink) |
| Vejovis   Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 680
| The german cemetery will be the Franco-German cemetery just north of Sommepy-Tahure (1953 German "internees" with 1135 in the kameradengrab and 977 with 259 in the ossuaire for the French). The French know the cemetery as "Semide". I'll post a 1917 trenchmap of the area on Monday (Ripont is very familiar to me - the first German I ever researched fell there) Dave.
__________________ In memory of 1440313 Gnr.Michael O'Mara, 155th Bty, 52nd (East Lancs) L.A.A.Regt (TA) R.A. - severely wounded near Arras in May 1940 and who took nearly 21 years to eventually die of his injuries. website: http://pathsofglory.co.uk Last edited by CROONAERT; 28-06-2008 at 12:36 AM. |
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28-06-2008, 12:35 AM
| #3 (permalink) |
| Vejovis Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 680
| A couple of modern maps first...
__________________ In memory of 1440313 Gnr.Michael O'Mara, 155th Bty, 52nd (East Lancs) L.A.A.Regt (TA) R.A. - severely wounded near Arras in May 1940 and who took nearly 21 years to eventually die of his injuries. website: http://pathsofglory.co.uk |
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28-06-2008, 12:52 AM
| #4 (permalink) |
| Vejovis Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 680
| Just missed Grateuil (just to the north of this image) off this map (I'll do it again later), but here's Ripont and the Dormoise Valley in March 1917...  If no-one else steps in, I'll go through the remainder of the places for you after the week-end (but, come on, you must know where "historic" Valmy is? (more famous once than Waterloo!)
__________________ In memory of 1440313 Gnr.Michael O'Mara, 155th Bty, 52nd (East Lancs) L.A.A.Regt (TA) R.A. - severely wounded near Arras in May 1940 and who took nearly 21 years to eventually die of his injuries. website: http://pathsofglory.co.uk Last edited by CROONAERT; 28-06-2008 at 12:59 AM. |
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28-06-2008, 08:28 AM
| #5 (permalink) |
| Top Moose Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Under the stairs
Posts: 8,593
| Ah,....that Valmy. Cheers Dave, excellent info as ever. Never failed to be impressed by what you have hidden away in your archives. If anyone asks about what Great War Cemeteries regards the fighting in WW2 I can now quote this example, cheers. |
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30-06-2008, 03:05 PM
| #6 (permalink) | |
| Vejovis Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 680
| Quote:
 ...and the Butte de Mesnil to Beausejour... 
__________________ In memory of 1440313 Gnr.Michael O'Mara, 155th Bty, 52nd (East Lancs) L.A.A.Regt (TA) R.A. - severely wounded near Arras in May 1940 and who took nearly 21 years to eventually die of his injuries. website: http://pathsofglory.co.uk | |
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30-06-2008, 03:07 PM
| #7 (permalink) |
| Vejovis Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 680
| The area today... Ripont...  Butte de Mesnil to Beausejour... 
__________________ In memory of 1440313 Gnr.Michael O'Mara, 155th Bty, 52nd (East Lancs) L.A.A.Regt (TA) R.A. - severely wounded near Arras in May 1940 and who took nearly 21 years to eventually die of his injuries. website: http://pathsofglory.co.uk |
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30-06-2008, 03:12 PM
| #8 (permalink) |
| Vejovis Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 680
| The "pursuit path"... 
__________________ In memory of 1440313 Gnr.Michael O'Mara, 155th Bty, 52nd (East Lancs) L.A.A.Regt (TA) R.A. - severely wounded near Arras in May 1940 and who took nearly 21 years to eventually die of his injuries. website: http://pathsofglory.co.uk |
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30-06-2008, 03:28 PM
| #9 (permalink) |
| Vejovis Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 680
| A nice big chunk of German map now (june 1917) showing most of the features mentioned in his 1916 memories - Höhe 194 (AKA Isberth Höhe - visible on the modern map (marked by a bourne at 195m)), Karcher Straße ,the Kücheschlucht (Kitchen Ravine) ,etc)... 
__________________ In memory of 1440313 Gnr.Michael O'Mara, 155th Bty, 52nd (East Lancs) L.A.A.Regt (TA) R.A. - severely wounded near Arras in May 1940 and who took nearly 21 years to eventually die of his injuries. website: http://pathsofglory.co.uk Last edited by CROONAERT; 01-07-2008 at 12:18 AM. Reason: extra info addition |
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30-06-2008, 08:44 PM
| #10 (permalink) |
| Vejovis Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 680
| Surprisingly took a bit of finding! - the French and german cemeteries at Orfeuil/Semide along with the memorial to "the heros of Orfeuil"...
__________________ In memory of 1440313 Gnr.Michael O'Mara, 155th Bty, 52nd (East Lancs) L.A.A.Regt (TA) R.A. - severely wounded near Arras in May 1940 and who took nearly 21 years to eventually die of his injuries. website: http://pathsofglory.co.uk Last edited by CROONAERT; 30-06-2008 at 08:50 PM. |
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