Ghosts in the Forest

2020

The western wall ran along the western border of the so-called German Empire and was known to the Allies as the Siegfried Line. It consisted of over 18 thousand bunkers, tunnels and countless trenches and tank barriers and was mainly built between 1936 and 1939. The tank barriers were built many kilometers along the west wall and – because of their shape – were also called “hump line” or “dragon teeth”. The most competitive area of the West Wall was the area of the Hürtgenwald in the Northern Eifel. Up to February 1945, around 12,000 Germans and approximately 32,000 US soldiers were killed here. In addition, the "Ardennes Offensive" began right here on December 16, 1944, the last riot of Nazi Germany before the final collapse, which, however, was to last until May 1945, meaninglessly and destructively. A memorial stone commemorates the victims on both sides. The photos were taken on the "Hollerather Knie" near Hollerath, an almost right-angled curve on federal road 265. The concrete humps are partly overgrown by the forest and covered with moss. After the Second World War, many parts of the western wall were blown up or covered with earth. Today they are under protection in Rhineland-Palatinate. The Westwall Museum near Irrel provides a good overview of the history of this "monster building“.

Moss-covered anti-tank barriers scattered across a wooded slope

Weathered concrete barriers among closely spaced forest trunks

Concrete barriers following the edge of a woodland clearing

A sepia view of wartime barriers beneath leafy forest trees

A tall moss-covered concrete barrier surrounded by woodland growth

Parallel rows of anti-tank barriers stretching along a grassy field

A broad moss-covered barrier beneath trees in dappled light

Wartime concrete obstacles partly hidden by grass at the forest edge

Rows of concrete barriers crossing an open field toward distant woods

Small concrete barriers receding across a field beside dense woodland

Fallen branches lying between moss-covered barriers in the forest

Overgrown concrete obstacles on an uneven wooded slope

A vertical view through tall trees and rows of wartime barriers

Soft light filtering through trees above weathered concrete barriers

A historical-looking view of sharply defined rows of anti-tank barriers

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