ait a cotton pickin' minute I hear you say, how on earth could any other part of France be more mesmerizing than Normandy? With the invasion beaches of Sword, Juno, Gold, Utah and Omaha “all right there,” how could any other military area be more interesting? Even 69 years later, there are still lots of blockhouses and machine gun nests dotted around French cliffs for all to see. I’ve been to Normandy five times in connection with the June 6th, 1944 Allied invasion of Europe, but touring the battlefield areas of WW1 opened a Pandora’s Box of hidden military treasures I never knew existed and, as I hop scotched around this gorgeous part of France and visited its countless museums and forgotten relics of WW1, I knew it was worth every minute.
 
November 2008 marked the 100th anniversary of a conflict called “The War To End All Wars,” that lasted from 1914 to November 1918. Making a trip to the Lorraine region of France is a riveting experience for any military buff, but it’s also an opportunity to experience little country roads so magical you really believe you’re in a fairytale, and seeing quaint little villages that seem as if they’re in a time warp from 60 years ago. Everywhere I went the locals were determined to let me sample THEIR champagne as they were convinced theirs was the best. And the food? That too was almost always of gourmet quality, and always served with a local wine that was tantalizingly tasteful. The icing on the cake was that French people told me how grateful they were for what Americans had done for France in WW1 --– and it made me proud to say “Yes, I’m an American.”

OK, are you ready to put on your military WW1 boots, grab your unique WW1 steel helmet, put on your wartime imagination from those days, and join me as we explore a few of the memorable WW1 tourist attractions that should be on your next trip to France.

It was a cold, drizzly sort of day --– the clouds were grey and menacing, and a light rain pitter pattered down all around me. As I looked up ahead, I was sure my eyes were deceiving me --– was that really a German soldier from World War One standing guard? Then again, maybe I was dreaming, and this was some sort of time warp? I moved much closer to what I’d seen --– it was a German soldier in a WW1 uniform trying (in a very clever way) to get the attention of tourists to see a unique attraction. I was near a village called Vienne Le Chateau, deep in the heart of the Argonne forest. The uniformed man was a Frenchman with the unlikely name of Serge Tourovsky, who helps give visitors a tour of Camp Moreau discovered in 1996, which is the result of a 10 year re-creation of a real German camp from WW1. It’s so realistic you expect a horde of German soldiers to come rushing out of their mountain side barracks at any moment. The camp illustrated how 600 soldiers lived --– where they showered, their mess hall, and trenches, some with old shells still waiting to be loaded into nearby canons.

Of all the thousands of photos I’ve taken in my life, this is among my most favorite, as it captures not only the essence of those in it, but also of the human side of WW1. The man is a French citizen by the name of Serge Tourovsky, and that’s his son. They’re both part of the “re-creation” of Camp Moreau described in this article. He feels it’s his duty to dress up in 3 different German outfits of that period, so tourists get an idea of, as he says “how things really were.” The large “aluminum entrance” shown, is one of the openings to the numerous tunnels that honeycomb the mountain where German troops were billeted. Serge’s son, at 10 years of age, told me he likes to dress up as French solider (!) to show THAT part of the conflict. Both outfits are true and realistic in every respect.

History books tell you that much of WW1 was fought in trenches, and it’s hard to imagine how it was in those cramped, deep indentations in the ground, but The Marne Interpretive Center 14-18 www.marne14-18.fr has an exhibit that brilliantly re-creates trench warfare. You’re surrounded by sandbags, like a real 1914-1918 trench, and because of all the TV screens everywhere, you feel what it was like to fight and die in those deep ditches --– the rat-a-tat of the machine guns and the shouts of the soldiers going “over the top,” convince you this is the real thing.

It’s the biggest fort in the area of Verdun, and is yet another reason why the Lorraine battlefield sites of WW1 are more interesting than Normandy. It’s the Citadelle Souterraine and once inside you’re treated to a fascinating 25 minute ride aboard a Disneyland type vehicle seating five people that gives you a mesmerizing trip around the fort --– it’s cold and dark for most of the journey, but you’ll be intrigued by the 15 tableaux depicting the life of a French infantryman, the fort’s bakery in action, the hospital, yes and even the trenches. Indeed, many of the things you see on this ride are so real you wonder how the actors in front of you manage to survive and keep warm in the bone chilling cold --– but you suddenly realize what you’re seeing are holograms. Tours, including English, are in six different languages. 

Regardless of whether you’re a military aficionado or just a regular tourist, I defy anyone not to be in awe of this display case and the 560 (!) German Wurttemberg steel helmets from WW1.  Most are in top notch condition, and all belonged to one collector who, some 10 years ago, decided to give them to this riveting and mesmerizing museum, located at the intriguing Fort de la Pompelle just outside Reims.

Fort de la Pompelle is situated about 3 miles outside Reims, and is molded into the hillside. Inside there was a stunning array of military memorabilia --- from huge mortars to smaller guns and artillery pieces, including a collection of French 75 mm cannons, to uniforms and a vast array of military items --- from medals to lots of personal items, plus 560 of those classic looking German Wurttemberg steel helmets --– the ones with a large pointed spike on top, and surrounded with enough silver or golden adornments, to make even a King envious. Each helmet was in mint condition, and worth about $3,000

Although the Lorraine region is filled with an array of unique memorials and museums (all accessed through the local tourist offices) the most memorable is Fort de Douaumont in the Meuse region. Wandering around this forbidding fort, I clutched my coat even closer to my
body to keep warm. Knowing that the roof was 40 feet thick, I happened to look up at the walls, and noticed they were dripping with moisture, and I saw rivulets of water slowly sliding down to the already wet and slippery floor --- and it made me think how it must have been for the soldiers who lived and died here all those years ago. As I was thinking about all this, our guide said she wanted me hear how it sounded when one huge shell after another whizzed overhead --– or exploded on the fort. With both hands she lifted up an enormous steel plate from the hard stone floor and said to block my ears with my fingers.  She then dropped it back down, and the incredible noise was so shatteringly loud it sounded as if it had been broadcast at double full volume on 40 loudspeakers. There’s nothing like it in Normandy, and whether you’re “just a tourist,” or someone wanting something different, plan on visiting this fort. It’s stunning.

Nearby is the sad Douaumont Ossuary. (www.verdun-douaumont.com) This edifice, stark and visible for miles because of its 150 foot high tower, holds the unidentified remains of over 130,000 French and German soldiers that died in the Battle of Verdun – while that number is difficult to comprehend because of its size, it’s even more shocking to learn the monument is surrounded by a cemetery containing the remains of 15,000 identified French soldiers. If there is one stark fact that punches you in the belly and grabs your attention as it did mine, it’s that multitudes of cemeteries seem to appear on a never ending basis out of nowhere. You’re driving along a road with no building in sight and on the left hand side of the road, is a huge cemetery. Drive several miles and on the right, still more gravesites --– smaller, but a cemetery none the less. Verdun has 43 French cemeteries with 81,000 graves sites, 29 German with 55,000 grave sites, and two American ones with the identified remains of 18,000 bodies.

This is part of the US Military cemetery at Romagne-sous-Montfucon, France, which is the final resting place of 14, 246 American dead. It is the biggest necropolis in Europe, and is a sobering reminder of what the United States did in that ghastly World War 1914-1918. There are six such US cemeteries in France, commemorating our part in WW1. All the US cemeteries I visited on this trip were immaculately kept, and in nothing less than pristine condition – with manicured lawns and shrubbery, and mournful monuments to the sacrifices of American lives in that conflict. They are all worth a visit. Please see www.abmc.gov

On my return to America, a friend asked what I’d found the most interesting. I said it was a virtually “untouched” and clearly visible German trench from WW1. What makes this even more, well bizarre is the only word that comes to mind, is that most tourists are not aware of its existence. We were driving through low lying, verdantly green fields that rolled off into infinity, when our mini bus slowed down, and turned right off the D907 road from Saint-Mihiel to Apremont-la-Foret.  Now we were bumping along a rutted, overgrown weed track and, not more than about two hundred yards from the main road, our bus stopped. Over there, on the right hand side, we saw the moss covered concrete sides of what turned out to be several German trenches. Grass and weeds had overgrown just about everything, including a small sort of protruding column that had been a machine gun nest. Over there, to the right, the trench snaked through the forest in a zig zag fashion, and on out of our view. Although it was a lovely sunny day, my mind drifted back to 1917 when these trenches were filled with German soldiers fighting for their lives.

Here’s a real, “untouched” (and virtually un-noticed by tourists)German slit trench from WW1. It is still in what my guide called “almost brand new condition,” and looks as if it was utilized last month – when in fact it’s nearly 100 years old. Rummaging around in the grass, I was stunned by the fact that I found two very (very!) old bullets, and some strands of rusted and almost worn through, barbed wire from that era. Knowing that this is the real thing, gave me a very eerie, almost spine tingling sensation. Details on where it is, are in my story.

The smell of cordite wafted up my nostrils, and the whizzing sound of bullets and the loud staccato whine of machine guns, made me think I’d be killed any second. Then a voice said, “Over there, you’ll see one of the French trenches,” and I was suddenly brought back to reality, and lifted out of my war time reverie. Not more than 60 yards away, I could see the remains of French trenches – they were interesting, but were a re-creation, while the German ones were the real thing. If you’re in this area of Lorraine, do whatever you have to and find this place. It’s mesmerizing.

Recommendations:  For a vacation where you’ll (really) see something interesting and different, plan a trip to the Lorraine region of France. The best way to see everything is by contacting the local tourist boards, who’ll provide the names of reliable tour operators and guides. Although renting a car is an option, my advice is NOT to do that, as you’ll have no guide, and therefore find it difficult to locate the WW1 tourist related sites. All our guides were excellent, but I list only Florence Lamousse (Florence.lamousse@aliceadsl.fr) as she is a goldmine of intriguing information about many of the hidden WW1 attractions.

There are a wonderful selection of gorgeous shops such as Gallerie Lafayette in towns like Reims for women to “shop till they drop,” but while some of the “Fair Sex” may be reluctant to do a trip like this give it, as I did, a second look. It’s a fascinating insight what Americans did in that forgotten war, and it’s a “vacation experience” that in your recounting of what you saw, it’ll intrigue your friends in the USA. Whether you’re a military aficionado, or if you just want to sample the champagne and enjoy the beautiful countryside and the many B&B’s and hotels that cover the region, the Meuse Argonne area of the Lorraine region is a tourist delight. www.lorrainetouriste.fr and www.franceguide.com