Abris du Kronprinz –
Kronprinzen-Bunker – Champ Mahaut – Römer-Lager
West of the village of Varennes-en-Argonne and north of the Varennes road, today’s D 38, the Bois du Bel Orme contains the remarkable remains of a former German camp and a larger light railway station. The area was called “Römerbahnhof” and “Römer-Lager” by the German troops from the beginning of 1915 at the latest, while the French referred to it as “Champ Mahaut”. Today it is known under the designation “Abris du Kronprinz” or “Abri du Kronprinz” (Crown Prince bunker) and has been developed for tourism with appropriate signage. Due to its central location in the middle Argonne sector behind the front areas la Fille Morte and Hill 285 (la Haute Chevauchée), the complex acquired considerable strategic importance.
Starting from the D 38, about 500 m east of the intersection with the D 38c towards Haut Chevauchée, a forest path branches off to the right coming from Varennes-en-Argonne, via which the former camp area can be reached on foot or by car after about 1,000 meters. If you also want to explore the surrounding area, combining it with other noteworthy remains of German positions in the area of the II. Argonnenlinie or along the Varenner Straße is recommended.
Research into the history of the “Abris du Kronprinz” is difficult, as there are practically no contemporary sources that provide reliable information on which units were involved in the construction of the camp, the remnants still present today, and their use over the course of the war.
Incidentally, some regimental histories contain information on the “Römer-Lager”, such as the history of Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment 27 (27th Landwehr Infantry Regiment), which apparently participated in the expansion of the camp in 1915 and 1916 alongside its sister regiment, Landwehr-Infanterie-Regiment 26 (26th Landwehr Infantry Regiment). The 1st Company of Pionier-Bataillon 16 (16th Pioneer Battalion) was presumably also engaged in the construction of the facilities that still exist today starting in 1915. The presence of the pioneers is documented by an inscription located somewhat hidden within the camp area. Other pioneer units deployed in the Argonne sector, such as Pioneer Battalions 20 and 29, are also said to have been involved in the construction of the camp.
Regarding the name, one can also only speculate. As with other German structures, the French designation “Kronprinz” is likely related to the French penchant for adapting such titles for military-geographical purposes. Terms such as “Kaiser”, “Kronprinz”, “Bismarck”, “Kluck”, “Hindenburg”, or “Moltke” can be found dozens of times on French maps along the Western Front, even though the namesakes mostly never came anywhere near the respective positions. If one believes French postcard inscriptions from the period shortly after the end of the war, the name “Abris du Kronprinz” does not refer to Wilhelm, Crown Prince of the German Empire, but rather to Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria. However, as with the German Crown Prince, no stay in the camp can be documented for him either.
The German designation “Römer-Lager”, like the neighboring “Römerbahnhof”, can be traced with reasonable certainty back to the old Roman road running west of the former camp area. North of Varenner Straße (D 38), this continues as a forest path from the D 38c coming from Hill 285 (Haut Chevauchée).
The Römer-Lager originally consisted of two larger parts. The northern area was located on the slope of a rather steep valley incision, which is called “les Précipices” on French maps. According to existing photographs and field postcards, there were living galleries and accommodation huts built into the slope there. The southern, larger complex was located on a flat plain sloping somewhat to the south, which during wartime lay between two essential supply routes, namely the “Zweibrücken-Straße” and the “Brigade-Straße”. Both routes connected the Argonne sector, beginning west of Varennes-en-Argonne, with the rear area. They led to the “Esebeck-Platz” (Abri du Crochet) in the le Crochet district. Via this central crossroads, a large part of the supplies and troop replacements for the forward front sectors la Fille Morte and Haut Chevauchée (Hill 285) in the middle Argonne was handled.
In the area of the former Römer-Lager, two groups of noteworthy concrete dugouts can still be found today. The larger area is easy to find via appropriate signage starting from the D 38. The smaller group of bunkers, which is rather unknown but no less interesting, is located east of the main group on an overgrown forest path, about 150 meters north of the main access road. Some of the structures feature elaborate wall paintings, tiling, masonry chimneys, and other facilities, e.g., stoves and shelves, which are otherwise not found in such shelters. The remarkable structural design of the facilities suggests that they were quarters for higher officer commands. The type of construction, including the use of shaped concrete blocks, also shows that they were built no earlier than the end of 1916, when the troops’ skills in using the building material concrete had progressed accordingly for shelter construction as well.
It is documented that the area around the Römer-Lager lay on the boundary of the attack sectors of the 28th and 77th US Infantry Divisions during the Franco-American Meuse-Argonne Offensive and was captured between September 27 and 28, 1918. According to reports by American soldiers, extensive quantities of supplies of all kinds, including high-quality food and luxury goods such as wine, champagne, spirits, and Cuban cigars, were found when the camp was captured. Likewise, the furnishings of the camp are described as very luxurious. Mention is made of electric lighting, park-like outdoor areas with flowerbeds, a bowling alley, and walnut wood paneling inside the facilities. Reports also mention high-quality furniture, mirrored cabinets, tiled stoves, and bathtubs. According to handed-down accounts by Léon Hurlain, who served as mayor of Lachalade from 1958 to 1965, as a child after the end of the fighting he found a piano in one of the bunkers.
Even though no detailed findings can be gathered regarding the history of the installations in the former Roman camp (Champ Mahaut) near Varenner Straße in the Argonne, an exploration of the area is worthwhile. On site, based on the still-existing structures and other remnants of the camp, one can imagine the astonishing luxury in which the German soldiers must have lived immediately behind the front line.
were AI-edited (notice pursuant to Art. 50 Regulation (EU) 2024/1689).