Thanks for this! I did a similar day trip 10 years ago with an English guide, but in winter so there was no access to the forts or the ossuary. Even so it was a deeply affecting day spent wandering the battlefield .. and I can absolutely attest to the presence of intense grief and anguish that haunts these sad hills. The French Army of WW2 has long been the punchline for jokes in the USA (though it fought intensely in 1940), but the paralysis of France's leadership can be traced directly back to the apocalyptic suffering of the French Army at Verdun. For perspective, imagine the battle of Gettysburg, but if both sides had machine guns, and the battle last not 3 days but 10 months ... I doubt there would be much enthusiasm for war after that.
I totally agree and thank you for your comment. My French friends have told me that the French social system evolved because of the sheer number of men who were lost at Verdun. A number that is incomprehensible to us today.
Thanks for this! I did a similar day trip 10 years ago with an English guide, but in winter so there was no access to the forts or the ossuary. Even so it was a deeply affecting day spent wandering the battlefield .. and I can absolutely attest to the presence of intense grief and anguish that haunts these sad hills. The French Army of WW2 has long been the punchline for jokes in the USA (though it fought intensely in 1940), but the paralysis of France's leadership can be traced directly back to the apocalyptic suffering of the French Army at Verdun. For perspective, imagine the battle of Gettysburg, but if both sides had machine guns, and the battle last not 3 days but 10 months ... I doubt there would be much enthusiasm for war after that.
I totally agree and thank you for your comment. My French friends have told me that the French social system evolved because of the sheer number of men who were lost at Verdun. A number that is incomprehensible to us today.