I believe Marshal Petain would stand on the balcony atop those stairs and watch his troops stagger back from the battlefield. It made a terrible impression on him, and the memory of those destroyed young men must have contributed to his willingness to capitulate to the Nazis in 1940. He paid a dear price for his surrender, going from eternal of hero of France for saving Verdun, to disgraced collaborator who betrayed France. His dying wish was to be buried with his men at Verdun, but that honor has been denied him. I thought his body might finally be moved to Verdun as part of the 100 year anniversary commemoration, but apparently memories are long. Perhaps one day.
Great video. Thank you!
You are welcome!
I believe Marshal Petain would stand on the balcony atop those stairs and watch his troops stagger back from the battlefield. It made a terrible impression on him, and the memory of those destroyed young men must have contributed to his willingness to capitulate to the Nazis in 1940. He paid a dear price for his surrender, going from eternal of hero of France for saving Verdun, to disgraced collaborator who betrayed France. His dying wish was to be buried with his men at Verdun, but that honor has been denied him. I thought his body might finally be moved to Verdun as part of the 100 year anniversary commemoration, but apparently memories are long. Perhaps one day.
Thank you for your comment and I did not know about Marshal Petain's dying wish. I have 8 more videos coming out on Verdun, one a week.