[blam]

GGG Ping.

[RightWhale]

Interesting. Did the Americans have such facilities?

[VOA]

“Remarkably, during 1917 and 1918, more people lived underground in
the Ypres area than reside above ground in the town today.”

Hmmm...I wonder if epidemiologists have taken note of this.
In the PBS “Secrets of The Dead” episode about the
“Spanish” Influenza”,
some of the interviewed experts noted the terribly cramped conditions
of the British military camps on The Continent.
And uncovered group photos showing the Commonwealth troops living in
close contact with possible hosts/vectors like fowl and pigs.

Additionally, it was suggested that Spanish Influenza made its’
way into Germany because of a fight between (Americans?) in a tunnel
(a canal tunnel?) on the border with Germany.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_killerflu/

[ozzymandus]

Interesting, but newspapers? Don’t think so. There are a lot of sites that show dug-up relics, and some of them are in suprising condition, even belts of MG ammo that look new (inside a rusty ammo can), but 90 years in the ground is a long time.

[Grimmy]

The battle of Belleau Woods is near and dear to my heart, due to me being a former USMC infantryman. This is part of our Corps legend.

Here is one source for the type of fighting that took place:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/belleau_daniels.htm

Extreme heroism in adherence to duty was, by no means, limited to the USMC, US Army, US forces in general, the allies or their enemy. Examples of heroism and sacrifice abound in all the forces on both sides of that fight. Many rising to the level of legendary.

And those men were no better as men or as soldiers than our men of today, either. The task is different, the willingness to hold to honor and duty is not.

[fso301]

They believe that, because of the absence of light and oxygen in the flooded tunnels, possessions, such as beds, weapons, helmets, clothing and even newspapers, will have been preserved and will be found exactly as they were left in 1918.

-snip-

"They haven't been seen since September 1918 when the British attacked and swept the Germans back over this land. Things will be exactly as they were left. This is a unique opportunity. They will be perfectly preserved time capsules.

-snip-

In recent years, the extensive wartime tunnelling has been the cause of mounting problems for the authorities in Flanders as the timber planks, used to support the labyrinths, began to rot and cave in, causing subsidence.

The timbers that support the tunnels are rotting but the contents of the tunnels will be in pristine condition? What's wrong with this picture?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam. No wonder it took four years.

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[nw_arizona_granny]

Ping.