The tunnel sealed off by British troops during the First World War was excavated in 1997 and found to be intact
Posted on 01/27/2012 11:39:41 PM PST by Neil E. Wright
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Flanders fields today bears little sign of the four years of war that claimed so many thousands of lives and ravaged this small corner of the Western Front.
But further down, deep below the surface there remains a constant reminder of the bravery and daring of the men who risked their lives for their country.
Beneath the farmers ploughs, most of the tunnels and dug-outs hewn from the earth by English pitmen to literally undermine the German offensive remain intact, untouched for almost 100 years.
They were also the scene of fierce hand-to-hand combat between diggers from both armies, as portrayed in the Sebastian Faulks novel Birdsong.
The tunnel sealed off by British troops during the First World War was excavated in 1997 and found to be intact
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“Where liberty dwells, there is my country." –Benjamin Franklin
Islam Delenda Est!
Of all the wars of any century, fought by any people on any continent, none haunt me or churn my guts like the Western Front, 1914 - 1918. May they rest in peace, and may God keep them all. All of them.
Incredible stories!
My grandfather, born in Ohio, was of German heritage. His father disinherited his son for fighting against the Fatherland in WWI.
Poor grandpa! He was hit with mustard gas and had scarred lungs the rest of his life. He worked as a journeyman electrician and my grandmother as a cook to support their family during the depression. When he broke his back while working on a dam project, it was really tough on the family.
His oldest son, my Uncle Jim, served in the Army in WWII. My Uncle John served in the Marines during the Korean conflict. In the next generation, my cousin Chris served in the Airforce while I served in the Navy.
If you want to live and breathe free, you have to fight to stay free.
Wow. we are nothing, as free men, but for their wretched determination.
Very humbling.
Hope I never suffer rot foot
Interesting. Thanks
To that, and not to slight in the least the sacrifices of WWI or any other conflict, I would add the American Civil War; in lives, one of the costliest in human history.
This would be fascinating to tour, but very eerie and depressing. Amazing that something like this becomes a permanent landmark, so to speak. Thanks for sharing it.
“Of all the wars of any century, fought by any people on any continent, none haunt me or churn my guts like the Western Front, 1914 - 1918. May they rest in peace, and may God keep them all. All of them.”
The next time FReepers refer to the French as “surrender monkeys”, or question their attitudes in WWII, remember that in WWI (the “war to end all wars”) they lost 1.7 million men. Our Civil War (in which both sides’ casualties were Americans) cost 600K.
Modern estimates of the Civil War are closer to 750,000 to 780,000. Southern Generals didn’t report casualties at the end of the war, nor executions of deserters.
Even with the higher figure, we haven’t lost as many men in all of our wars combined that the French lost in WWI. When they were asked to do it again 20 years later, the shell-shocked survivors politely declined.
“The next time FReepers refer to the French as “surrender monkeys”, or question their attitudes in WWII, remember that in WWI (the “war to end all wars”) they lost 1.7 million men. Our Civil War (in which both sides’ casualties were Americans) cost 600K.”
The French in WWI and the CSA in the Civil War each lost roughly 20% of their male population. That does not include the wounded, only the dead.
I've got it. Good film.
“The French in WWI and the CSA in the Civil War each lost roughly 20% of their male population.”
Do you think the Confederacy would have gone to war again in 1885? Would you call them “surrender monkeys” if they didn’t?
Believe it or not many of them got excited about the Spanish-American War and joined. It was actually the first thing that brought many southerners back into active participation with the US as a whole. I doubt many of the veterans did though. It was men too young to have served in the struggle for independence.
Regarding France, their military history is impressive as a whole, going back to the early iron age. It is belittled in our culture largely because of our English roots, and that long standing rivalry. French performance is inconsistent though. When they’re hot they’re hot. When they are not . . .
The French had to fight , it was in their own damn country.
“It is belittled in our culture largely because of our English roots, and that long standing rivalry.”
I never understood the rivalry; Celtic England was replaced by Saxon England, who in turn were replaced by Norman rule (though their language remained as “English”).
I guess everyone’s performance is inconsistent at one time or another in terms of war.
“The French had to fight , it was in their own damn country.”
They had made a decision to sit out a war between Nazism & Bolshevism; considering that France & Britain went to war officially to defend Poland, and in the end it was given over to Stalin anyway, apparently they made the right call (while war was declared against Germany for invading Poland from the west, nothing was done while Stalin invaded simultaneously from the east).
An often-glossed-over fact of the war (and one that was skewed in the movie the “Big Red One” to look like the actions of one overly-patriotic officer) was the fact that when American troops landed in French North Africa during Operation Torch in 1942, they were mowed down by French troops determined to protect their territory and neutrality. This wasn’t an accident, but a conscious decision of France’s part; they were rewarded by being spared the fate of Eastern Europe for the next 50 years.
Anybody know of any books highlighting the deeds of the tunnel rats from Viet Nam?
You might check e/bay as well.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=tunnel+rats+vietnam+war&sprefix=tunnel+ra%2Cstripbooks%2C318
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