The following photos are largely from the German and French front line trenches that still snake their way through the Gobessart Woods near the D907 road in Aprémont-la-Forêt. Aprémont-la-Forêt was a scene of vicious fighting between French and German troops in the early years of the war, and later between American Doughboys and their more experienced German adversaries.
Moving through the German trenches 100 years after the war, it was moving to see just how well-preserved they still were.
The German Front Line
German Front Line Trenches in Gobessart Woods 
Collapsed dugout entrance, now blocked off for safety. 
Firing position made of concrete. Still solid after 100 years. 
Dueling Photographers. My buddy Chuck and I. He was better armed than me. 
Looking towards French lines from a German machine gun position.
“In Treue Fest”
— “In Faith”
Entrance to a German bunker. “In Treue Fest” means “In Faith.” 
Tangles of barbed wire left here after the war. 
Per the French-made marker: “German firing position with observation post.” 
Firing parapet with munitions storage, and grenade storage with slots. 
Nature is finally making some headway against these concrete positions. 
Entrance to a dugout.
French Trenches in the St. Mihiel Salient
Entering the French trenches. These were just a grenade toss away from the German trenches we had just come out of. 
Tangles of barbed wire here, too.
