Hello and welcome On the Front. In today’s episode we are doing something a little bit different and exploring the World War One battlefield of Hartmannswillerkopf.
This somewhat forgotten battlefield saw some of the bloodiest and brutal fighting of the War, nick named “Death Mountain” saw some 30,000 French and German troops would lose their lives here.
The memorial at Hartmannswillerkopf is unique as the site is one of four national monuments in France dedicated to those who fought and died in the Great War. The battlefield was classified a historic monument as early as 1921, officially inaugurated in 1932.
The fighting for Hartmannswillerkopf raged from 1914 through to the conclusion of the First World War in 1918 with the bulk of the fighting occulting in 1915.
The battlefield is remarkably preserved, and traces of the brutal fighting can still be seen today, so let’s go and explore what remains.