ALSACE VOSGES - Le Tanet - Bichtstein - Villa Sidi-Brahim

  • by Pierre Grande Guerre
  • •
  • 12 Jun, 2019
  • •

Year of visit: 2010

From Soultzmatt we return to Munster. From Munster we drive westward into the direction of the Col de la Schlucht. On a rainy day we explore an interesting stronghold position of the Chasseurs Alpins at the eastern sub-summit of le Tanet, the Bichtstein, guarding the village of Soultzeren and the road from Munster to the Col de la Schlucht.
Some 3 km. after passing the village of Soultzeren we turn right at a sharp hairpin curve to follow the numberless road upward to the summit of le Tanet. Halfway to the summit, after some 2,5 km., on a junction of 3 roads, we park our car.

With a view north-eastward we walk on a track some 500 m. upward and eastward into the Forêt du Bichtstein.

In the autumn of 1914 the 12e Bataillon Chasseurs Alpins of Grenoble, being a component of the 115e Brigade, the “Brigade de la Schlucht”, were stationed at this position on the Bichtstein, a height of 877 m.

This bunker, scattered with rubble and debris, is a relic of the stronghold position of the Chasseurs Alpins on this height of 877 m.

Around this inaccessible bunker we find trenches, ...
... constructed with natural rocks.
Before we go on, I show you in the frame below some concise information about this site and about one of the units,  which was stationed here.

The 12e B.C.A. in the Vosges - 1914-1916
After the bloody fights for Ingersheim near Colmar on 22 August 1914 against Württemberger units and units of the Bavarian L.I.R. 1, the 12e Bataillon Chasseurs Alpins and the 152e R.I., had to withdraw westward in a fighting retreat with many losses.
Lt. Colonel Gratier led his 12th battalion of special mountain troops first to fight fiercely near Ammerschwihr and Kintzheim, next in the Katzenthal, and near Giragoutte. At 2 September 1914 the German fighting units forced the 12e B.C.A., as all French units present in this region, to retreat at the eastern slopes and summits of the Vosges Ridges, “les Crêtes”. After fights at the Col du Wettstein on 2 September the 12e B.C.A. arrived at 4 September 1914 at their position east of and near the Col de la Schlucht.
On the same day Capitaine Martin took over the command of the battalion of Lt. Colonel Gratier, who had just been promoted to General of the 115e Brigade, the “Brigade de la Schlucht”, a component of the 66e Division d’Infanterie.
The 66e D.I. was a component of the Groupement des Vosges, the Vosges Army Group.
Next to the 12e B.C.A. the Brigade de la Schlucht knew also 3 other components, the 334e R.I. and the 229e R.I., and at the left flank, the Reserve Battalion of the 12e B.C.A. , the 52e B.C.A.
So, the 12e B.C.A. was the first unit out of other units of Chasseurs Alpins, who occupied this position. In September and October 1914 the 12e B.C.A. had to defend the lines near the village Soultzeren and the Col de la Schlucht. Later in the war various companies of the 12e B.C.A. would be involved in battles on nearby mountains, like at the Barrenkopf in the beginning of February 1915.
During the Battle of Munster, which started at 19 February 1915, the 12e B.C.A. fought fiercely at Stosswihr, reinforced by their intended relief troops of the 11e B.C.A. Some days later during the Battle of Munster, from 28 February 1915, the Bavarian and Württemberger soldiers of the Armee Abteilung of General Gaede started again a series of attacks at the village of Soultzeren. The 12e B.C.A. was again forced to defend Soultzeren. At 1 March, after one day of fighting, the Battalion counted 100 men killed and 40 men taken Prisoner of War. The fighting for the village would go on until 7 March. During the fights for Soultzeren the 12e B.C.A. lost 5 captains, amongst them the commander of the Battalion, Capitaine Martin.
On 14 July Capitaine Thierry took over the command and led his battalion, as a special forces unit of General Nollet, into the battle for the Barrenkopf of July and August 1915.
In August and September the 12e B.C.A. would also be involved in the battles of the Lingekopf and the Schratzmännele.
In December 1915 and January 1916 the 12e B.C.A. was involved at the Rehfelsen and the Hirtzstein in the Christmas Battles for the Hartmannswillerkopf.
After a period of rest near Fraize, the Battalion was stationed in March until May 1916 in the Metzeral Sector, before it departed to Curlu at the Somme to fight their part in the great battle, as it would do later on during the war on various battlefields, even in Italy.

Sources: Journal des marches et Opérations – Groupement des Vosges - Henri Charles-Lavauzelle: “Historique Résumé de 12e Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins”, 1920.

After this intermezzo we continue from the bunker some 50 m. to the west, ...

... where we find traces of trenches, ...
... facing the east.

We return on the track and we descend some 250 m. westward to look for our original goal.

In between the trees we sometimes get a glimpse north-westward of the summit of le Tanet.

Some 100 m. south of the track we had some difficulty to locate this ruined house.

This the front of the former officers quarters of the Chasseurs Alpins, stationed here.

The architrave of this masonry building tells us some interesting hints.
The officers quarters is named "Villa Sidi-Brahim".

For the Chasseurs Alpins "Sidi-Brahim" forms a most significant name, which I explain concisely in the frame below. 

The battle cry "Sidi-Brahim!" at the Hilsenfirst
Hilsenfirst

During the Great War “Sidi-Brahim!” used to be the battle cry of the Chasseurs Alpins. Legend tells the battle cry was first used on 14 June 1915 at the Hilsenfirst by the 6th company of the 7e B.C.A.

The Battle of Sidi-Brahim - 1845

“Sidi-Brahim!” refers to the Battle of Sidi-Brahim in Algeria of 23-29 September 1845. The predecessors of the Chasseurs Alpins, the 8me Bataillon Chasseurs à Pied, were surrounded together with the 2me Régiment des Hussards in the marabout of Sidi-Brahim by the superior numbers of Abd-el Kader’s 10.000 Algerians. 
Though they were completely surrounded and besieged, and having many losses the French did not surrender. When the remaining 80 survivors completely ran out of munitions, they managed to break through the enemy lines with a bayonet charge, but only 16 of them managed to rejoin the French lines.

Sidi-Brahim at the Hilsenfirst - 1915
"Un niveau Sidi-Brahim: Les Chasseurs de l' Hilsenfirst" by José Simon in "L'Illustration" - 31-06-1915
On 14 June 1915 the 6th coy. of the 7e B.C.A. was engaged in heavy fighting at the Hilsenfirst (1.270 m.) The Chasseurs were almost encircled by German troops. For three days the 6th coy. defended desperately their trench. Running out of ammunition and having many losses the Chasseurs, shouting “Sidi-Brahim!”, were even forced to defend themselves, throwing rocks down the slope.
Period Map - Centre "C.M." - Position 7e BCA - Black arrows north-east: encirclement Württembergische Gebirgskompanie 1 - Liberation 13e BCA from south-west to "C.M."
After 3 days they were liberated from this critical situation by volunteers of the 13e B.C.A. and other companies of the 7e B.C.A.
Legend tells that this event was also the occasion, where the Chasseurs Alpins got their proud nick-name from the Germans of the “Diables Bleus”, the Blue Devils. “Sidi-Brahim!” would forever stay the war cry of the Chasseurs Alpins.
Chasseurs Alpins on the Hilsenfirst

Back to the front of the Villa Sidi-Brahim. There is another interesting inscription to be found on the architrave.

"1914-1915 - République Française", decorated by a hunting horn.

These two inscriptions on the architrave confirm the presence of the Chasseurs Alpins on this spot.  

The hunting horn and the bugle; emblem and symbol of the Chasseurs Alpins

The hunting horn on the front of this officers quarters forms the symbol or emblem of the Chasseurs Alpins, which they always, until nowadays, wear on their beret hat, their “Tarte”, or pie, as the Chasseurs call it themselves.

The hunting horn is also used on official occasions like musical parades, as we see on this realistic painting below of a festive event in 1917, probably at St. Amarin.

The Chasseurs knew also “Clairon” soldiers, who were playing the field version of the horn, the bugle. At the right of these details below you will find the bugle in the hand of the fanfare’s conductor. The “Clairons” blew the bugle with different tunes to signal and to command the troops like for instance to attack or to retreat. The bugle announced also important parts of the day, like the last post. Notice that some hunting horn blowers keep their bugle at hand under their left arm.

Dutch Readers, for more info about the historic background of the Chasseurs Alpins, please read my Dutch, illustrated lecture elsewhere on my website; "De Blauwe Duivels in de Vogezen - Chasseurs Alpins"

Left: Hunting horn - Right: Bugle
On the ground in front of the Villa Sidi-Brahim ...
we find metal parts of the building, ...

... and a lot of shards of orange roof tiles, which used to cover the house.

A last view at the interior of the Villa Sidi-Brahim.

Another 50 m. to the east we find the ruin of another house, which is roughly similar to the Villa Sidi-Brahim.

I don't know which function this house had. Considering the limited size of the Villa Sidi-Brahim, I suppose, this house could probably have served as the annexe of the Villa, offering other officers their quarters.

We leave the Villa Sidi-Brahim and we return to our car.  On the next photo page we go to the Col de la Schlucht

to continue our route along the frontline southward along the Route des Crêtes.

Continue to the next chapter: "Route des Crêtes - Hohneck - Grand Ballon - Sudel"

AISNE - Chemin des Dames

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 29 Nov, 2019

De Vanceboro Bridge Bomaanslag

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 14 Nov, 2019

Inleiding: Franz Von Papen & Werner Horn; schaker en pion

Onlangs stuitte ik in een oud boek (1) van 1919 op een opmerkelijk verhaal over een Duitse Luitenant, die in begin februari 1915 een half geslaagde bomaanslag pleegt op een spoorbrug over een grensrivier tussen de Verenigde Staten en Canada. Ook al staat de bekentenis van de dader, Werner Horn, deels in het boek te lezen, de naam van zijn opdrachtgever zal Horn blijven verzwijgen. Na wat verder zoeken vond ik ook de naam van Horn’s opdrachtgever, Franz von Papen, een van de aangeklaagden van het latere Neurenberg Proces in 1946.

In een Grote Oorlog als de Eerste Wereldoorlog  is Horn’s aanslag op de brug uiteraard slechts een bescheiden wapenfeit. Toch vermoed ik dat dit relatief onbekende verhaal, dat de geschiedenis is ingegaan als de “ Vanceboro International Bridge Bombing ”, nog interessante kanten kent. Het is onder andere een spionageverhaal over hoe in een groter plan een sluwe schaker zijn naïeve pion offert.  

Beknopte situatieschets Canada en de Verenigde Staten in 1915

ALSACE-LORRAINE - The Gap of Charmes - La Trouée de Charmes

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 01 Oct, 2019

This trip we start at the Léomont near Vitrimont and we will with some exceptions concentrate on the Battle of Lorraine of August-September 1914 in the area, called, the “Trouée de Charmes”, the Gap of Charmes.

After the Léomont battlefield we continue our explorations to Friscati hill and its Nécropole Nationale. Next we pay a visit to the battlefield of la Tombe to go on to the Château de Lunéville. There we cross the Vezouze to move on southward to the Bayon Nécropole Nationale. At Bayon we cross the Moselle to pass Charmes for the panorama over the battlefield from the Haut du Mont. North-west of Charmes we will visit the British Military Cemetery containing 1918 war victims. From Charmes we go northward to the battlefield of the First French Victory of the Great War, the Battle of Rozelieures of 25 August 1914. North of Rozelieures we will visit the village of Gerbéviller. From there we make a jump northward to visit the ruins of Fort de Manonviller to finish with an interesting French Dressing Station bunker, west of Domjevin.

LORRAINE - Avricourt - Leintrey - Reillon - Domèvre - Parux

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 18 Sept, 2019
Though we depart from Badonviller in the Northern Vosges , we make a jump northward to the east of Lunéville and Manonviller. We start at Avricourt on the border of Alsace and Lorraine. From the Avricourt Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof we explore the southern Lorraine battlefields ; the mine craters of Leintrey , the Franco- German war cemetery and Côte 303 at Reillon , and some German bunkers near Gondrexon , Montreux , and Parux.

LORRAINE - Montreux - German Front Walk 

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 13 Sept, 2019
We depart from Raon-l’Etape to drive northward via Badonviller to Montreux to visit the  "Circuit du Front Allemand 14-18", the  Montreux German Front Walk 14-18,  with its trenches , breastworks , and at least twenty bunkers.

LORRAINE - The Battle of Morhange - 1914

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 08 Sept, 2019
North-east of Nancy, east of Pont-à-Mousson, and south-east of Metz we visit the battlefields of the Battle of Morhange of 14 until 20 August 1914. We follow mainly topographically the route of the French advance eastward over the Franco-German border of 1871-1918.
During this visit, we try to focus on the day that the momentum of the battle switched from the French side to the advantage of the Bavarian side: the day of 20 August 1914, when the Bavarians rapidly re-conquered the territory around Morhange , being also the day of the start of their rather successful “Schlacht in Lothringen”.
We will visit beautiful landscapes of the "Parc Naturel Régional de Lorraine", memorials, ossuaries, and cemeteries. Sometimes we will divert to other periods of the Great War, honouring Russian and Romanian soldiers, who died in this sector. We start our route at the border village of Manhoué, and via Frémery, Oron, Chicourt, Morhange, Riche, Conthil, Lidrezing, Dieuze, Vergaville, Bidestroff, Cutting, Bisping we will finish in Nomeny and Mailly-sur-Seille, where the Germans halted their advance on 20 August 1914, and where they constructed from 1915 some interesting bunkers.

LORRAINE - Lanfroicourt – Nomeny - Monument du Grand Couronné 

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 05 Sept, 2019
South of Manhoué we start this trip at Lanfroicourt along the French side of the Franco-German 1871-1918 border, marked by the meandering Seille river. We visit some French bunkers  in Lanfroicourt, near Array-et-Han and in Moivrons. From there we go northward to the outskirts of Nomeny and the hamlet of Brionne to visit the ( second ) memorial, commemorating the events in Nomeny of 20 August 1914. We continue westward to finish at the Monument du Grand Couronné at the Côte de Géneviève, a former French artillery base, which offers several panoramic views over the battlefield.

LORRAINE - Bouxières-sous-Froidmont - Verny - Feste Wagner

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 28 Aug, 2019
North of Pont-à-Mousson and south of Metz, we explore the relics of German bunkers and fortifications along the Franco-German 1871-1918 border. We start at Bouxières-sous-Froidmont to visit the nearby height of the Froidmont on the front line. This time we will show only a part of the Froidmont, focusing on its military significance.  From the Froidmont we continue via Longeville-lès-Cheminot and Sillegny to the “Forêt Domaniale de Sillegny” to explore some artillery ammunition bunkers. Next we continue to Marieulles for its three interesting bunkers and to Vezon for its line of ammunition depot bunkers. From Vezon we continue to the “Deutscher Kriegsgräberstätte Fey – Buch”. From Fey we go eastward, passing 6 bunkers near Coin-lès-Cuvry to finish our trip at the top construction of the “Feste Wagner” or “Fort Verny”, north of Verny.

VOSGES - Mutzig - Fort de Mutzig - Feste Kaiser Wilhelm II

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 25 Aug, 2019

From Badonviller or the Col du Donon we continue north-eastward for a visit to an extraordinarily well restored sample of German fortifications:  the Feste Kaiser Wilhelm II, or Fort de Mutzig,  lying on a height, some 8 km. away from the 1871-1918 Franco-German Border.

VOSGES - Ste. Marie-aux-Mines - Tête du Violu / Bernhardstein

by Pierre Grande Guerre • 23 Aug, 2019
We concentrate on the German side of the front around "Markirch", Sainte Marie-aux-Mines, the so-called "Leber" front sector . We first pay a visit to the Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof, and next to the southern side of the Col de Ste. Marie for the many interesting bunkers of the German positions at the Bernhardstein, at the north-eastern slopes of the Tête du Violu. On the next photo page about the Haut de Faîte we will continue with a visit to the northern side of the pass and the "Leber" sector.
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