Battlefields trip - part I

Over the weekend I was fortunate to enough to get the chance to tour some battlefields in Europe with Mick. We took in the battlefields of Ramillies, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Blenhiem, Schellenburg at Donauworth, Gravelotte, Mars-la-Tour, Froschwiller and Alesia.

Walking across these battlefields gives a greater perspective of the events. Something that you don't get just from studying the maps. There are the sunken road at Oudenarde that Overkirk used to flank the French position or the dead ground before Lutzingen and Froschwiller. Many of the photos I took will to the non wargamer just look like a bunch of trees or fields. But to me they were the chance to stand on the ground where troops would have actually been deployed.  I also got a greater perspective of the size of these battles. Standing at Schewnenbach and just picking out the Church spire of Blenhiem in the distance.

I also had the opportunity to visit a couple of visitor centres. The first in Gravelotte, covering the Franco Prussian War. It had some excellent displays of the uniforms as well as weapons including a mitrilliause. I also managed to pick up a decent book n the war.

In part 2 I will cover the Visitor centre at Alesia which had a replica of the Roman defences.