Last year around this time I won the scheduling lottery and ended up with two weeks of hotel standby in Paris. Even better, there was a 3-day weekend where I wouldn't even have to be on standby. 3 days to myself, in France. I decided to rent a car and do a little sightseeing.
Now most people I work with would ask me "Did you go to Normandy?" It's almost expected that as an American I should make that pilgrimage.
But no, I did not. Someday I will, but not this time.
I've been studying WWI in recent years and I really wanted to see a WWI battlefield.
Americans don't study WWI all that much. Even though we were involved, it wasn't really our war. WWII tends to overshadow it in American history. The Second World War is more recent in our memory, our involvement was much greater and it was much more clear-cut from a moral standpoint. It's tough to pick a "good guy" out of a bunch of European colonial powers circa 1914.
Still, I think there are lessons to be learned from WWI. As I like to say: WWII happened because nobody was ready for a war. WWI happened because everybody was ready for a war. Munich 1938 is not the only lesson to be learned from history.
So which battlefield? The really big ones are the Somme and Verdun. Being a bit of a Francophile, I wanted to see things from the French viewpoint, so I chose Verdun.
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it.
Having rented a car, I drove 2 hours or so east of Paris. Through beautiful countryside, tranquil farmland, calm rivers, peaceful forests - to a place that was once Hell on Earth.
The town of Verdun
A quick bit of history. In February 1916, the Germans attempted a major offensive against the Verdun salient. They hoped to take the French fortifications at Verdun, but mainly they wanted to “bleed France white”.
And bleed they did.
It was the largest battle in history, lasting almost a full year. Two massive armies with no real objective but to kill as many of the other side as possible. Millions of shell were fired. Attack and counterattack and attack again. When it was over, the battle lines were pretty much where they started. The French had taken roughly 400,000 casualties and the Germans about the same. Oh they bled all right.
A little something to think about. Total French casualties (military and civilian) for the war were 1.7 million dead out of 4.2 million total. This was from a population of only 39 million (less than half the US population at the time). I'm willing to cut them some slack for not wanting a do-over in 1940.
Driving on to the battlefield, one of the first things you see is the "Wounded Lion" monument to the French 130th Division. Having seen quite a few, I have an appreciation for French war memorials. They tend to be sober and thoughtful looking - not "Hoorah! Go get 'em!" like some others can be.
The wounded lion is a memorial to the French 130th Division.
Touring the battlefield, I first went into Fort Douaumont. To picture a WWI "fort", it was kind of like a medieval castle buried underground. These things were obsolete even at the start of the war because newer artillery was able to breach the roof of the fort.
"Fixed defenses are monuments to the stupidity of man." - George S. Patton
Retractable gun turret of Fort Douaumont
The fort changed hands twice during the battle. The French weren't really using it so they'd left only a skeleton crew to man it. The Germans captured it in a daring commando-style raid.
Inside the fort
Once occupied by the Germans, the French were compelled to retake it, which they did after a lengthy bombardment with heavy artillery.
Over 600 Germans were killed when a single shell ignited stored ammunition. Their bodies were entombed in the fort.
Behind this wall 679 Germans are entombed. The inscription on the cross reads "The Dead Comerades"
After touring the fort, I wandered the battlefield, not venturing too far from the road (it was pretty muddy). The battlefield has been left mostly how it was in 1918. The trenches you see are left over from the battle.
Part of the trench network
More of the trenches
One thing I noticed is that the trees are all uniformly the same size. I suspect they've all grown back since the battle. The massive artillery bombardments would have destroyed the original trees.
You can see where the ground was torn up by shelling
Remains of fortifications
I short drive from Fort Douaumont the famous "Trench of Bayonets". The legend has it that a trench full of French infantry was buried by an artillery bombardment. Only the bayonets of their rifles were left sticking above ground.
The trench has been enclosed by concrete and wire to keep souvenir hunters away.
The "Trench of Bayonets"
Finally it was on to the cemetery. Now there are many cemetaries around Verdun, but this is the main one. There are 15,000 French graves. Inside the Ossuary (the large white building) are the remains of
130,000 unknown soldiers. Yes, you read that number correctly. It's not a typo.
The main cemetery and the Ossuary
I found it surprisingly tranquil. It was a cool December day, off season, so hardly anyone was there. Just me and the dead.
So many crosses
It wasn't spooky. The hair on the back of my neck didn't stand up. I've had that feeling in other places, like the Arizona Memorial. I once got rather creeped out when touring a WWII destroyer that had been hit by a Kamikaze. Just couldn't shake the feeling "A lot of guys died in here".
I didn't get that feeling at Verdun. If there were any ghosts they were resting peacefully that day.
I picked one cross at random for a picture. The inscription read "Terasier Pierre Caporal 3ME TIR Mort Pour la France 23-9-1917". Perhaps someone can explain the French unit designation to me.
I snapped him a salute. Thanks for letting me use your picture Corporal Terasier. Rest well.
Died for France
Rest well all of you.
This needs no caption
I will always count myself fortunate to have been able so see this. If you're ever in France it's worth a look.
I found a 1919 Michelin guide to the battlefield at a used book store in Paris. Someday I hope to know enough French to actually read it.
I'll finish with a quote from an earlier, but just as bloody war:
"There never was a time when, in my opinion, some way could not be found to
prevent the drawing of the sword."
- General Ulysses S. Grant