Since the creation of the naval shipyard at Rochefort, the pointe Sainte-Catherine, opposite Fort Boyard on the southern part of the island, has been the home of the first fortifications on the Ile d'Aix. Drawing its inspiration from plans devised by Vauban, construction of the Fort de la Sommité began in 1699 and was completed in 1703. Accessed via a drawbridge and surrounded by moats, the fort is then flanked by five bastions, of which traces remain visible today at low spring tides. In September 1757, during the Seven Year War, the English fleet commanded by Admiral Hawke arrived in the harbour of the Ile d'Aix and completely destroyed this first fort. In 1779, Montalembert, along with his deputy Choderlos de Laclos, undertook the construction on the same site of a wooden fort, which proved temporary as it was destroyed in 1783 without ever seeing any action.

The Fort de la Rade owes its current appearance and name to work carried out in Napoleonic times. Equipped with an impressive central building designed to accommodate its artillery pieces, the fort has long ramparts that allow a full tour of the fort whilst providing an unobstructed view over the islands of Madame, Oléron and Ré, the two lighthouses on the Ile d'Aix and the famous Fort Boyard. Various refurbishment work was carried out during the second half of the 19th century, including the concrete shelters dating from 1890.
Since 1986 tourist facilities have been set up in the Fort de la Rade, which is open all year round and free to visit.
Le fort de la Rade Mairie de l'île d'Aix Rue Gourgaud 17123 Ile d'Aix Tel. + 33 (0)5 46 84 66 09 Fax + 33 (0)5 46 84 65 79 E-mail:mairie@iledaix.fr

At the end of the Second World War, the radar was in its infancy; however, some models were capable of detecting movements at sea, day and night, at a distance beyond the reach of the human eye.

The occupying forces and the allies stepped up their research into and installation of these “wizard’s ears”.

In Douvres, due to its altitude, a long-range radar was installed in late 1942 as a means to notify the military staff of any attempt to land in the region. 

However, as happens each time a weapon of war is invented… a means to neutralise it quickly follows suit. The countermeasure of fog and false echoes were extremely popular during the night of the 5^th of June 1944!

The Radar Museum

The radar station remained an entrenched camp until 17 June (10 days after the liberation of Douvres itself).

Today attached to the Memorial of Caen, the radar station is the only one of its kind on the coast.

Two remarkably preserved bunkers and original displays help visitors to understand the role of radars and their technical development.

A couple of miles from the Juno landing beaches, the German radar station in Douvres, along the Route de Basly, served as an entrenched camp for several days. An advanced surgical unit was set up near a convent in La Délivrande. 

The first bodies buried here were soldiers killed on 6 June 1944.

Later, the bodies of soldiers killed between the coast and Caen were buried here.

The British cemetery

At the entrance to the town, on the road from Caen, the entrance to the cemetery is immediately identifiable.

A square pavilion with a peaked roof covered in stone is surrounded by pergolas. In line with the porch, the Cross of Sacrifice stands at the far end of the central walkway. It is erected on a small grassy mound and surrounded by low walls.

The steles are symmetrically placed either side of the central walkway bordered by trimmed yew trees. The German plot with the various stone stele and two-sloped roof stands in the right section of the site. Curiously, the grave of the only Polish soldier is set apart.

Big lime trees and magnolias mainly planted around the edges of the site separate the cemetery from neighbouring houses. The cemetery is enclosed by trimmed hedges of hornbeams or beeches.

Musée Franco-Allemand « Station Radar 44 » Route de Bény – CD83 – 14440 Douvres-la-Délivrande

Tél. : 07.57.48.77.32

Site internet : www.musee-radar.fr - Courriel : contact@musee-radar.fr

Choisissez votre mode de visite :

 en autonomie : en suivant les panneaux

 Avec Audiospot : en téléchargeant une application gratuite qui transforme son propre smartphone en Audioguide

 Visites Commentées (par un guide bénévole) réservation sur le site internet obligatoire

 Musée du Radar - Douvres-la-Délivrande. Michel.dehaye@avuedoiseau.com

In the middle of the 1980's the General Council of Somme began thinking of a project, which would lead, thanks to European, national, regional (Picardie) and departmental funds, to the creation of an international museum of the Great War (and not only dedicated to the battle of Somme). It was decided that it would be constructed in Péronne, which once was the frontline eastwards of the department. It is an amazing white building, closely related to the medieval site of Peronne (designed by the architecture Ciriani); here the very famous "meeting" between Louis XI, king of France and Charles Téméraire, duke of Bourgogne, took place in 1468.

When it opened on August 1st 1992, the Historial of the Great War uncovered a unique collection of original objects of the every day life of that time. The weapons and military gear, ordered chronologically, are displayed in the centre of the rooms, while in the glass cases along the walls, objects of the civil life and of the families (these objects evoke the cultural, artistic, educative, economic or financial aspects of society at that time) are displayed. These objects come from the three different belligerent empires and this makes the Historial, a museum of international scale.

Quite as contemporary as the architecture, the imagination of the museum stimulates the comprehension and emotions of the war: the uniforms, for example are laid out horizontally in "pits". Thus, without having recourse to the dangerous spirit of reconstitution, this proximity to the object also becomes a proximity to the event.
Like St Quentin, this city also faced German occupation from August 28th 1914. The battle of Marne and of Somme lead to the coming and going of the occupying forces. Bombarded in 1916 and 1918, the city is no more then a ruin, which was released on September 1918 by the Australian 2nd division. The Flag of this division streams in the town hall and the Australian Memorial of Mont St Quentin on the major road 17, seams to protect the hill. The ancient village constituted a strategic observation point. It was also very difficult to reach, because of the trenches and barbed wire network. A moving memorial paying tribute to the victims of the town is situated at the end of the rampart road: it portrays a woman kneeling over a body of a dying resistance fighter (a poilu), holding up her fist evocating anger and rage. This piece is the work of Paul Auban.
 

In brief... The Historial of the Great War in Péronne is a trilingual museum of international renown, housed in a modern building, which is an extension of the medieval chateau. Its purpose is to enlighten visitors on the historical, sociological and ethnological aspects of the First World War. It illustrates everyday life during the war through the experiences of those who lived through it and brings an interactive dimension to the conflict. 56 films from the period are shown along with the collections of objects, works of art, documents, letters and postcards. Uniforms of the various servicemen are displayed amongst weaponry and personal objects, as well as a collection of 50 etchings by the great German expressionist painter, Otto Dix. Documentation centre, educational department, international research centre, shop and cafeteria. "Tourism for the disabled" approved.

Open every day from 10 am to 6 pm (except Mondays between the 1st of November and the 31st of March).

Closed from mid-December until mid-January.

Historial of the Great War

Château de Péronne BP 63 - 80201 Péronne cedex

Phonenumber : 03 22 83 14 18 - Fax : 03 22 83 54 18

E-mail : doc@historial.org

By reservation it is possible to take guided tours of the Historial and the main sites of the Somme battle.

Open every day (except from Monday), from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Closed every year from mid-December to mid-January.

The Documentation Centre provides more then 2,300 works and 70 hours of visual material; the international Research Centre aims to promote university research on the First World War.

The Historial also has at its disposal an important Educational Outreach Department composed of a multidisciplinary team of educators.

The Bookstore presents and sells the principal publications of the Great War.

Comité du tourisme de la Somme

Site de L'historial de Péronne

La Somme 14-18

Somme remembrance association

The cemetery on the Route de Solesmes

Located on the road to Solesmes, this cemetery not only evokes the fate of this town, occupied by the Germans from 26 August 1914 to 9 October 1918, but most importantly the first battle of Cambrai, from 20 November until 3 December 1917, the German offensive of March 1918 and this second battle of Cambrai, the last battle on the Hindenburg line, which was to finally liberate the city in October 1918, the town by then having endured terrible destruction.

Later the town was "adopted" by the County Town of Birkenhead. The cemetery had been created by the Germans during their occupation from March 1917. They had constructed a few monuments and a stone cross there. On 11 August 1918, the Bavarian commander of the town had handed over the maintenance of the cemetery to the town. Afterwards the German Military cemetery that was in Cambrai was transferred there to the Saint-Sépulcre cemetery. The graves have now been regrouped. The remains of 10,685 Germans, 192 Russians, 6 Romanians and 502 British are to be found there.

13 km to the north east of Bapaume on the road between Cambrai and Bapaume is the Louverval Memorial. It commemorates the 7,048 British and South African soldiers who died at the Battle of Cambrai in November and December 1917 and whose graves are unknown. The Battle of Cambrai, marked by a breakthrough on 20 November, a cessation on positions on 22 November and a German counter attack between 23 and 29 November, resulted in a limited gaining of ground but taught the Allies some valuable tactical and strategic lessons. For their part, the Germans had discovered that their line of defence was vulnerable. The Memorial, situated on a terrace at the far end of the military cemetery, was designed by H. Chalton Bradshaw and the sculptor C.S. Jagger, whose two bas-reliefs illustrating battle scenes are to be admired.

1917 had been a terrible year for all the fighting nations during the ongoing First World War. At the end of the year, the British, seeking to destroy the Hindenburg line (the defensive system for the territories occupied by the Germans), decided to launch an offensive to the south of Cambrai involving the large-scale use of tanks. The battle was merciless: the first battles were a great success for the British troops, except at Flesquières, but the Germans, at first thrown into confusion, very quickly started a powerful counter-offensive. For 15 days, attacks and counter-attacks were to follow in succession, with neither of the two armies chalking up decisive success. The human losses were enormous: 45,000 British and 55,000 Germans were killed, as whole villages were destroyed. During the First World War, a new weapon appeared on the battlefields: the tank. Tanks were designed to support the attacks of the infantry, driving them across enemy lines. During the battle in November 1917, the "Tank Corps" of the third British Army (a total of 476 tanks) was engaged to break through the Hindenburg line.

The objective of the battle was to take the strategic positions of the Flesquières ridge and the Bourlon woods before targeting the liberation of Cambrai. At Flesquières, the British attack came up against fierce resistance from German troops, who managed to destroy or immobilise several tanks. One of those destroyed was buried by the Germans in the spring of 1918. In November 1998, thanks to a handful of enthusiasts, it was unearthed. Today this war relic can be seen in Flesquières. At Cambrai, the memory of this battle lives on through the monument to the soldiers from the Cambrai regiments, opposite the gate to the citadel and through the French Remembrance monument listing all those from Cambrai who died in combat during the Great War. The Louverval cemetery is an important place of remembrance for them.

Characteristics: - 26.5 tonnes - 8.50 metres long - 3.20 metres wide - 52 cm wide tracks - 5 machine guns with 13,000 to 30,000 cartridges - Crew of 8 men.
It was on the Flesquières ridge that the most important episode of the Battle of Cambrai took place. Overlooking the valley, it is possible for us to imagine the starting point of the British attack on 20 November 1917, on a front of about 8 km stretching from Havrincourt to Bonavis. There used to be a mill there, but since it could be used as a reference point for the British artillery, it was destroyed by the Germans. Today there is a project to build an orientation table showing the Hindenburg line's defensive system and erect a monument to the glory of the soldiers who fell on the battlefield.

This raised German bunker is characterised by its shape and its use, as it served as an observation tower. In fact, its position allowed communication with Cambrai using visual signals. The observation post was attached to the château garden. The building is still very well preserved today.

An exact replica trench was created for the filming of the documentary "he Trench" by the BBC. Tours of the site are possible on request to complement a tour of the tank.
 

Flesquières Hill British Cemetery

In this cemetery, as in all those with more than 400 graves, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has built a "Remembrance Stone" on which is engraved the inscription "Their Name Liveth For Evermore". In addition, the cemetery contains the graves of 589 known and 332 unknown soldiers. Next to the British are buried the soldiers from New Zealand and Australia who took part in the fighting at the end of the war.

Orival Wood British Cemetery

The remains of the famous English poet, Lieutenant Ewart Alan Mackintosh are buried here. In the same place there are also the graves of Canadian and German soldiers killed in the Flesquières sector.

Avec ses 19 blocs de combat et ses 10 km de galeries, l’ouvrage du Hackenberg est le géant de la Ligne Maginot.

Sa construction débuta dès 1930 parmi les tout premiers. Il fut en fait le prototype des ouvrages d'artillerie de la ligne Maginot. 1800 ouvriers environ travaillèrent avec des moyens relativement rudimentaires pendant six années pour construire les 19 blocs de combat et percer environ 10 kilomètres de galeries. Après 1933 et l'achèvement du gros oeuvre, on installa l'équipement intérieur et l'armée française prit livraison de l'ensemble en 1936.

Après la déclaration de guerre en 1939 et la période de vigilance maximale de la 'Drôle de guerre', le Hackenberg remplit son rôle lors de l'offensive allemande de 1940 et sa reddition ne fut effective que quelques jours après l'armistice. En novembre 1944, il fut investi par la 3e armée américaine du général PATTON lors de la terrible bataille pour la libération de la Moselle.

Sous la conduite d’un guide de l’association AMIFORT, le public y découvre des installations d’origine en parfait état de fonctionnement, une usine électrique et des groupes électrogènes en état de marche, des salles reconstituées à l’identique et un musée militaire.

La visite se poursuit à bord du petit train d’époque qui transporte les visiteurs vers les blocs de combat, dont l’imposant bloc 9 où l’on peut assister à la démonstration du fonctionnement de sa tourelle d’artillerie de 163 tonnes.

Après une sortie en surface, les visiteurs découvrent le bloc 8 qui porte encore les stigmates des combats de 1944 entre les troupes allemandes et américaines.

C'est un voyage dans le temps et dans l'Histoire d’une formidable fortification du XXème siècle que les bénévoles et salariés de l'association AMIFORT vous proposent.

L’ouvrage du Hackenberg est l’un des très rares ouvrages militaires possédant un circuit pédestre balisé par le Club Vosgien qui vous permet d'admirer les dessus de ces 19 blocs de combat en transitant par le Mur Antichar de 800 mètres de long et 8 mètres de haut, une curiosité unique en Lorraine.

La visite du fort dure environ deux heures et se déroule dans un environnement souterrain où la température est stabilisée à 12° toute l'année. Pour votre confort prévoir des vêtements en conséquence.

Compte tenu des contraintes liées à la visite d'un ouvrage souterrain ancien à plusieurs niveaux, seule la découverte de quatre-vingt pourcents du parcours est assurée pour les personnes à mobilité réduite. Les poussettes sont acceptées.

Une boutique souvenir vous est proposée à la fin de la visite.

Sources : ©GROS OUVRAGE MAGINOT DU HACKENBERG - PHOTOS libre de droit Crédit photo association AMIFORT

Located just six miles northwest of Lens, this cemetery was started in August 1915 during the Battle of Loos-en-Gohelle, when the chateau was used as a medical clinic. This site contains the bodies of over 2,000 fallen soldiers, 200 of which were never identified; special memorials were erected to six soldiers from the United Kingdom, known to be buried among them. Seven French soldiers are also buried here.

At the entrance to the cemetery, the chapel of Notre Dame de Lourdes built before the war by the Bréhon family has been reconstructed in its original spot.

MINDEF/SGA/DMPA Northern territory

Most of the Portuguese servicemen have been laid to rest in the Richebourg military cemetery (Pas de Calais). The land was purchased in August 1924 and the Portuguese War Graves Commission undertook the task of finding and regrouping the bodies in conjunction with the French government (department of ex-servicemen and the 1st military region).

Between 1924 and 1938, the Richebourg cemetery received 1,831 bodies from various cemeteries in France (Le Touret, Ambleteuse, Brest etc.), Belgium (Tournai) and Germany for prisoners of war. It was extended in 1939, bringing its surface area to four thousand three hundred square metres. This cemetery contains 500 steles, each bearing the Portuguese coat of arms. Once through the wrought iron gate with its heart motifs, follow the alley of pine trees leading to the Memorial and the remembrance museum. The vegetation here is Mediterranean. Opposite is the Notre Dame de Fatima Chapel, built in 1976 in memory of the Portuguese soldiers who bore the brunt of the German offensive of April 1918. At La Couture, where they had valiantly withstood the German advance, the France-Portugal association had a monument built to the soldiers of the Portuguese expeditionary corps. The famous Christ of the Trenches, a cross damaged by shellfire and retrieved by Portuguese soldiers, was rebuilt at Neuve-Chapelle after the war. At La Couture, the monument, in stone bronze, is the work of sculptor A. Teixeira Lopez and was erected by Portuguese workmen. On one of the walls of the gothic church ruined by the war, an allegorical figure representing the Homeland brandishes the sword of Nun'Alvares, the supreme commander whose victory in 1385 over the Spanish at Aljubarrota marked Portugal's independence. It is shown coming to the aid of a Portuguese foot soldier trying to strike down Death with the butt of a rifle.
The Memorial of le Touret resembles a cloister with vaulted corridors in Portland stone. The square courtyard enclosed by three full walls and a colonnade forming a long gallery. The names of the 13,479 soldiers who died before 25 September 1915 are engraved on walls of the courtyard and the colonnade. There are small pavilions at each end of the gallery in the western corners of the courtyard. Today, in the cemetery itself, 900 dead are commemorated.
The hamlet of Saint Vaast is situated between the village of Richebourg and Goix-Barbee. A clinic was started in May 1915 during the Battle of Festubert and then used in the years that followed. A railway nicknamed "Tramway of the Trenches" transported men and ammunition. The cemetery currently contains about 800 British, Indian and German bodies, few of which have been identified.
At the beginning of March 1915, through their daring exploits, the allied air forces paralysed all German telephone communications in Menin (Belgium). In revenge, the enemy shelled Neuve-Chapelle, leaving it in ruins. For the Allies it was vital to take back Neuve-Chapelle. On 10 March 1915, British troops attacked the sector.
They were helped in their task by Indian troops. Sixteen thousand Indian soldiers, of whom 5,000 were never to be found, fought side by side. Three successive attacks came up against the fiercest resistance. A fourth resulted in the taking of 2,500 metres of trenches, before Neuve-Chapelle was taken back. Indians, English, Portuguese and French symbolised the friendship that united the soldiers. These men fulfilled their duty before they died. After them and in memory of their death, there remains this Memorial built to the glory of the 10,000 dead. The construction of this Memorial was ordered by the President of the Republic on 11 August 1926. (official gazette). The land on which it was built was purchased in perpetuity by the Imperial War Graves Commission. It is dedicated to the memory of those killed from the Hindu units and in particular to those "missing in action". It is built on land belonging to the commune of RICHEBOURG. In 1915 the place was known as"PORT-ARTHUR" The Memorial, whose architect was Sir HERBERT-BAKER, well known in India as one of the creators of the Delhi modern, is circular in shape and on its façade is a column (reminiscent of the pillars of ASOKA) about 16 meters high surmounted by an imperial lotus, the imperial crown and the "Star of India". It is flanked by two tigers. This column and the tigers are supported by a "podium", on which is engraved India 1914-1918. From the base of the "pedestal", a wall with cross-hatched ornamental apertures extends in a semi-circle and at each end of the semi-circle, there are two small "Chattri" domes, towards the East and the West. On the opposite semi-circle, which is solid, the names are engraved. In the middle of a lawn is the remembrance stone. The names on the Memorial are classed by units; within each unit by rank and within each rank in alphabetic order. There are 4,847 of them. They represent all English and Indian social classes. They share the same spirit expressed on the monument: IN HONOUR OF THE ARMY OF INDIA WHO FOUGHT IN France AND IN Belgium, 1914-1918, AND TO PERPETUATE THE MEMORY OF THEIR DEAD IN UNKNOWN GRAVES WHOSE NAMES ARE ENGRAVED HERE. In 1964, it was decided to add a special bronze panel to this monument on which are the names of 206 soldiers whose graves were in ZEHRENSDORF (East Germany) and could no longer be maintained. Work was completed in June 1966. IN MEMORY OF THOSE MEN WHO DIED IN CAPTIVITY AND WERE BURIED IN ZEHRENSDORF NEAR BERLIN.

Maubeuge, located at the intersection of railway lines that, coming from Brussels and Liège, converge towards Paris – was a major strategic goal for both the French and the Germans.

In accordance with the Schlieffen plan, German troops entered Belgium on 4 August 1914, and Maubeuge was on their way there. On 29 August, the Germans set off a powerful bombardment. After eight days of siege, Maubeuge was still resisting, but the situation turned highly critical from 6 September. On 7 September, General Fournier, the Governor of Maubeuge, had to capitulate. The Germans took 450,000 prisoners and 450 guns and 80,000 shells.

During the war, Maubeuge was controlled by the German military administration in occupied Belgium. It was only released on 9 November 1918 by British troops.

The Assevent National Cemetery, located 5km from Maubeuge, is home to the bodies of soldiers who died for France during the Siege of Maubeuge in August 1914.

Established in 1916 by the German army, the cemetery was redeveloped in 1923 to gather the bodies of other soldiers killed during the battle that were exhumed from temporary cemeteries in the Nord department or from Ypres in Belgium. The cemetery holds 1,819 bodies, including 364 in individual graves and 990 in four ossuaries, which is likely to include a large number of Moroccan infantrymen. There is a German military cemetery on the other side of the railway line. It was built in 1924 and comprises of 998 bodies of soldiers who fell in September 1914 around ​​Meaux (Seine-et-Marne).

The Assevent National Cemetery was established by the Germans during the war and seems to reconcile German, French, Russian and British soldiers in death.

Nicknamed the Belle Inutile (the useless beautiful), the citadel is a Vauban structure built between 1668 and 1672. Pentagonal in shape, it is flanked on each corner by huge bastions protected by free-standing fortifications, part of which is preserved. The white stone Porte Royale faces the town and emphasises the power of the new sovereign. The buildings necessary for life in the Citadel surround the esplanade. Aligned with the Porte Royale, the arsenal, whose openings are emphasised by the stone décor, has a privileged place in the fort's spatial organisation The chapel, a gem of Baroque architecture, still has a brick façade richly decorated with fluted engaged columns, medallions, flame ornaments, etc.

The Chemin des Douves path takes visitors on a trail around the Citadel, to the Crinchon, a stream that was used to fill the ditches with water. The citadel itself is owned by the French Army. It can be visited as part of a tour organised by the Tourist Information Office in the Town Hall. Despite the modifications over the centuries, the Arras citadel is still testimony to Vauban's art.

There is a memorial in the Faubourg d'Amiens cemetery, not far from the citadel. It commemorates the deaths of 35,000 men – British, New Zealand and South African – who fell between spring 1916 and 7 August 1918 and who do not have their own tomb. The names of the dead are engraved on stone slabs affixed to the walls of the cloister with Doric columns, built by Sir Edwin Luytens. Faubourg d'Amiens cemetery on Boulevard du Général de Gaulle also has 2,652 identified tombs.

Opposite the Memorial, on the wall of the cloister is the "Flying Services Memorial", engraved with the names of the Royal Naval Air Service, the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Air Force and the Australian Flying Corps.

Part of the Arras Memorial, erected in the Faubourg d'Amiens cemetery, is considered a homage to the first aviators who lost their lives in combat. The Aviators' Memorial is noticeable as soon as you enter the cemetery; it consists of a raised base surmounted with a globe.
The names of all the airmen who fell on the Western front and whose tombs are unknown are engraved on each side. These include the names of 46 Canadians. The Canadians were particularly distinguished in the air war. Twenty-five thousand of them served as pilots, lookouts, and mechanics in the British Forces. Canadian airmen received over eight hundred decorations and citations, including three Victoria Crosses, for their bravery. Out of the "aces" of the RAF, five were Canadian. Pilots like W.A. "Billy" Bishop, W.G. Barker, Raymond Collishaw and A.A. McLeod were famous for their boldness and their feats.

The New Zealand tunnels form a complex system of underground shafts and caves which extend from Arras to Bapaume and Cambrai. In 1916 and 1917, the New Zealand company of tunnellers extended an existing network of old caves with shafts to reach No Man's Land, under the German trenches. The site was rediscovered in 1996.

Website of the regional tourist board for the Nord

Quizz : Forts and citadels