Richard Rubin: writer
Photos: Places
The Kronprinz Bunker, the bunker of Crown Prince Wilhelm, son of Kaiser Wilhelm II and commander of Germany's 5th Army in WWI. The bunker sits in a forest in the Meuse-Argonne sector in France. An elegant building, it remains well-preserved, though souvenir hunters have long since carted off the fireplaces' marble mantelpieces bit by bit.
L'Ossuaire, the massive Douaumont Ossuary near Verdun, France. It is said to contain the bones of 130,000 French and German soldiers killed at the Battle of Verdun in 1916. New remains are still recovered throughout the vast battlefield and brought here regularly. The edifice also contains a chapel, a museum and an observation tower.
The World War I monument in Seicheprey, France, where the American 102nd Infantry Regiment was attacked by German shock troops on April 20, 1918. The inscription reads: To the French and American soldiers killed defending Seicheprey.
A home-made memorial affixed to the monument in Seicheprey, commemorating a local resident killed very early in the war. Such memorials can be found on most World War I monuments in France.
More to come soon...