To this day, you can still see the remains of craters and trenches.
WWI is too often ignored. It was brutal beyond belief. All those who like to ridicule the French as cheese eating surrender monkeys know absolutely nothing about The Great War.
I have driven along the Verdun road - lined with helmet markers. The place is haunted.
I’ve been there a few times...it’s hard to fathom that tens of thousands of soldiers..on both sides..were just vaporized into nothing...today, a century after the battle there are still large areas where nothing will grow..not even weeds, because the soil is so toxic from the residual chemicals of the artillery explosives..
Good article with informed analysis.
Google street view is a fascinating tool. You can literally drive around Verdun or any where else in the world:
For anybody wanting to know more about the battle see "The Price Of Glory," by Alistair Horne.
Thanks. I just sent this to my brother who is a docent at the true WWI museum and memorial. 10 freeper credits to anyone who can tell me where it is.
Mr. Mercat and I have visited Devil’s Den at Gettysburg and The Bloody Road at Antietam. Both very sad places.
Thank you for posting this very well written article. Please keep up the good work and post its successors.
We do not understand bravery as they did.
War is hell. Not HELL; but hell.
To this day, you can still see the remains of craters and trenches.
Imagine thousands of tons of artillery coming in at a rate of about one per second, for days on end. On both sides. No place to hide.
interesting article and comments