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" It was a hopeless and dangerous delusion of Napoleonic grandeur, well-symbolized by the absurd scarlet and blue uniforms, perfect targets for German guns, in which legions of French soldiers rushed to their deaths in mad, suicidal attacks in August 1914."

"Le pantalon rouge c'est la France!"

I thought Barbara Tuchman's "Guns of August" was an excellent read about WWI (which is where I first saw the quote about red pants).

[Benito Cereno]

Blood red pants, bright blue shirts, and NO helmets (at least in the beginning). No one knew what type of hell they we about to unleash. August 1914 has got to be the most horrible month in history.