This Hill Swallowed The French Army. Twice.

On the central Vosges ridge, above the Fecht valley, the French Army tried to break through in 1915. The Reichsackerkopf was the key. Whoever held this summit controlled the road to Colmar — the road into Alsace. They never took it from the Germans. In this video I walk the German defensive positions on the Reichsackerkopf and reconstruct what happened here in February, March, and July 1915. A Brigade-level loss count in the thousands. And a field hospital behind the French lines that was only rediscovered in 2005. This is one of the least-visited WWI sites of the Western Front. No visitor centre. Just the forest — and what it's grown over. https://www.buymeacoffee.com/WalkingT... ___ Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - French Trenches 02:16 - The German Front Line 10:44 - Behind The Line | German Bunkers, Shelters & Cable Car Station 18:25 - Looking for Bunkers in the Undergrowth 26:46 - Towards the Frontline | More Bunkers 31:22 - Mortar Position at the Frontline & more finds 36:37 - The French Side 39:04 - Field Hospital & Shelters 43:37 - French Cemetery in the Forest 48:08 - Recap & Outro 48:59 - In Memory ___ ⚠️ These battlefields are protected historical sites under French heritage law. Removing ANY battlefield artifacts is punishable by significant fines. These items are protected historical heritage and a memorial to those who fell here. ___ © 2026 WalkingTheTrenches. ___ Sources, Credits and further reading: Images: Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, BayHStA, CC0 Maps: Deutsches Bundesarchiv Further reading: https://www.notion.so/34efbe2bff29808...