Guide to WORLD WAR I in FRANCE posts

WORLD WAR I in FRANCE

The following links take you to the post about the sites along The Western Front of World War I.

On the occasion of the centenary of World War I in 2018, I traveled The Western Front from Belgium to the Swiss Border and remembered the Armistice of 11 November 1918 at the Cenotaph in London, England.

Pozières The Windmill honouring Australian troops in Northern France

Pozières Tank Corp memorial near the first use of tanks

Lochnagar Crater and the British offensive known as the Battle of the Somme. The mine blasted ground when the Battle of the Somme began 1 July 1916

Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park honouring British troops from

     Newfoundland

Thiepval Memorial, Visitor Centre, and Museum The memorial honours British

     and South African troops


Compiegne —the site of the 1918 Armistice


Meaux Museum —an extensive battlefield museum

La Ferté-sous-Jouarre —British war memorial including monuments to the

     Royal Engineers

Belleau Wood and the American Monument – remembering U.S. Marines who fought here

      in 1918

Chateau-Thierry and the American memorial —impressive memorial 

     atop a hill by the Marne River

Les Fantômes Memorial Sculpture by Paul Landowski— creative sculpture 

     located at the Second Battle of the Marne 1918

Soisson The British Memorial honouring about 4,000 British Commonwealth troops,

     who died in the Battles of the Aisne and Marne.

Aisne —Cerny en Loannois — picturesque village with a chapel and cemetery

     in the area known as Chemin des Dames

Aisne and the Monument to the Crapouillots French artillerymen 

     honoured in a monument shaped like a mortar shell

Tank Corp Memorial   This memorial includes several large scale tanks.

Le Main de Massiges and the impressive reconstructed trenches


Hill of Vauquois and the devastation of mine warfare. A village is obliterated.

Romagne a small town with an interesting museum on the way to the

     American cemetery of the Meuse-Argonne battle

Meuse-Argonne —an impressive American Memorial near Verdun


Voie Sacrée Memorial on the way to Verdun the sacred supply route

The Battle of Verdun —Verdun and the nearby Museum

Trench of Bayonets memorial and the Battle of Verdun

Douamont Ossuary  and Cemetery and the Battle of Verdun

Romanian (aka Rumanian) Military Cemetery at Soultzmatt France

Le Ligne Museum and Trenches located in the beauty of the mountains.

Ilfurth—a German Cemetery

Vieil Armand Battlefield also known as Hartmannswillerkopf—National Monument

Pfetterhouse at the Swiss Border


See also...

World War I in Belgium

*****

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The Battle of Verdun France

The Battle of Verdun was the longest battle in recent history, which began 21 February and extended until 15 December 1916.

The city of Verdun is located on the River Meuse. The Germans has gained control of the high ground on the east side of the river.

The plan of attack was devised by German Chief of Staff, Erich von Falkenhayn. The attack, following bombrdment, was led by Crown Prince Whilhelm. The plan was supposed to quickly take the French out of the war before the British Empire could become fully engaged. But later in the year, the British drew German troops away to the Battle of the Somme.

The nearby Verdun Memorial Museum was modernised, expanded, and reopened in 2016, which was the centenary of the First World War battle.

Visitors can view artefacts from the battlefield and learn the history of the Battle of Verdun in the context of the War.

The French and their allies held their ground despite the use of gas.

A marker reminds visitors of the crucial supply line along the Voie Sacrée.

Dioramas attempt to help visitors glimpse the battlefield terrain.

A simple plane represents the changes coming to modern warfare.

My World War I Travels

Guide to World War I in France

Guide to World War I in Belgium

Not far away is the impressive hilltop American Memorial to the Meuse-Argonne offensive.


The Battle of Verdun included fighting at Fort Douamont and Vaux on the right bank. Many are buried at the Douaumont Ossuary and cemetery.

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Romagne 14-18 WWI Museum Romagne-sous-Montfaucon France

An informal but extensive collection of military artefacts from World War I can be found in this museum-gift shop-restaurant in Romagne.

The building itself does not appear like a modern museum but it's worth a visit to step inside.
And it's not a bad place for lunch.




The village is small and worth a walkabout

At the opposite end of the village from the church is a street named for General Pershing, which leads to the American Cemetery.

My World War I Travels

Guide to World War I in France

Guide to World War I in Belgium

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Meaux Museum France

Trench Exhibit, Meaux Museum

The Meaux Museum contains more than 65,000 items from the Great War, 1914-1918.

Video clip showing an example of the film as part of the trench exhibit.

The objects are quite diverse and may be viewed to tell the story of the war thematically and chronologically.

Webley Revolver

British Grenades

The Museum has special exhibits. When I visited in 2018, a special exhibit focused on American contributions.


























As with many museums, the lighting and reflections off glass cases make it difficult to view the items or take viewable photographs. However, they do have a fine collection of uniforms, artwork, and other objects.

Example of Lighting Difficulty

Fortunately, several large objects are in open areas.


























The museum is open most days. There is an admission fee.
See the website for current hours and prices.

Entrance to Meaux Museum

My World War I Travels

Guide to World War I in France

Guide to World War I in Belgium

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Thiepval Memorial Visitor Centre and Museum France

The Thiepval Memorial commemorates over 72,000 British and South African men reported missing in the Somme. The memorial is the largest Commonwealth war memorial in the world and stands 45 metres high. The names of the missing are engraved on the wall.

The first day of the battle was the worst day in British military history with some 20,000 killed by German machine guns within a few hours.

The nearby Thiepval Visitor Centre (2004) and museum tell the story of the Battle of the Somme which began 1 July 1916 following six days of artillery bombardment of the German positions. The British sufferred enormous losses in the Somme battle which continued until November. The French troops had moved to defend against a German attack at Verdun.

The new museum was opened 2 June 2016 and is adjacent to the Visitor Centre.

Artefacts offer glimpses of life and death on the battlefield. We look down on these exhibits as we walk through the museum.

At the end of the exhibits is a full size replica of Guynemer's figher plane of August 1916.

In addition to a history of World War I with a focus on the Somme, the museum contains a cafeteria and store.


There is no charge for the Visitor Centre but there is a fee for the museum. Access to the memorial is free. There is a picnic area nearby.

Learn more Websites: Thiepval  Great War UK Somme  Thiepval Memorial

See More of My World War I Travels

Guide to World War I in France

Guide to World War I in Belgium

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HOOGE CRATER CEMETERY AND MUSEUM BELGIUM

Hooge is a village about two miles east of Ypres, Belgium. The Hooge Crater was the result of a blown mine 19 July 1915. British Tunnerlers dug beneath the German concrete structures in about 5.5 weeks. The crater and pillboxes are still visible, though the crater has been filled with water. In the same area, on 30 June 1915, the Germans first used a flame thrower as a weapon.

Close to the crater is a private museum containing a variety of war-related artefacts. The displays include uniforms, weapons, and personal items.

 

Behind the museum are reconstructed British and German trenches.

A storage room contains weapons, including an Enfield rifle.

Across the street from the museum is the Hooge Crater Cemetery where 5,916 are buried. Some markers honor several unidentified soldiers.

The museum makes for a good lunch stop with both inside and outside seating.

Short Video Clip of the Hooge Crater dated 21 October 2018.

See More of My World War I Travels

Guide to World War I in France

Guide to World War I in Belgium

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FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton

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Yser Museum Belgium and World War I

A 275-foot tower rises above Flanders Fields. I was there on a clear day, which affords broad views of the old battlescape ––Nieuwpoort, Passhendaele, Ypres, Poperinge, Ploegsteert.

There are 22 floors in the museum, which help visitors thinks about the people and the land, which experienced so much destruction. In between the carnage and memories of lost loved ones, are photos of those who offered sustenance and messages of peace.

The size of some displays provokes the sort of thinking that’s hard to experience when reading a book or glancing at an old photo.

Shells as Urns

In addition to lessons of war and peace, we can learn about Flemish culture (Read More).

See More of My World War I Travels

Guide to World War I in France

Guide to World War I in Belgium

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My Page    www.suttong.com

My Books   AMAZON     GOOGLE PLAY STORE

FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton

TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton

LinkedIN Geoffrey Sutton  PhD

Publications (many free downloads)

     

  Academia   Geoff W Sutton   (PhD)

     

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