Posted on 05/22/2005 10:36:38 PM PDT by SAMWolf
Morning quietolong.
The Portland schools won't allow military recruiters in to speak to students. GRRRRRRR!
Morning Aeronaut.
Morning E.G.C.
They're predicting a week of good weather, no rain and hitting the 80's
Morning Mayor.
Morning alfa6.
You'll have to let us know if you get on an interesting case.
Morning Iris7.
Morning PE. Nice Flag-O-Gram today. :-)
Fort Douaumont at the beginning of the battle
Fort Douaumont in the Summer of 1916
The construction work for Fort de Douaumont started in 1885 and was reinforced till 1913. The fort is situated on one of the highest points of the former battlefield. The fort has got a total surface of 3 hectare and is approximately 400 meters long. The fort is 4 times the size of fort Vaux and has got two subterranean levels; the fort is being protected by a 12 meters thick roof.
Fort Douaumont was assumed to be the strongest fort of Europe a role that the fort did not proved in 1916. In august 1915 all forts in the Verdun sector where part of a general reformation, as a resulted al forts were being striped from their guns, to use them at the frontline. When a small German advance guard reached the fort and discovered that it was almost deserted he decided to have a look inside. The fort was taken without any bloodshed and the small garrison was taken prison. The Germans immediately started to arm the fort, and it would last until October 24 before the French would recapture the fort in which tens of thousands were killed.
On May 8, a disaster hit the fort. A couple of soldiers are heating their coffee. Out of there was a huge explosion, the small fire from the soldiers lighted the stored Flame-thrower fuel. The face of many Germans was covered with a light layer of soot. Other soldiers in the fort yelled, "the blacks are coming" (which they mean the feared French colonial troops) and started to fire on their own comrades. Due to explosions from hand grenades stored gas shells exploded and caused more dead and destruction. At the end of the day the Germans counted more than 700 dead. The bodies of the dead men were lain in on of the fortress chambers. After that the Germans build a brick wall to close it. The remains of these soldiers are still at the same place, and it is still possible to visit this room and see the brick wall.
After an unsuccessful attempt on May 22, a regiment of colonial troops from Maroc manage to recapture the fort on October 24. During the German occupation the fort was used as a hideout for troops on their way to the front and as a logistics base. Moreover they had a perfect view, which allowed them to lead the offensives on Fleury and Fort de Souville in June and July 1916. Until the heavy bombardment on the fort it was still in a good condition when the French took it over again. This in spite of the constant French artillery attack on the fort from February 1916 until 24 October! The French used even some of the 400mm guns while trying to brake through the roof of the fort.
Morning PzLdr.
I've got some of Jablonski's books in my library.
Morning Feather.
Hey Sam.
Be Careful! There's a big bright thing in the sky.
Yeah, what's with that? I thought someone was arc welding outside my window.
Thank goodness, the sky is turning a nice claming shade of gray, who knows we might even get a little rain...we sure need it.
We just had a line of showers and t-storms with thunder and lightning move through. We had to unplug the computer and the phone line for a few minutes. It's moved passed our area so we've tunred the computer back on.
My brother and his son from Texas have had a tremendous amount of luck this weekend with catching a lot of fish at the lake. They're here for one more day and then they're going back tommorow.
How's it going, Snippy?((HUGS))
I got released! The defense counsel was the defense counsel on a trial that I was on a jury on a few years ago. IMHO he was almost imcompetent. It also was going to be a sex crime/child molestation case, not sure which it would be.
I do not mind jury duty as it is part of the resposibilty of being a citizen, but I am glad that I will not be on this case. The trial I was on a few years ago was a sex crime/child molestation case and it left a, for lack of better words, a bad impression on me. I asked the jury clerk if they needed me for another case but she said no, so back to work I will go on Wednesday.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Hoping to see the Verdun battlefield someday. Must be an amazing place. No other battlefield compares to Verdun.
Have seen good photos of German fields of fire at the Somme. Ugh.
Good illustration, puts it in perspective.
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