The Truth behind the Trench of the Bayonets (Verdun Battlefield)

Support Stories of the Great War on Patreon - / storiesofthegreatwar
In June 1916, this entrenched position was a part of Fort Douaumont, which the Germans desperately wanted to take. On June 12, Germans unleashed a hailstorm of iron and lead upon French positions. The attack caught the French by surprise.
The 137th Regiment of French infantry was annihilated almost to the last man. Years after the war, French teams exploring the battlefield uncovered the first clues of the horrific fate of this regiment. One of the trenches was discovered completely filled in, with only a neat line of bayonets sticking out of the ground. The bayonets were still fixed to their rifles. A body was found next to each one. Under relentless bombardment, the soldiers had been effectively buried standing up, perhaps even while they were still alive...or at least that's the story that was told.
The truth is a little different.
#history #ww1

[@kitsune303]

I appreciate both your scholarship and your production values. Well done, educational and entertaining.

[@tremendousbaguette9680]

That reminds me of that episode, when on the way to retaking Douaumont, trench diggers suddenly stopped : there were so many corpses in the dirt that they asked their captain "Sir, this is wrong, we're digging in the meat.". And the answer came :"keep on digging".

[@TheLordOfNothing]

I like to listen to you touring different battlefields and historic sites. Very interesting to listen to you as I'm doing tasks.
Oh, and Beat/Mowery 2024!

[@curtvona4891]

Very interesting! Thanks.

[@MyJeffreyJones]

Excellent (again)

[@GreekLady188]

❤❤

[@TheHistoryWonderer]

These Verdun videos are reposts, aren’t they? Seems like I saw them like a year ago on the other channel.

[@StoriesoftheGreatWar]

Correct. I'm migrating all my original WW1 stuff to this channel.