my comment was deleted or something apparently? But what I had said was that the future of nations with millions of people should not and cannot be decided by a fistfight between two (most likely old) people
You survived trench foot. You survived artillery barages. You survived Spanish flu. You survived gas attacks. You survived trench fever. You survived shell shock. Now run towards that German machine gun...
These fucking men had god damn rock hard nuts of fucking steel. Fuck that they had diamond fucking nuts those things were fucking hard as fuck. People these days would spoil their fucking undies just from hearing a enemy gunshot. These men are so under appreciated.
matthew gallaway what? I don’t care if they were lied to or not. They still had fucking diamond nuts for doing what they did. You would turn around and run crying
The “higher ups” disgust me to this day. They where safe in their dug outs with beds and heat yet they had the nerve to send millions of men and boys straight to their death, yet they are seen as hero’s. They where cowards the true hero’s are those that battled until they got peace
Yeah WW2 in particular when the US were fighting the Japanese was particularly brutal. Sending all those soldiers out when the air torpedoes had less than a 10 percent success rate. So you would have to hit the ship's over 10 times successfully for one to go off. Nearly everyone was massacred
Keep in mind that what you describe here was not always the case in WW1. Many military superiors would actually show up at the battlefield, and led their men in the charges. There were even instances of royalties or emperors showing up at the front and participate in the fighting.
@@Gartneren1234 correct! If I'm not mistaken, over 200 British Generals died in or near the front line in ww1. It may not sound like a lot but bear in mind that an infantry general was usually responsible for 10's of thousands of soldiers. Sure generals die in bed. They also passed away with the soldiers they served beside.
@@PaulRudd1941 yep, that's a lot of generals. And than you have those who survived. The most famous general to survive his battle, was this one guy who led his men into battle armed with nothing but a sword. He lost his sword during the subsequent fighting, and when he and his men finally managed to conquer the bunker they were to take, the enemy General was so impressed with his valor, that he gifted him a new sword. So yeah, it's not as black and white as many want to paint it. The issue though was that the generals were seasoned and experienced from battles and wars fought the old fashioned way, with swords and perhaps a couple of guns. Than the first world War came around, with machine guns and tanks, and their old tactics and strategies were rendered useless. What we all have to remember is that at the time, the greatest honor was to win the battle as fast as possible, and with as few casualties as you possibly could get away with. It was considered indecent and distasteful to send your men on missions you knew were suicide.
I agree, some generals were a disgrace. However, a percent of the 'higher ups' were in fact amazingly brave: Of the 1252 British generals, 146 were wounded or taken prisoner, 78 were killed in action, 34 killed by shell or trench mortar, 22 killed by small arms fire, and 2 received the Victoria Cross for valour. So you're right, some generals behaved badly. But some were as brave as the soldiers they led.
My great great grandfather was a British soldier in the trenches and I believe asleep, when gas began rolling over the trench. He remained asleep when the warnings were shouted and due to the panic, he was not woken. It was only when the gas was drifting over the trench was he woken up and his mask put over his face by a comrade. He survived but was sent home due to his lungs being severely weakened. He lived and died peacefully much later, living with his weakened lungs.
@@leonkuipers7639 watch "They shall never grow old" despite the shit those guys went through they said they would do it again. So assuming due to extreme conditions that a soldier wont fight for a country isnt entirely true.
@@bernardok that’s was WII between the US or French and German they stopped fighting on one side and play football (Soccer) together but after their superiors found out they were ordered to continue fighting
its amazing how young ppl with literally their whole lives ahead of them were sent to die in the place of the old haggard men that decided to start a war
great point. I think they still struggled to acknowledge PTSD and "shell shock" (mental combat fatigue) as legitimate issues as late as WWII. I recall a story about Patton slapping some people upside the head that were unable to perform on the front lines because they'd spent days being hammered by the weapons of destruction and were on the verge of a breakdown. from the eyes of people who were not out there in the battlefield, these were just weak/lazy soldiers that didn't want to get back out there and do their job. but their buddies on the lines and the doctors dealing with the horrendous injuries in the medical tents could easily see that they were messed up, bad. and would likely never be the same. a lot of it IS your character; some people are just built to fight and handle pain and death better than others. but there's more to it than that, and those who couldn't deal with it easily shouldn't be discounted at all; in some ways they were the bravest of us all
The Christmas truce is both one of the most heart warming and heart breaking things I’ve ever seen. Putting aside your differences and experiencing joy with the enemy, just to have to kill them the next day.
I find it bullshit. All the countries just agree to stop fighting, it's almost like it wasn't a necessary war and politicians treating human lives like a video game RTS, if you wanna win a war why the fuck would you stop fighting for anything?
After the Christmas truce many of the men that celebrated Christmas from both sides refused to fight so the next day many of these soldiers were moved to other trenches
One of my grandfathers fought in the trenches, he was never the same after the war my grandmother said, he suffered from Trench foot till he died... a broken man. I loved the time I spent with my grandfather as we had a special bond and I spent all my school holidays with him. May God rest his soul.
Mine too.. He didn't suffer from trench foot but returned home a broken man with severe PTSD. Any loud noise would terrify him,Even the sound of a bottle being uncorked would send him into a severe panic attack. Rest his soul.
Both of my grandfathers were in WWII. Can you imagine if a war of the scale of the World Wars broke out today with this soft generation? It would be an absolute bloodbath.
My great grandfather fought in Passchendaele and was stuck in a shell hole in no mans land for 2 nights when a tank rolled over on the 3rd day,He didnt move fast enough and it completely crushed his leg.He survived the war and even took on home guard duties during world war 2 with a wooden stump for a leg that he made out of willow and leather strapping,He died in 1957.I still have his wooden stump to this day.
That doesn't mean the entire country is a bunch of Nazis bro, yeah there were hardline Nazis, brainwashed supporters, and people faking it out of fear for their lives, Germany has a fucked up past yeah, but why are we looking at that instead of the present?
I heard in a old documentary in which they interviewed soldiers that the worst day was the day when they bought good food, because it meant that they would be going up the next day.
I heard a similar thing happens in the US Navy today. Many sailors are displeased when Lobster and Steak is on the menu, because that means that they are going to be told the next day that they are going on a Deployment or that their Deployment is being extended or some other bad news from the Captain.
Emperor Krayt imagine being 18 at the end of ww1, you think you’ve survived that you can have an easy life, only to be drafted back in the military 20 years later to fight an even stronger German force
My Great Grandfather was a US soldier when the Americans first entered the war. He told my dad that the US was very unprepared when they first got to the front lines. He said that whenever they had the chance, they would talk to the British troops to find out ways to survive the trenches. He also said that he was amazed by how battle-hardened the British and French troops were, and many of these soldiers were extremely young men. He said 17 year old men looked like they were 50 and they were intimidating.
Now that's something hard to imagine and also may want to look up trenches of the Russo-Ukraine conflict really screams and echoes WWI though minus the poison gas which I don't think they're using yet since International Law bans that use since WWI anyway may want to Google and UA-cam that as well.
The Christmas Truce shows that everyone was human during the war, they were normal people that could be friends, but were forced to become enemies by the military and government. It’s insane that the Christmas Truce is a thing, it shows that all the men fighting knew that they were all human, and morality was still somewhere during the war.
@@SadboiShinobi22 We are infected with it right now. ww1 and ww 2 never ended. Emergency war powers acts were never ripped up, income taxes were never ended. Whole point was to sunder Christianity and flood all MAle hierarchies with women.
The Christmas truce while a wonderful story, was a small isolated event in some locations of British and German lines. The complete opposite was true for Canadian and ANZAC units. Normally being the forefront of the British assaults, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealanders had no interest in fraternizing with the Germans after continuously suffering heavy causalities. In plain English, they weren't too happy with the Germans killing their friends. During Christmas the Germans at first threw their hands up and cried out, "komrade?" in an attempt for a temporary localized peace with Canadian and ANZ troops. But it was ruthlessly answered with thrusts of bayonets and deadly rifle fire.
RedGaming Studio my grate grandfather was a Russian soldier in WW1 and he was actually a bigger guy he was 6’4 and I’m 6’1 but yea there where some tall soldiers in ww1
RedGaming Studio he got bayoneted but it was in his left Thigh he survived but it took 7 months to heal. He use to tell use stories of the war in the late 70’s when I was around 11 or so he died in 1982 tho. And sorry for my English I’m from Siberia so I don’t really use English often:)
RedGaming Studio after his recovery in 1916 he was a Amputation dude ( I forget the name in English ) anyways he use to cut legs off that where shredded by Artillery than he left in 1917 when they pulled him off the front lines than he had my grandfather which fought the Germans again in Stalingrad when he was 16 but he’s actually still alive he’s 96 wish my great grandad was still here tho
When you look into the British soldiers eyes at 5:26 and realise he has lost his mind through the horrors of trench warfare it's tragic. Their sacrifice should never be forgotten
@@koolaid3147 @Bo Kane glad to know that both of you are so unbelievably proficient in the field of psychiatry, and psychology that you don't even need to talk to a person face to face to get a complete mental state and condition analysis, and can do it entirely by one picture with 100% accuracy. so smart. so brave. wow. may god bless you two souls along your journey of definitely not spewing the first garbage thoughts that come to your mind for the sole intention of manipulating peoples heartstrings.
@@nielsgroothedde8038 agreed. you don't need a degree in psychiatry to look at the faces of someone who lived in a freaking trench, with everything above trying to kill him for years to know he's been scarred for life.
My great grandfather served the trenches in WW1, he had tonsillitis while serving but because he was gassed earlier they would not use any anesthetic. He was also a devout christian (Salvation Army) so would not use alcohol to numb the pain. So he had his tonsils cut out while wide awake. Must have been horrific.
Damn, dude. Similar story- my best friends father used to tell us about soldiers in WWII using a couple of drops of battery acid on a bad tooth to kill the nerves and have them fall out. Said the guys would dance around for about 5 minutes practically crying from the pain, but he said they did eventually just fall out. No more bad tooth. "The Greatest Generation"? More like the toughest imo.
@@JB-vd8bi He had terrible ptsd as a result of his experiences and as he got to old age dementia set in and at times he thought he was in the midst of battle again. In New Zealand we have access to historic military records from WW1 through the national archives, I pulled his file up and the tonsillectomy is in his medical notes. He survived that and went back to the frontline but was eventually discharged after he contracted tiburculosis.
It must be so hard mentally to go from fraternizing with the people in the trenches on the opposite side of you one day, to firing on them and killing them the next.
Another neat truce that happened was on the Eastern front where the Germans and Russians formed a temporary ceasefire to fight off wolves that were killing their men.
Aaron S My great granddad (WW1 veteran) always used to say that I can be really happy to be born in this day and age, where Europeans are friends insead of killing each other.
When I was young my dad always told me about the Christmas truce in WW1 and ever since then I thought it was absolutely amazing, mind boggling, fucking unbelievable that two sides fighting against each other in a full on war, could come together, lay down arms, and celebrate together. Then the next day they go back to trying to kill those same people that they celebrated with. It really makes me realize how awful war is. All the people that are killing and dying, they're only there because they have to be. I think the Christmas truce might be one of the most amazing things to ever happen on this earth.
This is my first time hearing about the truce and it’s just mind blowing. All these soldiers could come together play games and socialize then go back to killing eachother. War is insanely messed up.
There were 100,000 documented cases of live and let live that occurred during WW1. There’s a great book on it, it’s worth a read if you have the time and the inclination. By 1916 this had declined due to the death and animosity the men were living through. Generals on all sides were aware of this, and encouraged raids to prevent truces between rivals soldiers.
@@kkrwazie i know this comment was posted 2 yrs ago, but could you tell me the title of that book? I would really like to read it. Thank you in advance, and I wish you all the best ❤
*time traveller from 21st century arrives* Time traveller: “what year Is it?” Ww1 soldier: “1916” Time traveller: “oh you mean the middle of World War 1?” Ww1 soldier: “world war what now??? “
My great-grandfather was conscripted into WW1 against his will. The only family he had left at the time was his sister, he often said to my grandfather that the only reason why he didn’t just give up and die was to go home and see her again. But when he got home he found out his sister had been dead for years, she died of a disease he didn’t know she had. The military didn’t tell him this in order to “Preserve his moral fiber.” Live in peace kids.
Evilpimp soldier 1 to soldier 2: “haha Francis we gotta chop that thing off rn bud” soldier 2: “fuck me do we at least have some morphine or booze or a smoke or something last time sucked”
My Great-Grandfather faked his age to go to the Trenches. Fought in the Somme, as well as German South-West Africa, came back to South Africa to start a family - then went back in 1939 to do it again, this time as a Lt. Col. in Artillery, where he fought in North Africa.
Minja Jovanovic Yes he did. He actually lived until he was around 92 / 93. Also, his role was very different in WW2, he was in an officer role and honestly - I think his conditions in North Africa were a million times better than the battle of Delville Wood in the Somme. Like I said, tough guy. His father (my great-great grandfather) was no different. Although he was too old to fight in the First World War (The great-grandfather I speak of above was one of the last kids to be born in his family), he did fight in (and somehow survive) the Battle of Isandlwana between the British and the Zulu Kingdom back in 1879. I’m sure many won’t know this battle, but it’s known as one of the most brutal defeats suffered by the British during the time). His name was Charles Sparks, he was born a few hours (by today’s standards) away from where he actually fought in the bloody battle - and he was the young soldier who was instructed to ride on horseback to the nearest British outpost to inform London of the defeat (although I’m sure this message took a while to get there). I tell you, if I could meet those men and ask them questions.. I wouldn’t be able to shut up
I like how people say things like "now those were REAL men!" Yes, they did courageous things but a lot were forced to go and endure mental torment for the rest of their lives. It's a weird to glorify.
8:30 the only wholesome thing to come from WW1. It's incredible to see how even in war, our instinct to help one another and be genuinely good people, still shines through.
Trench warfare was basically shithole battles. Objective: survive in your shithole the longest while also shitting in the enemy's shithole (with bombs, poisons etc)
Respect the people that fought for you country.THE ONLY MUCH YOU CAN DO IS LEARN WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH AND LEARN ABOUT! JUST IMAGINE YOU WERE 17 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER AND HAD TO BE PULL FROM YOUR FAMILIES BASICALLY JUST TO SERVE AND DIE FOR YOUR COUNTRY MATE I KNOW SOMETIMES HISTORY CAN BE QUITE BORING JUST RESPECT OR LEARN PLEASE THAT ALL I HAVE TO SAY
Imagine bonding with a enemy and playing together and trading shit Then the next day you have to kill the enemys i get that its war and its life or death situation but cmon now definitely people made friends with the opposite side
Daniel Reveza Heard they didn’t want to charge at the enemy so the command had to change everyone present with new groups of soldier to start the fight again
In WWI they almost didn't see the faces of their enemy which made it either easier not knowning if you cut down your friend or harder thinking you just killed your friend.
A great uncle was in the trenches and went over the top four times. My aunt told me he was a free spirit. I wonder if that is a euphemism for shell shock or PTSD. He died in the early 1950s and I never got to meet him; he did marry but had no children. One of the other brothers was in WW I as an artilleryman. The war ended before he was moved forward. God bless Uncle Willie and Uncle Melvin.
From what I understand shell shock in some cases wasn't exactly the same thing as PTSD. It was more like having multiple concussions to the brain from the shockwave of mortars and artillery. It could cause your motor skills to go haywire. There's videos of shell shocked soldiers who walked funny and twitched a lot due to the brain damage
Yes there were 3 group types they used. In Toronto one of the major hospitals was built to recieve WW1 wounded. By the time I got there to train as a RN it was a general hospital, but had a wing dedicated to caring for WW1 vets, then it expanded for the WWII vets. So there were those who were shell-shocked and were simply mostly silent wraiths who would go through periods of screaming in terror. Then as you described there were the neurologically impaired group. And 3rd ( the labels escape me) are more what we call PTSD who had a range of reactions. My grandfather was in WW1 and for the early years postwar he coped by heavy drinking. But he let that go and like so many, divided the war experience off in his mind, and pulled it out annually at Nov 11th ceremonies.
When you dig into stuff on your own history is better than fiction and way more chilling because it really happened. The story of the US revolution they teach in school is bullshit...1776 by David McCullough is the true story that is better than fiction....if you are American I highly recommend it.
My father was a WW1 trench soldier. He didn't talk about it much, but it affected him for the rest of his life. I remember him waking up once with his blankets down around his knees so that he could see his whole body except for his lower legs. He flipped out asking where his legs were. I can't even imagine going through what he went through.
Sorry to disappoint you but during World War I, the French army was the first to employ tear gas, using 26 mm grenades filled with ethyl bromoacetate in August 1914. The small quantities of gas delivered, roughly 19 cm³ per cartridge.
well they didn't know what PTSD was, nor any way to cure/treat it. if you think the officer's disregard to trauma is rough, you should see the ways doctors attempted to treat shell shock.... literally beat the shit out of patients and used shock therapy thinking that they were helping the poor soldiers.
@@jacksonbilgry8395 I think the signs of Trauma should have been obvious too. There's historical footage of patients cowering under tables. And keeping their head down. Just like Artillery in the trenches. From my own personal bout with Anxiety and PTSD: I think the cure is Comfort and Safety. But this was also during a time where not "Sucking it up," would have been seen as Cowardly or Emasculate. (Modern Problems meet Old-World dogma.)
@@emuriddle9364 actually because of the advancment ot artillery, they were clueless when the repeated shelling caused shell shock. The war was revolutionary not only in artillery but the style it was fought in.
My grandfather served in the British army during WW1 and then served as a US citizen in WW2, He came out of those wars as a captain, He worked on the railroad as a mechanic and was quite a man, I never got to meet him but I have a great deal of respect for him, My dad told me some history about my grandpa’s life...sad thing about his return from the wars was nightmares and heavy drinking,,, He became antisocial and violent. He was placed in a convalescent home and never came out. He was a highly decorated battlefield soldier a very brave man. I’m proud to be related to him. May God rest his soul. I love you grandpa...just wish I could have met him.
So sad that the world leaders didnt push a truce after 1914 Christmas shows how they just use us and think it's a board game with their scotch laughing about losing a troup of 20 thousand with the same leaders that we've been told to hate or fight against Fuck the world leaders and fuck this system we have th power 💪🤭🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕
Did you know in ww2 I forgot when or where but it was Christmas Day and they made a agreement they bonding gave eachother there presents (oh yeah this was uk and Germany) they even wondered if there side was morally right.
@@oldthug7624 nah mate we do, the mob is Rome, or the people run the country if we all acted right, global strikes and boycotts rally and poles outside of the jurisdiction of the governments in power atm and demand change through peace, we can never fight fire with fire, best to quench it out with the flow of time
57,000 died along a 25 mile long front line on the first day of the Battle of the Somme . That's Fifty seven thousand men in a few hours . A total of about 1.3 million over the entire battle. Aint war great!
While the Battle of Somme was going on Verdun and huge battle on the Eastern Front between the Russians and Austro-Hungarian armies was also going on. The three biggest battles up until that time, all going on at the same time. Insanity!
The fact that these guys (young kids really) made a joke magazine is both really heartwarming and sad. It was probably one of the only ways they could express their frustration and horror with the situation in a socially acceptable way without being seen as weak or cowardly.
I think it would be the distance in a lot of cases. I'm Australian and many many ANZACS are buried a very long way from home. I think that would have been very difficult for some. Lest We Forget.
@@NA-ck6cz the ravaging disease was there in ww1 as well, and I'm pretty sure that was way worse if only because of the muddy wet trenches you had to *live* in, civil war didn't have that. Both would have been horrendous tough!
A lot of his, and C.S. Lewis' writings were their way of coping with what they'd seen from memory. People give Lewis a lot of stick for the religious leanings in the Narnia series, not realising that that was him working through his feelings on religion after the horrors of WW1
True that, it's not like that anymore though I guess that all stopped during the Tet offensive in Vietnam. I'm sure the people in the middle east probally dont care about that sort of thing.
Except for the politicians and world leaders that don’t actually have to fight in the war. They can just draft their poor citizens who don’t give a rat’s ass about why the war is being fought.
Brandon well obviously if your country is being invaded, most would fight to defend their families and fellow countrymen. I was referring to these political wars like Vietnam and the last Iraq War.
I’m right there with them. I served 18 months consecutively in Iraq at the beginning of the war. No one leaves a war zone without issues. God bless all of our troops! We train for war but no one can ever be prepared for what it entails. War will change your life forever.
It's good to see more and more people discovering the history of The Great War. It should serve as a constant reminder that no matter how many men die, nothing really changes at the end of it all.
Austro Hungarians pulling a Russian shovel out of their forehead. Germans pulling their bodies out of British metal box killing machines. Americans screaming like indians as they attempt to scalp enemy soldiers for souvenirs.
In the movie “They Shall Not Grow Old” which is all authentic, colorized, and remastered WWI footage, soldiers said that it was mainly a war of artillery and life in the trenches. It’s true that they had to look out for snipers and raids, but most casualties came from artillery.
That's an excellent movie. I like the part where they put a tree to sit on over the latrine pit and the guys were all sitting in a line on it with their butts toward the camera.😂 Wonder what they wiped with, leaves? Well, any port in a storm they say.
Thank you. I had no idea this movie / documentary existed. Looks like it's phenomenal. ☮ .. looking forward to watching it, but also filled with trepidation at the horrific realities it must include. I don't have any "morbid curiosity" .. I think it's more of a respect for the sacrifices these people made .. and that they should never be forgotten.
Some of those who were executed for “cowardice” who actually had shell shock were underage boys around 16 or 17 when they were not allowed to fight overseas unless 19 or over. They were told that if they felt old enough to lie about their age and fight then they are old enough to face the consequences. Horrible!
i steal memes lol if he did fake it they would charge him with cowardness (idk how to spell it) and then he would probably die to firing squad as a execution
Don't forget that a lot were raped and couldn't escape their abusers bc the rotations usually put the same soldiers together. And the way the trenches were made it so it was easy to drag away someone and to make sure no one sees them/and sometimes even hear them. Plus soldiers who were raped were often seen as weak and even if they were seen they usually never received help but instead were ridiculed and ppl just watched..
Where did you get that information from? I did not read about that any where and I read alot about world war 1 and it's hard to believe that with the army discipline that kind of thing could happen especially in the early 1900s plus there was no need, soldiers were allowed to visit prostitutes when on leave
I also read in a book that it was also because that pattern allowed for better fields of fire which helped immensely when in the defense. Although I don't remember it saying this in the book, the space between two outward bulges would also be a great kill zone, dont you think? With fire from both sides it would make a charge into there much more difficult.
@@xavi.cat.4095 The zig zag pattern actually reduced the field of fire because men at the bottom of the V could only fire from the point of one V to the point of the next V, not the 180 degrees a straight trench would have allowed. they had forward fire position mainly for machine guns, but they had to be protected from the rear as well as the front because of the chance of friendly fire
@@andybawn1 I guess what I said came out badly, and you're right. What I meant was that it allowed for more effective use of them which ties nicely to my second point.
I lived in the Philippines back in the early 80’s. One nite my housemaid and I drank a wee bit too much. I woke up to her screams. Being drunken passed out she didn’t notice the rats that were chewing on her finger tips until they had munched the tips off a few fingers.
Often times the men would actually spend alot longer than 1-7 days in the trench, as reinforcements may be unavailable, or a battle may not allow the rotation of troops to take place. Due to this it was sometimes commonplace for a soldier to spend up to 4 weeks in a trench on the front line, and this is why trench foot was such an issue, as the men would have no reprieve from the terrible conditions. Awesome Video!!
That little break during winter in the first WW was what inspired the trainign of soldiers to dehumanize their enemy targets. We nowadays no longer see our enemies face to face, we dehumanise them to the point that even a baby is a target.
So your telling me 12 white supremacist politicians can manipulate millions of adults into standing in a trench and dying for the benefit of old whyte guys I mean there countries 😂
My grandfather won a military cross for bravery in the trenches. Never said why or talked about it. Drank heavily and psychologically was never the same. I often think of him when I’m facing difficult times- it puts things into perspective
I've been binging "The Great War" channel's chronological history of WWI week by week, these past few days. Amazing channel. They put their heart and soul into the research for all of the videos.
You're right, they do a wonderful job. I hate it when some idiot bitches about the way a certain word may have been pronounced. Let those jerks put this much time and effort into producing a great, informative and interesting video. It's nice to see others appreciating the hard work as well. Best wishes.
There was an HBO series called Boardwalk Empire where one of the main characters was a WW1 Trench soldier. The series really delved into a soldiers life in the war.
Absolutely fascinating! Had the honor of spending time with my great uncle who fought in WWl. One of my earliest memories as a child was driving through the gate at Ft. Bragg with my great uncle and grandfather. We went to pick up my uncle who was returning from Vietnam. You cherish these memories although their merely snippets or flashes you try to hold on to.
Maybe it'd be better to clarify when you say, "No one knew how to handle PTSD". Soldiers weren't executed because no-one knew how to handle PTSD, which almost makes it sound like they were executed out of convenience. PTSD wasn't understood properly by many senior officers and much of the medical establishment, and was seen as "cowardice" which could potentially spread throughout the ranks - PTSD wasn't known to exist at that time. The study of psychology was in its infancy, so while there's no way to defend execution on the basis of alleged "cowardice", and it is a stain on the belligerents of WW1, the senior officers did actually, (wrongly) believe that they were facing cases of cowardice, rather than a deep rooted psychological condition.
Even more than 100 years later, many people would rather call them cowards, pussies, wimps, etc. instead. And we wonder why there's a suicide epidemic among vets.
We were told that it was a sign of Weakness to even ask for help..I,know I didn't start getting help until I was medically retired in Jul 07,after 24 years and deployments into 3 different Warzones..I,still have trouble to this day..I live alone with my 4 pupdogs..I don't want to burden a Woman with my issues..I recommend getting help from either the VA,or other organizations
@@Sgt-xw5lxYour comment was a tough read - I ended up looking at your profile. We Were Soldiers - incredible film, and Sgt McKenzie. Being a Scot the pipes and the Scots tongue is extremely familiar, but I see that you're American. I'm sorry to read about your troubles, but having four dogs to look after must bring you some peace. I'm also sorry if my OP was clumsily written - I knew what I wanted to say, but sometimes it's difficult to get it down. Much respect to you Sir - all the way from Glasgow.
@@CmdrRenegade I pity people who are so devoid of empathy that they cannot grasp what active service/campaign/war can do to the mind. Horrible terms to use about those brave enough to serve.
@@ianmacfarlane1241 No worries Sir..Thank you for your kind words..I,more or less wrote the words not wanting sympathy for myself,but to bring attention to the fact that it affects all of Us..Not just the Military..Law Enforcement,Firefighters,Doctors and Nurses that deal with Death and destruction.. At our basecamp in Kuwait,we had some of the Royal Marines living in the tent next to me..Crazy bunch..I remember them filling a galvanized trash can with ice and water,letting it cold for a couple of hours one night..For fun,they took turns lending into the water,barechested..Seeing who could keep their heads under water the longest..I,was able to talk with a few Scottish Troopers from both Desert Storm back in 1991 and a few in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004,as we all waited to cross the border into Iraq..We were a Transportation Co..I don't remember what their unit was..I'm both German and Irish,so don't hold that against me..Lol And again,Thank You for your kinds words..
I remember one of these guys coming to my school when I was a kid. He said that the trenches smelled differently depending on where you were. One place smelled of rotten sandbags, another of the dead, another if disinfectant, another of residue left by gas attacks.
How do you think you would fare as a soldier in WWI?
I’d be dead before reaching the front line
Not well, still wonder how my grandfather got through it.
Weird History I would die before i could even shoot someone tbh, my reflexes aren’t the best
ill probably be dead within the first day lol
I'd just be one of unnamed millions to die in No Man's Land from a machine gun or artillery strike.
I really wish they would just put the leaders with the disputes into a ring and they can duke it out on their own without involving innocent people.
Imagine how quickly itd be resolved 🙄
#worldleadersshouldfightwithswords
Drama rats 🐀 for ya
Autocorrect changed fist to first
my comment was deleted or something apparently? But what I had said was that the future of nations with millions of people should not and cannot be decided by a fistfight between two (most likely old) people
You survived trench foot.
You survived artillery barages.
You survived Spanish flu.
You survived gas attacks.
You survived trench fever.
You survived shell shock.
Now run towards that German machine gun...
xD
These fucking men had god damn rock hard nuts of fucking steel. Fuck that they had diamond fucking nuts those things were fucking hard as fuck. People these days would spoil their fucking undies just from hearing a enemy gunshot. These men are so under appreciated.
@@enjoybagtimer no they were lied to
matthew gallaway what? I don’t care if they were lied to or not. They still had fucking diamond nuts for doing what they did. You would turn around and run crying
video games be like
Do I want to be a trench warfare soldier?
Short answer: no.
Long answer: hell no.
Why is it even a question 🙃
@@Anonymous_Viewer25 9:51
I’m goin with the long answer
@gaming with shrey ain't no restarts or save games in this one buddy=p
Short answer: hell no!
Longer answer: heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell no!!
The “higher ups” disgust me to this day. They where safe in their dug outs with beds and heat yet they had the nerve to send millions of men and boys straight to their death, yet they are seen as hero’s. They where cowards the true hero’s are those that battled until they got peace
Yeah WW2 in particular when the US were fighting the Japanese was particularly brutal. Sending all those soldiers out when the air torpedoes had less than a 10 percent success rate. So you would have to hit the ship's over 10 times successfully for one to go off. Nearly everyone was massacred
Keep in mind that what you describe here was not always the case in WW1. Many military superiors would actually show up at the battlefield, and led their men in the charges. There were even instances of royalties or emperors showing up at the front and participate in the fighting.
@@Gartneren1234 correct! If I'm not mistaken, over 200 British Generals died in or near the front line in ww1. It may not sound like a lot but bear in mind that an infantry general was usually responsible for 10's of thousands of soldiers.
Sure generals die in bed. They also passed away with the soldiers they served beside.
@@PaulRudd1941 yep, that's a lot of generals. And than you have those who survived. The most famous general to survive his battle, was this one guy who led his men into battle armed with nothing but a sword. He lost his sword during the subsequent fighting, and when he and his men finally managed to conquer the bunker they were to take, the enemy General was so impressed with his valor, that he gifted him a new sword.
So yeah, it's not as black and white as many want to paint it. The issue though was that the generals were seasoned and experienced from battles and wars fought the old fashioned way, with swords and perhaps a couple of guns. Than the first world War came around, with machine guns and tanks, and their old tactics and strategies were rendered useless. What we all have to remember is that at the time, the greatest honor was to win the battle as fast as possible, and with as few casualties as you possibly could get away with. It was considered indecent and distasteful to send your men on missions you knew were suicide.
I agree, some generals were a disgrace. However, a percent of the 'higher ups' were in fact amazingly brave: Of the 1252 British generals, 146 were wounded or taken prisoner, 78 were killed in action, 34 killed by shell or trench mortar, 22 killed by small arms fire, and 2 received the Victoria Cross for valour. So you're right, some generals behaved badly. But some were as brave as the soldiers they led.
My great great grandfather was a British soldier in the trenches and I believe asleep, when gas began rolling over the trench. He remained asleep when the warnings were shouted and due to the panic, he was not woken. It was only when the gas was drifting over the trench was he woken up and his mask put over his face by a comrade. He survived but was sent home due to his lungs being severely weakened. He lived and died peacefully much later, living with his weakened lungs.
respect man
Respect....
Cal aww that’s so sad may he go to haven
lies. as soon as you inhale it your lungs start to kill youreself inside out LIAr111111111
wer wer There are numerous gases that were used in WW1, numpty. Not all gases caused your lungs to kill itself.
"So would you wanna be a trench soldier?"
Did they seriously just ask that
IT is stupid but in the beginning they thought it was fun to fight for there land, if they had know this would happen then they wouldn’t do it
@@leonkuipers7639 watch "They shall never grow old" despite the shit those guys went through they said they would do it again. So assuming due to extreme conditions that a soldier wont fight for a country isnt entirely true.
A lot people in the youtube section would love to revive the kaiser and live in those "glorious days". Well they are welcome to fight in the trenches.
Yeah ikr, who wouldn't wanna be a trench soldier?!
@@christiaansjouw5680 solid snake can take that
“war is old men talking and young men dying”
In peace sons bury their fathers, but in war fathers bury their sons.
there was probably 1 battle/war in history (i dont remember the name) where everyone just got tired of fighting that they just stopped lol.
@@bernardok that’s was WII between the US or French and German they stopped fighting on one side and play football (Soccer) together but after their superiors found out they were ordered to continue fighting
Well you are in one right now, so BUCKUP.
미가 kszdn Christmas truce
its amazing how young ppl with literally their whole lives ahead of them were sent to die in the place of the old haggard men that decided to start a war
But is that not what still goes on today in the 21st century?
Evil people make trilliions and billions off of wars that only benefit them.
Yep they didn't have a choice. Male Privelige amirite
@@stumpedsuper2014 yep
@@stumpedsuper2014" pick me pick me please"
It's important to acknowledge how not only they were unable to handle PTSD, but they viewed people who had developed it as weak minded.
Lol in Russia it is still ilke this
great point.
I think they still struggled to acknowledge PTSD and "shell shock" (mental combat fatigue) as legitimate issues as late as WWII.
I recall a story about Patton slapping some people upside the head that were unable to perform on the front lines because they'd spent days being hammered by the weapons of destruction and were on the verge of a breakdown.
from the eyes of people who were not out there in the battlefield, these were just weak/lazy soldiers that didn't want to get back out there and do their job. but their buddies on the lines and the doctors dealing with the horrendous injuries in the medical tents could easily see that they were messed up, bad. and would likely never be the same.
a lot of it IS your character; some people are just built to fight and handle pain and death better than others. but there's more to it than that, and those who couldn't deal with it easily shouldn't be discounted at all; in some ways they were the bravest of us all
Well in a way they are “weak minded”
@@Geojr815 no
@@guil7290 Yeah I hate to say it man but it’s true
The Christmas truce is both one of the most heart warming and heart breaking things I’ve ever seen. Putting aside your differences and experiencing joy with the enemy, just to have to kill them the next day.
I find it bullshit. All the countries just agree to stop fighting, it's almost like it wasn't a necessary war and politicians treating human lives like a video game RTS, if you wanna win a war why the fuck would you stop fighting for anything?
@@VOKZEL I agree. If killing is immoral one day out of the year, then what about the rest of the year?
After the Christmas truce many of the men that celebrated Christmas from both sides refused to fight so the next day many of these soldiers were moved to other trenches
My grandfather was British Army and told me about meeting Germans on Christmas. I was about 6 or 7 when he told me. BTW I am 75 now.
It makes zero sense to me. Stupid and hypocritical
One of my grandfathers fought in the trenches, he was never the same after the war my grandmother said, he suffered from Trench foot till he died... a broken man. I loved the time I spent with my grandfather as we had a special bond and I spent all my school holidays with him. May God rest his soul.
I'm sure he was a Great man, he did all of us an everlasting great deed.
Mine too.. He didn't suffer from trench foot but returned home a broken man with severe PTSD. Any loud noise would terrify him,Even the sound of a bottle being uncorked would send him into a severe panic attack. Rest his soul.
Both of my grandfathers were in WWII. Can you imagine if a war of the scale of the World Wars broke out today with this soft generation? It would be an absolute bloodbath.
My great grandfather fought in Passchendaele and was stuck in a shell hole in no mans land for 2 nights when a tank rolled over on the 3rd day,He didnt move fast enough and it completely crushed his leg.He survived the war and even took on home guard duties during world war 2 with a wooden stump for a leg that he made out of willow and leather strapping,He died in 1957.I still have his wooden stump to this day.
@@jiveassturkey8849 soft? There may be a lot of softies but we arent all pansies
British 18 year old: *exists*
Military: hippity hoppity you’re now my property
Hippity hoppity this trench is now your only property.
Poland:exists
Germany in 1939: hippity hoppity your now my property
Me hate nazis to
@@joeystrehle4890 c mon that Germany past now they changed
That doesn't mean the entire country is a bunch of Nazis bro, yeah there were hardline Nazis, brainwashed supporters, and people faking it out of fear for their lives, Germany has a fucked up past yeah, but why are we looking at that instead of the present?
I heard in a old documentary in which they interviewed soldiers that the worst day was the day when they bought good food, because it meant that they would be going up the next day.
That sounds sinisterly sad.
I heard a similar thing happens in the US Navy today. Many sailors are displeased when Lobster and Steak is on the menu, because that means that they are going to be told the next day that they are going on a Deployment or that their Deployment is being extended or some other bad news from the Captain.
@@MPdude237 my dog does the same thing when I show him a piece of steak then swap it with dog food
@@MPdude237 you got that right!!! Steak and lobster? Shit! Our deployment just got longer!
Surf and turf every friday in Afghanistan it is morale food at least.
“So would you wanna be a trench soldier in WW1?”
Did any male have a choice back then?
I think the Germans didn’t have the draft, they joined if they wanted to
Well they kinda did.....they coulda ran to Canada but otherwise nope yo ass is uncle sams
Stephen Miller
What? The U.S didn’t join until 1917 I think. Canada also fought in the war. You couldn’t have “ran” to Canada.
My pappy said if you volunteered you got a choice, but if you're drafted, you're cannon fodder...
@@باطل-د5ت
most of the major countries in ww1 had conscription systems including Germany, aside from England which mostly relied on volunteers.
20 years later
Veterans : Ah shit,here we go again
Hell yeah CJ!
So much war for that generation. Sad.
Oof
Burak Piano
Lmao no likes
Emperor Krayt imagine being 18 at the end of ww1, you think you’ve survived that you can have an easy life, only to be drafted back in the military 20 years later to fight an even stronger German force
My Great Grandfather was a US soldier when the Americans first entered the war. He told my dad that the US was very unprepared when they first got to the front lines. He said that whenever they had the chance, they would talk to the British troops to find out ways to survive the trenches. He also said that he was amazed by how battle-hardened the British and French troops were, and many of these soldiers were extremely young men. He said 17 year old men looked like they were 50 and they were intimidating.
Now that's something hard to imagine and also may want to look up trenches of the Russo-Ukraine conflict really screams and echoes WWI though minus the poison gas which I don't think they're using yet since International Law bans that use since WWI anyway may want to Google and UA-cam that as well.
The Christmas Truce shows that everyone was human during the war, they were normal people that could be friends, but were forced to become enemies by the military and government. It’s insane that the Christmas Truce is a thing, it shows that all the men fighting knew that they were all human, and morality was still somewhere during the war.
That's was propaganda does in war, it makes the troops think that THEY are the good guys and everyone else is the enemy that needs to die.
and all for what was basically, in an albeit severely summarized way, a family feud.
Lee Everett the sad reality is how people don't realize all wars are fought with propaganda:/
@@SadboiShinobi22 We are infected with it right now. ww1 and ww 2 never ended. Emergency war powers acts were never ripped up, income taxes were never ended. Whole point was to sunder Christianity and flood all MAle hierarchies with women.
The Christmas truce while a wonderful story, was a small isolated event in some locations of British and German lines. The complete opposite was true for Canadian and ANZAC units. Normally being the forefront of the British assaults, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealanders had no interest in fraternizing with the Germans after continuously suffering heavy causalities. In plain English, they weren't too happy with the Germans killing their friends. During Christmas the Germans at first threw their hands up and cried out, "komrade?" in an attempt for a temporary localized peace with Canadian and ANZ troops. But it was ruthlessly answered with thrusts of bayonets and deadly rifle fire.
Both my grandfathers made it out alive and in one piece.
@Coronavirus oh srry for your lost rip to him
Kevin Lutz well dang
L
My Grandfather had a bullet scrape his head and was discharged from the front line. Any lower and he’d be dead
@@wazzock2767 damn srry to ask this is how old he is now? Is he dead???
@Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B whoa.!!
Trench is built 7 feet deep.
Guy over 7 feet tall: Damnit,
Funny 😂
no soldier is over 7ft tall in ww1 , ik it's a joke
RedGaming Studio my grate grandfather was a Russian soldier in WW1 and he was actually a bigger guy he was 6’4 and I’m 6’1 but yea there where some tall soldiers in ww1
RedGaming Studio he got bayoneted but it was in his left Thigh he survived but it took 7 months to heal. He use to tell use stories of the war in the late 70’s when I was around 11 or so he died in 1982 tho. And sorry for my English I’m from Siberia so I don’t really use English often:)
RedGaming Studio after his recovery in 1916 he was a Amputation dude ( I forget the name in English ) anyways he use to cut legs off that where shredded by Artillery than he left in 1917 when they pulled him off the front lines than he had my grandfather which fought the Germans again in Stalingrad when he was 16 but he’s actually still alive he’s 96 wish my great grandad was still here tho
When you look into the British soldiers eyes at 5:26 and realise he has lost his mind through the horrors of trench warfare it's tragic. Their sacrifice should never be forgotten
I know I'm 4 months late, but that soldier was perfectly fine mentally in that photo.
@@koolaid3147 @Bo Kane glad to know that both of you are so unbelievably proficient in the field of psychiatry, and psychology that you don't even need to talk to a person face to face to get a complete mental state and condition analysis, and can do it entirely by one picture with 100% accuracy. so smart. so brave. wow. may god bless you two souls along your journey of definitely not spewing the first garbage thoughts that come to your mind for the sole intention of manipulating peoples heartstrings.
@@twilightning Wow never seen someone get so offended by something that isnt about them.
@@koolaid3147 you cant just throw out comments like that without referring to a source or at least explaining why you think your statement is true.
@@nielsgroothedde8038 agreed. you don't need a degree in psychiatry to look at the faces of someone who lived in a freaking trench, with everything above trying to kill him for years to know he's been scarred for life.
My great grandfather served the trenches in WW1, he had tonsillitis while serving but because he was gassed earlier they would not use any anesthetic. He was also a devout christian (Salvation Army) so would not use alcohol to numb the pain. So he had his tonsils cut out while wide awake. Must have been horrific.
Pretty Vicious That’s horrific
Damn, dude. Similar story- my best friends father used to tell us about soldiers in WWII using a couple of drops of battery acid on a bad tooth to kill the nerves and have them fall out. Said the guys would dance around for about 5 minutes practically crying from the pain, but he said they did eventually just fall out. No more bad tooth. "The Greatest Generation"? More like the toughest imo.
I can't comprehend how that's possible or bearable. I mean no disrespect and I'm not saying it's untrue, I just can't fathom that.
@@JB-vd8bi He had terrible ptsd as a result of his experiences and as he got to old age dementia set in and at times he thought he was in the midst of battle again. In New Zealand we have access to historic military records from WW1 through the national archives, I pulled his file up and the tonsillectomy is in his medical notes. He survived that and went back to the frontline but was eventually discharged after he contracted tiburculosis.
@@jamesobrian1643 They were a tough breed in those days!
The christmas truce stories break my heart
Just goes to show, it is the politicians who start the wars, yet they don't spend a second in the trenches.
It must be so hard mentally to go from fraternizing with the people in the trenches on the opposite side of you one day, to firing on them and killing them the next.
In another place or time, they could've been friends...
Another neat truce that happened was on the Eastern front where the Germans and Russians formed a temporary ceasefire to fight off wolves that were killing their men.
Aaron S
My great granddad (WW1 veteran) always used to say that I can be really happy to be born in this day and age, where Europeans are friends insead of killing each other.
Lmao that’s what you get for not bringing whale oil to a concert
Amatures
I always pack mine!
Nunyo Bisnus too bad USA was there
If you don’t have your oil you’re asking for a problem
Nunyo Bisnus How fucking long was that concert?
When I was young my dad always told me about the Christmas truce in WW1 and ever since then I thought it was absolutely amazing, mind boggling, fucking unbelievable that two sides fighting against each other in a full on war, could come together, lay down arms, and celebrate together. Then the next day they go back to trying to kill those same people that they celebrated with. It really makes me realize how awful war is. All the people that are killing and dying, they're only there because they have to be. I think the Christmas truce might be one of the most amazing things to ever happen on this earth.
This is my first time hearing about the truce and it’s just mind blowing. All these soldiers could come together play games and socialize then go back to killing eachother. War is insanely messed up.
There were 100,000 documented cases of live and let live that occurred during WW1. There’s a great book on it, it’s worth a read if you have the time and the inclination. By 1916 this had declined due to the death and animosity the men were living through.
Generals on all sides were aware of this, and encouraged raids to prevent truces between rivals soldiers.
@@kkrwazie i know this comment was posted 2 yrs ago, but could you tell me the title of that book? I would really like to read it. Thank you in advance, and I wish you all the best ❤
My grandpa fought in WW2 he was in the frontline fighting for Australia, he sadly passed away back in 2012
Gaming W/ Nicko your grandfather was a hero bless him
The oldest recorded ww1 combat veteran was, to my knowledge, Harry Patch, who died in 2009. Do you have any more details about your grandfather?
Joe Lambton Maybe he meant Ww2 because I had my great grandfather who fought in ww2 and survived and died in 2012
Assuming your grandpa was around 20 during WWI, he would have been about 116 years old when he died.
Kevin Cowell he joined when he was 16, it was either WW1 or 2
“The war to end all wars”
chRisti8n yet it ended nothing
War... War, never ends.
Lol Humbug is a great album 😂
It was the impetus of the next one, WWII.
Sego [Dj Hanzel] 😂
*time traveller from 21st century arrives*
Time traveller: “what year Is it?”
Ww1 soldier: “1916”
Time traveller: “oh you mean the middle of World War 1?”
Ww1 soldier: “world war what now??? “
What you mean 1??
uhhh I think they knew that WWI was going on since it started in 1914,,,,
@@liliacea816 you are the stupidest person ever
@@pepkovic LOL, I get the joke
@@Chill_yz I don't get the joke about it?
My great-grandfather was conscripted into WW1 against his will. The only family he had left at the time was his sister, he often said to my grandfather that the only reason why he didn’t just give up and die was to go home and see her again. But when he got home he found out his sister had been dead for years, she died of a disease he didn’t know she had. The military didn’t tell him this in order to “Preserve his moral fiber.” Live in peace kids.
wow.
My grandfather was in the WW1 Trenches. The gas messed up his breathing and eyesight for years afterwards.
Damn
What is shell shock I didn't really get it?
@@andrejpopovic4779 PTSD before they knew it was PTSD
Losaiko Vote!!! We respect his service
Andrej Popović it’s just ptsd
Soldier: *looks at his infected foot*
Uh oh, stinky
ha ha ha stinky
funny poopy
Evilpimp soldier 1 to soldier 2: “haha Francis we gotta chop that thing off rn bud” soldier 2: “fuck me do we at least have some morphine or booze or a smoke or something last time sucked”
Uh oh, stinky Is a meme
Peruvian Don yes search it up its the best meme ever
“Would you want to be a Wor-“
“No.”
I would cuz it looks fun ngl 👀
wonderfulorange /roblox Good Luck good friend
Gemedy I mean it’s not like we would have a choice at that time
Gemedy bruh u don’t have to be smart to know that u will but if I had the option to join or not I wouldn’t 💀💀
Here's a thing that shows how horrific it is on veteran said when the war ended "we were so surprised that we could stand up without dying "
“The soldiers gave each other foot inspections”
Dan Schneider: Hippity Hoppity
Setheroni underrated comment
Hippity hoppity your feet are now my property
You mean rakesh from ownage pranks
also quentin tarantino
Nice to meet ya, Dan Schneider
My Great-Grandfather faked his age to go to the Trenches. Fought in the Somme, as well as German South-West Africa, came back to South Africa to start a family - then went back in 1939 to do it again, this time as a Lt. Col. in Artillery, where he fought in North Africa.
Ik it's stupid to ask but,did he survived second world war?
Minja Jovanovic Yes he did. He actually lived until he was around 92 / 93. Also, his role was very different in WW2, he was in an officer role and honestly - I think his conditions in North Africa were a million times better than the battle of Delville Wood in the Somme. Like I said, tough guy. His father (my great-great grandfather) was no different. Although he was too old to fight in the First World War (The great-grandfather I speak of above was one of the last kids to be born in his family), he did fight in (and somehow survive) the Battle of Isandlwana between the British and the Zulu Kingdom back in 1879. I’m sure many won’t know this battle, but it’s known as one of the most brutal defeats suffered by the British during the time). His name was Charles Sparks, he was born a few hours (by today’s standards) away from where he actually fought in the bloody battle - and he was the young soldier who was instructed to ride on horseback to the nearest British outpost to inform London of the defeat (although I’m sure this message took a while to get there). I tell you, if I could meet those men and ask them questions.. I wouldn’t be able to shut up
Your grandpa can eat a fat one.. You guys are just colonizing terrorist is what it sounds like 😂
Badass.
Just wondering what side was he on
It's funny how being bored was such a problem. It's true what they say, hours of bordom and moments of terror.
That's literally all war is nowadays
Joshua You’d be surprised. Even nowadays, we were bored constantly on deployment. We pretty much begged for firefights.
I like how people say things like "now those were REAL men!" Yes, they did courageous things but a lot were forced to go and endure mental torment for the rest of their lives. It's a weird to glorify.
8:30 the only wholesome thing to come from WW1. It's incredible to see how even in war, our instinct to help one another and be genuinely good people, still shines through.
@I like Speghetti don't forget it was during ww1 that plastic surgery and facial reconstruction surgery were developed better
I like spaghetti too
Also I think this scenario is playing out today in the conflict of Russia vs Ukraine. May want to Google and UA-cam about that as well.
So basically:
It was the shittiest place to be a solider in history, all for a world war that shouldn't have happened?
RemixedVoice the shittest post would probably have to be the tunnel diggers
Trench warfare was basically shithole battles. Objective: survive in your shithole the longest while also shitting in the enemy's shithole (with bombs, poisons etc)
this shit began in the US civil war, which may have been even more brutal
No war should happen tho
@@VivaCristoRei9 not quite but still brutal
The stories of men men being executed for "cowardice" when they either knew the battle was a lost cause or were battling PTSD is heartbreaking
Who else is bored by movies and wants to learn history.
Respect the people that fought for you country.THE ONLY MUCH YOU CAN DO IS LEARN WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH AND LEARN ABOUT! JUST IMAGINE YOU WERE 17 YEARS OLD OR YOUNGER AND HAD TO BE PULL FROM YOUR FAMILIES BASICALLY JUST TO SERVE AND DIE FOR YOUR COUNTRY
MATE I KNOW SOMETIMES HISTORY CAN BE QUITE BORING JUST RESPECT OR LEARN PLEASE THAT ALL I HAVE TO SAY
@@reeve1188 i said the movies were boring not the history.
I’m sensitive when it come to people risking their own lives SORRY THANK GOD YOUR NOT THOSE TYPE OF PEOPLE
MUCH APPRECIATED
Andile Ndaba chill bruh
Andile Ndaba someone’s menstruated
Imagine bonding with a enemy and playing together and trading shit
Then the next day you have to kill the enemys i get that its war and its life or death situation but cmon now definitely people made friends with the opposite side
Send the high ranking brass and politicians to fight! The only people who have a say in war are the ones that do not directly participate in it.
Daniel Reveza Heard they didn’t want to charge at the enemy so the command had to change everyone present with new groups of soldier to start the fight again
Mr Glass People that those have solutions have no idea what serving in the military is even like.
In WWI they almost didn't see the faces of their enemy which made it either easier not knowning if you cut down your friend or harder thinking you just killed your friend.
Nice nogla pfp
"War is young men dying and old men talking. You know this. Ignore the politics." - Odysseus
Nzumbe D'Epie Was that really a Homer quote or are you just quoting it from the Troy movie?
Jive Ass Turkey I’m quoting from the Troy movie.
May the gods keep the Wolf's in the hills and the women's in our beds
War is Gentiles dying and Jews laughing.
You know that quotes from franklin d. Roosevelt
A great uncle was in the trenches and went over the top four times. My aunt told me he was a free spirit. I wonder if that is a euphemism for shell shock or PTSD. He died in the early 1950s and I never got to meet him; he did marry but had no children. One of the other brothers was in WW I as an artilleryman. The war ended before he was moved forward. God bless Uncle Willie and Uncle Melvin.
Soldier: If I survive this war, hope it will be the last
Yoda : There is another
Time Traveler: Hey bro how was WW1?
British Soldier: Ufokinwotm8?
The US should've stayed the fuck out of it.
*looks at europe* “it’s free real estate”
I h a v e n e w s f o r y o u
Here after watching “1917”.
Quosher same
What a Movie!!!!!
Same
Same here!! What an amazing film 😆
Here while playing Battlefield 1
Question at the end of the video: "So would you want to be a soldier in WWI?"
Me: *Homer walking into the bush meme*
@@MZ-nj1hs it's be cool to have something like that in a lazer tag acracde. But a very tame version of it with way less rats
Lord Ramsey Bolton I don’t wish no one to be there. It was horror man. Thousands of man dying by the gas at the same time is horror to just imagine.
Death is a gift that we fail to acknowledge and appreciate
From what I understand shell shock in some cases wasn't exactly the same thing as PTSD. It was more like having multiple concussions to the brain from the shockwave of mortars and artillery. It could cause your motor skills to go haywire. There's videos of shell shocked soldiers who walked funny and twitched a lot due to the brain damage
Yes there were 3 group types they used. In Toronto one of the major hospitals was built to recieve WW1 wounded. By the time I got there to train as a RN it was a general hospital, but had a wing dedicated to caring for WW1 vets, then it expanded for the WWII vets. So there were those who were shell-shocked and were simply mostly silent wraiths who would go through periods of screaming in terror. Then as you described there were the neurologically impaired group. And 3rd ( the labels escape me) are more what we call PTSD who had a range of reactions. My grandfather was in WW1 and for the early years postwar he coped by heavy drinking. But he let that go and like so many, divided the war experience off in his mind, and pulled it out annually at Nov 11th ceremonies.
Stuff like this actually makes me want to study
Do so; make sure their memory lives on!
We are meant to be curious and love learning new things. But the school system isn't for everyone and it discourages many people from learning.
I know like the pacific war
I would recommend "A World Undone" by G.J. Meyer to start. Great book.
When you dig into stuff on your own history is better than fiction and way more chilling because it really happened. The story of the US revolution they teach in school is bullshit...1776 by David McCullough is the true story that is better than fiction....if you are American I highly recommend it.
My father was a WW1 trench soldier. He didn't talk about it much, but it affected him for the rest of his life. I remember him waking up once with his blankets down around his knees so that he could see his whole body except for his lower legs. He flipped out asking where his legs were. I can't even imagine going through what he went through.
how old are you?
Your... father?
@@yourclassicvanillabean9452 did they stutter? idiot..
Slept like a French soldier that didn’t get their gas mask on fast enough
Sorry to disappoint you but
during World War I, the French army was the first to employ tear gas, using 26 mm grenades filled with ethyl bromoacetate in August 1914. The small quantities of gas delivered, roughly 19 cm³ per cartridge.
nerd
Shut up nerd
@@franctokyo5981 thank you!! I didn't know that so I just learnt something new !
@@franctokyo5981 thats very interesting actually,thanks
My great Uncle was gas in 1918. He spoke with a whisper after the war. Suffered years of pain and misery. William A Beeler 1891- 1942.
In a word: Hell
Hell is not fire, it's mud
“I died in hell; they called it Passchendaele.” - Siegfried Sassoon
In my words:
*F U C K T H I S S H I T*
@Jay Bee ok school wasnt fun but it wasnt the trenches lmao
@Jay Bee school? School gave me a career that pays 12,800 bucks a month.
School is not hell, it's quite the opposite.
"So would you want to be a soldier in WW1?"
Yeah, that's gonna have to be a resounding no from me.
Documentary: Stormtroopers was the name of soldiers who performed risky, lighting fast attacks.
Kid: thats the bad guys from starwars!
I don’t think kids really watch star wars for them it’s just fOrTnItE
@Nicholas Garcia yea ik too but kids are so stupid u know
@@HI-pm3fm true, your name is very epic tho
Burrito -_- haha fortnite bad!! fortnite sucks even though i dont play it!! ewwww fortnite!
1998 Subaru Impreza 22b STI Yes a man of culture
My great grandfather fought in ww2 he came out alive I keep him as a role model
Officer:"I don't know what this PTSD nonsense is but it's no excuse for cowardice "
Me: "geez life was rough back then"
well they didn't know what PTSD was, nor any way to cure/treat it. if you think the officer's disregard to trauma is rough, you should see the ways doctors attempted to treat shell shock.... literally beat the shit out of patients and used shock therapy thinking that they were helping the poor soldiers.
@@jacksonbilgry8395 I think the signs of Trauma should have been obvious too.
There's historical footage of patients cowering under tables. And keeping their head down.
Just like Artillery in the trenches.
From my own personal bout with Anxiety and PTSD: I think the cure is Comfort and Safety.
But this was also during a time where not "Sucking it up," would have been seen as Cowardly or Emasculate.
(Modern Problems meet Old-World dogma.)
@@emuriddle9364 actually because of the advancment ot artillery, they were clueless when the repeated shelling caused shell shock. The war was revolutionary not only in artillery but the style it was fought in.
At dinnertime: "let's get this out on a plate... nice hiss"
You just reminded me that Steve hasn't posted in nearly two months. Damn your soul to the depths of hell.
They didnt say which Christmas.
Let’s get this out on to a tray .. nice
EVIL UBUNTU he’s posted recently!
Uke Yaoi Trash I bet there were lots of gay soldiers🌚
I almost cry when I heard about the Christmas part :(
My grandfather served in the British army during WW1 and then served as a US citizen in WW2, He came out of those wars as a captain, He worked on the railroad as a mechanic and was quite a man, I never got to meet him but I have a great deal of respect for him, My dad told me some history about my grandpa’s life...sad thing about his return from the wars was nightmares and heavy drinking,,, He became antisocial and violent. He was placed in a convalescent home and never came out. He was a highly decorated battlefield soldier a very brave man. I’m proud to be related to him. May God rest his soul. I love you grandpa...just wish I could have met him.
I think that guy's face in the thumbnail perfectly sums it up
May they all Rest In Peace ✌️
Ditch Bank Bandits, Amen.
😔
Man this only happened a life time ago. How much we’ve changed in that small amount of time.
More like 2 or 3
We didn't change at all. If anything we got worse
Jason Barrera it’s been 100 years idiot
@@aldenzegerman1936 Thats not much longer than a lifetime, actually
@@OnlyInhuman90 Thats bull, we've improved immensely overall
i have more respect for the soldiers who went through WW1 than anyone else combined.
My great uncle was from Poland and served in the US Military in WWI and WWII. Thank you 🙏
Just imagine a world where the war ended on Christmas Day.
So sad that the world leaders didnt push a truce after 1914 Christmas shows how they just use us and think it's a board game with their scotch laughing about losing a troup of 20 thousand with the same leaders that we've been told to hate or fight against
Fuck the world leaders and fuck this system we have th power 💪🤭🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕
rodney quinn we don’t have any power unfortunately. Another world war and conscription will be back in place.
Did you know in ww2 I forgot when or where but it was Christmas Day and they made a agreement they bonding gave eachother there presents (oh yeah this was uk and Germany) they even wondered if there side was morally right.
@@oldthug7624 nah mate we do, the mob is Rome, or the people run the country if we all acted right, global strikes and boycotts rally and poles outside of the jurisdiction of the governments in power atm and demand change through peace, we can never fight fire with fire, best to quench it out with the flow of time
More telling that we went back to systematic murder only hours later
57,000 died along a 25 mile long front line on the first day of the Battle of the Somme .
That's Fifty seven thousand men in a few hours .
A total of about 1.3 million over the entire battle.
Aint war great!
While the Battle of Somme was going on Verdun and huge battle on the Eastern Front between the Russians and Austro-Hungarian armies was also going on. The three biggest battles up until that time, all going on at the same time. Insanity!
@@dimbulb23 Mustard and Chlorine chemical weapons as well.
Luckily Thomas Shelby survived.
57000 casualties, not deaths.
imagine being a german male at that time and knowing you where prob going to be dead very soon
The fact that these guys (young kids really) made a joke magazine is both really heartwarming and sad. It was probably one of the only ways they could express their frustration and horror with the situation in a socially acceptable way without being seen as weak or cowardly.
I thought being a civil war solider was bad, but this sounds a lot worse somehow
Ravaging disease or new and terrible weapons? Tough choice
I think it would be the distance in a lot of cases. I'm Australian and many many ANZACS are buried a very long way from home. I think that would have been very difficult for some. Lest We Forget.
@@NA-ck6cz the ravaging disease was there in ww1 as well, and I'm pretty sure that was way worse if only because of the muddy wet trenches you had to *live* in, civil war didn't have that.
Both would have been horrendous tough!
@@ukeyaoitrash2618 You have to take into account the advancements in medicine, transportation, and availability of hospitals
@@NA-ck6cz Both were features of both wars.
And suddenly Tolkien's fascination with Hobbits and their big feet all make sense.
Djoke Altena he actually got much of his ideas for Mordor from the Battle of Somme river and other British battles
A lot of his, and C.S. Lewis' writings were their way of coping with what they'd seen from memory. People give Lewis a lot of stick for the religious leanings in the Narnia series, not realising that that was him working through his feelings on religion after the horrors of WW1
The dead marshes are based off of the trenches after battle
@@baconinsurgent8261 Was that the place where Frodo, Sam, and Gollum walked through?
@@AvioftheSand yep
Man, the Christmas truce speaks so much to the humanity of humans. Nobody *wants* to be at war.
True that, it's not like that anymore though I guess that all stopped during the Tet offensive in Vietnam. I'm sure the people in the middle east probally dont care about that sort of thing.
Why are you afraid of death?
Except for the politicians and world leaders that don’t actually have to fight in the war. They can just draft their poor citizens who don’t give a rat’s ass about why the war is being fought.
Idk, if it came to world war 3 I’d want to protect my country at all costs
Brandon well obviously if your country is being invaded, most would fight to defend their families and fellow countrymen. I was referring to these political wars like Vietnam and the last Iraq War.
I’m right there with them. I served 18 months consecutively in Iraq at the beginning of the war. No one leaves a war zone without issues. God bless all of our troops! We train for war but no one can ever be prepared for what it entails. War will change your life forever.
fuck everone who fights with people on their own will fuck you too man you and people like you are fuel to never ending wars in 21 century
@your friendly neighbourhood necromancer what do you mean
It's good to see more and more people discovering the history of The Great War. It should serve as a constant reminder that no matter how many men die, nothing really changes at the end of it all.
German soldier: "Shotguns are the most deadly weapons one can use!"
French Soldier: - coughing up part of his lugs from German gas weapons.-
Austro Hungarians pulling a Russian shovel out of their forehead.
Germans pulling their bodies out of British metal box killing machines.
Americans screaming like indians as they attempt to scalp enemy soldiers for souvenirs.
its actually kind of funny how gas was mostly inneffective due to soldier just *moving out of the way*
*shotguns however...*
Lol they were not happy about the use of shotguns though.
Meanwhile Germans were also using flamethrowers. Shotguns are inhumane! 😂
It’s allied propaganda, the French actually had used tear gas before the Germans decided to use chlorine gas.
In the movie “They Shall Not Grow Old” which is all authentic, colorized, and remastered WWI footage, soldiers said that it was mainly a war of artillery and life in the trenches. It’s true that they had to look out for snipers and raids, but most casualties came from artillery.
As well as machine guns
That's an excellent movie. I like the part where they put a tree to sit on over the latrine pit and the guys were all sitting in a line on it with their butts toward the camera.😂 Wonder what they wiped with, leaves? Well, any port in a storm they say.
I watched that, probably at around 12. Some of the images have not left my mind.
@@lukewilson7198 Damn
Thank you. I had no idea this movie / documentary existed. Looks like it's phenomenal. ☮ .. looking forward to watching it, but also filled with trepidation at the horrific realities it must include. I don't have any "morbid curiosity" .. I think it's more of a respect for the sacrifices these people made .. and that they should never be forgotten.
Some of those who were executed for “cowardice” who actually had shell shock were underage boys around 16 or 17 when they were not allowed to fight overseas unless 19 or over. They were told that if they felt old enough to lie about their age and fight then they are old enough to face the consequences. Horrible!
Yeah. I studied it at school. "Shot at dawn" its called. Horrific. Propoganda made those boys think war was fun and an adventure
Only One 17 year old soldier was executed but on his documents it said he was 19 as he had lied about his age.you have it both ways.
You guys should do a video on the Great Depression!!
Or on trench foot!
The zig zag pattern of trenches was to stop blast from travelling along as it deflects it if it were a straight line it would travel farther
9:19 I feel bad bro dint even make it out the thrench 😔 RIP
I was thinking the same thing.
A lot better than getting shot in your stomach and bleeding out in the middle on no mans land. Yeah it sucks but it looked quick :/ fuck war.
Simon Cez true true
Perhaps it was faking to be dead
i steal memes lol if he did fake it they would charge him with cowardness (idk how to spell it) and then he would probably die to firing squad as a execution
Don't forget that a lot were raped and couldn't escape their abusers bc the rotations usually put the same soldiers together. And the way the trenches were made it so it was easy to drag away someone and to make sure no one sees them/and sometimes even hear them. Plus soldiers who were raped were often seen as weak and even if they were seen they usually never received help but instead were ridiculed and ppl just watched..
Really? Soldiers raping their fellow soldiers?
Where did you get that information from? I did not read about that any where and I read alot about world war 1 and it's hard to believe that with the army discipline that kind of thing could happen especially in the early 1900s plus there was no need, soldiers were allowed to visit prostitutes when on leave
1:30 The main reason for the zig zag pattern of the trench system was so explosions within the trench, didn't run the length of the trench.
I also read in a book that it was also because that pattern allowed for better fields of fire which helped immensely when in the defense. Although I don't remember it saying this in the book, the space between two outward bulges would also be a great kill zone, dont you think? With fire from both sides it would make a charge into there much more difficult.
@@xavi.cat.4095 The zig zag pattern actually reduced the field of fire because men at the bottom of the V could only fire from the point of one V to the point of the next V, not the 180 degrees a straight trench would have allowed. they had forward fire position mainly for machine guns, but they had to be protected from the rear as well as the front because of the chance of friendly fire
@@andybawn1 I guess what I said came out badly, and you're right. What I meant was that it allowed for more effective use of them which ties nicely to my second point.
They did that on Mythbusters. It did work to lessen the force of the explosion around a corner.
Delta David but shrapnel wouldn’t fly down the trench killing more men
I once had a bird and her name was Enza and when I opened the window influenza
The exit is to your left
You now have the flu
Ahhh dont leave meee
@@Will-xx4qs no
Craig Hi Craig
Weird History: So after trench foot, Spanish Flu, shell shock, artillery barrages...would you want to be a Trench soldier?
Me: I’ll politely decline.
A conchy eh? (Conscientious objector.)
Death is a gift that we fail to acknowledge and appreciate
SegaCDboy21 It’s all about perspective, really
Fallen brother in arms 😢. Huge respect to the human males, you make this earth livable
“And it’s wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to wake up finding rats eating their rations...or them!..”
WELL THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY!!
Did the rats really try to eat the soldiers even the ones that were alive
Coco Productions It would not be unlikely.
I lived in the Philippines back in the early 80’s. One nite my housemaid and I drank a wee bit too much. I woke up to her screams. Being drunken passed out she didn’t notice the rats that were chewing on her finger tips until they had munched the tips off a few fingers.
@@kaptainkaos1202 that is Freaking horrible !!!!
Well well well, you've eaten me ration, I guess I'll just eat you then.
Rat: *GLUP*
Often times the men would actually spend alot longer than 1-7 days in the trench, as reinforcements may be unavailable, or a battle may not allow the rotation of troops to take place. Due to this it was sometimes commonplace for a soldier to spend up to 4 weeks in a trench on the front line, and this is why trench foot was such an issue, as the men would have no reprieve from the terrible conditions.
Awesome Video!!
I have alot of respect for those brave men that have fought in every single war in human history
I feel the same way brother
Every single war, so there over 2000 yrs old?
@@majortom5123 *they're
Brem ok grammar police
@@majortom5123 You're lucky I'm not the punctuation police.
That little break during winter in the first WW was what inspired the trainign of soldiers to dehumanize their enemy targets. We nowadays no longer see our enemies face to face, we dehumanise them to the point that even a baby is a target.
So your telling me 12 white supremacist politicians can manipulate millions of adults into standing in a trench and dying for the benefit of old whyte guys I mean there countries 😂
The “Christmas Truce” is one of the few events of so-called modern history that gives me hope for people.
I am fed up to the ears of old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in
super pikkle That’s exactly what the fellow in your picture did. One of my lifelong best friends was killed in Iraq in 2009.
Actually it was 306 British troops whom were “Shot at dawn” for desertion.
All death warrants signed by field marshal sir Douglas Haige
RavnDream what else would u do? U shoot them
You can give the Emperor your loyalty, or I can take it from your corpse.
My grandfather won a military cross for bravery in the trenches. Never said why or talked about it. Drank heavily and psychologically was never the same. I often think of him when I’m facing difficult times- it puts things into perspective
I've been binging "The Great War" channel's chronological history of WWI week by week, these past few days. Amazing channel. They put their heart and soul into the research for all of the videos.
You're right, they do a wonderful job. I hate it when some idiot bitches about the way a certain word may have been pronounced. Let those jerks put this much time and effort into producing a great, informative and interesting video.
It's nice to see others appreciating the hard work as well. Best wishes.
5:27 That is the eyes of someone who isn't really there anymore.
combination of that and bad camera quality but yes you're right lol
There was an HBO series called Boardwalk Empire where one of the main characters was a WW1 Trench soldier. The series really delved into a soldiers life in the war.
peaky blinders on Netflix too
"To the lost"
Not really. He is just a good shot with a messed up face.
Loved Boardwalk Empire. Richard Harrow was awesome.
Absolutely fascinating! Had the honor of spending time with my great uncle who fought in WWl. One of my earliest memories as a child was driving through the gate at Ft. Bragg with my great uncle and grandfather. We went to pick up my uncle who was returning from Vietnam. You cherish these memories although their merely snippets or flashes you try to hold on to.
As night falls the general calls and the killing carries on and on. What is the purpose of it all?
What’s the price of a mile?
Not much for the soviets. Especially when you go up to Extensive Conscription
Maybe it'd be better to clarify when you say,
"No one knew how to handle PTSD".
Soldiers weren't executed because no-one knew how to handle PTSD, which almost makes it sound like they were executed out of convenience.
PTSD wasn't understood properly by many senior officers and much of the medical establishment, and was seen as "cowardice" which could potentially spread throughout the ranks - PTSD wasn't known to exist at that time.
The study of psychology was in its infancy, so while there's no way to defend execution on the basis of alleged "cowardice", and it is a stain on the belligerents of WW1, the senior officers did actually, (wrongly) believe that they were facing cases of cowardice, rather than a deep rooted psychological condition.
Even more than 100 years later, many people would rather call them cowards, pussies, wimps, etc. instead. And we wonder why there's a suicide epidemic among vets.
We were told that it was a sign of Weakness to even ask for help..I,know I didn't start getting help until I was medically retired in Jul 07,after 24 years and deployments into 3 different Warzones..I,still have trouble to this day..I live alone with my 4 pupdogs..I don't want to burden a Woman with my issues..I recommend getting help from either the VA,or other organizations
@@Sgt-xw5lxYour comment was a tough read - I ended up looking at your profile.
We Were Soldiers - incredible film, and Sgt McKenzie.
Being a Scot the pipes and the Scots tongue is extremely familiar, but I see that you're American.
I'm sorry to read about your troubles, but having four dogs to look after must bring you some peace.
I'm also sorry if my OP was clumsily written - I knew what I wanted to say, but sometimes it's difficult to get it down.
Much respect to you Sir - all the way from Glasgow.
@@CmdrRenegade I pity people who are so devoid of empathy that they cannot grasp what active service/campaign/war can do to the mind.
Horrible terms to use about those brave enough to serve.
@@ianmacfarlane1241
No worries Sir..Thank you for your kind words..I,more or less wrote the words not wanting sympathy for myself,but to bring attention to the fact that it affects all of Us..Not just the Military..Law Enforcement,Firefighters,Doctors and Nurses that deal with Death and destruction..
At our basecamp in Kuwait,we had some of the Royal Marines living in the tent next to me..Crazy bunch..I remember them filling a galvanized trash can with ice and water,letting it cold for a couple of hours one night..For fun,they took turns lending into the water,barechested..Seeing who could keep their heads under water the longest..I,was able to talk with a few Scottish Troopers from both Desert Storm back in 1991 and a few in Kuwait during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004,as we all waited to cross the border into Iraq..We were a Transportation Co..I don't remember what their unit was..I'm both German and Irish,so don't hold that against me..Lol
And again,Thank You for your kinds words..
Imagine fighting for your country, go through severe trauma and depression then the country you fought for calls you a coward and executes you. Damn.
I remember one of these guys coming to my school when I was a kid. He said that the trenches smelled differently depending on where you were. One place smelled of rotten sandbags, another of the dead, another if disinfectant, another of residue left by gas attacks.