I have visited Verdun, and it is humbling. There is a reconstruction of what the battlefield was like during the conflict and it is gruesome. It has been said that every square inch of dirt on that battleground was overturned 8 times by the artillery bombardments, and that is unimaginable.
flashguy
Texan by choice, not accident of birth
November 12, 2018, 05:10 PM
Sunset_Va
A couple of months ago, I read a book written by Winston Groom, about WWI. It concentrated on Flanders, and his accounting of the trench warfare , what a horrible battle scenario. I had not delved into WWI as much as WWII, it was a real eye opener, into the horrors all the soldiers faced.
Detailed accounts and descriptions in the book about the poison gas attacks both sides used, and the terrible effects on people. Soldiers living in stagnant water for days.
A Storm in Flanders: The Triumph and Tragedy on the Western Front (2002
美しい犬
November 12, 2018, 05:14 PM
RHINOWSO
Time marches on and reclaims all.
November 12, 2018, 05:24 PM
Belwolf
In my studies of WWI I noticed a shocking difference between the German fortifications and the Allies (French/British). The Germans built much better systems particularly with emphasis on the health of their soldiers- concrete floors, fresh air exchange, etc. More defensive minded but they too had horrendous losses when attacking.
The allies tended to build "temporary" trenches in that they expected to not be in one place too long though that is what typically happened, despite constant "over the top" assaults. A typical sleeping accommodation for a Brit or French soldier was a small one man "hole" dug into the side of a trench. Casualties due to poor conditions were horrible.
“Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.” ― John Adams
"Fire can be our friend; whether it's toasting marshmallows, or raining down on Charlie." - Principal Skinner.
November 12, 2018, 05:28 PM
jaaron11
Dan Carlin did a lengthy series on WWI for his Hardcore History podcast. It's worth the time to listen to. Of all the jobs in all the history of the world, being a frontline soldier in WWI would be near the bottom of my list. It stretched, and often broke, the limits of what men can endure psychologically.
J
Rak Chazak Amats
November 12, 2018, 05:33 PM
rat2306
And they're still finding unexploded ordnance from WWI in the farmfields and forests.
Not to drift too far from the thread, but I had several relatives "over there" and will only mention a couple of their units, a search can find their stories:
D Company, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division HQ Company, 117th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division (no doubt a message courier)
November 12, 2018, 05:46 PM
Micropterus
I challenge anyone to watch these US military cemetery profiles and not shed a tear. Here's St. Mihiel. There is a short piece on every overseas US military cemetery.
_____________ "I enter a swamp as a sacred place—a sanctum sanctorum. There is the strength—the marrow of Nature." - Henry David Thoreau
November 12, 2018, 06:07 PM
flashguy
quote:
Originally posted by Micropterus:
I challenge anyone to watch these US military cemetery profiles and not shed a tear. Here's St. Mihiel. There is a short piece on every overseas US military cemetery.
I have visited several of the US Cemeteries in France and Belgium, and it was a very emotional experience. I have read the poem "In Flanders Fields" many times, too, and I cry every time. http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poem...-flanders-fields.htm
flashguy
Texan by choice, not accident of birth
November 12, 2018, 08:57 PM
MikeinNC
quote:
A Storm in Flanders: The Triumph and Tragedy on the Western Front (2002
That's a very good book, I don't buy and keep books; usually passing them on the the library...but I have this one.
"Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” Robert A. Heinlein
“You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020
“A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker
November 12, 2018, 11:16 PM
Icabod
Read an article on the excavation of a British trench. Archeologist examined the construction and living quarters. What got me were the remains of soldiers. They had died during combat and then sunk or were trod into the mud at the bottom of the trench. No doubt listed as missing but you have to wonder what their friends thought had happened.
“ The work of destruction is quick, easy and exhilarating; the work of creation is slow, laborious and dull.
November 12, 2018, 11:31 PM
mr kablammo
Indy Niedell and the Great War Series visited the Meuse-Argonne Cemetary. Very touching and tearful.
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye". The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, pilot and author, lost on mission, July 1944, Med Theatre.
