The Unknown Soldier of France & the Silent Cities of Verdun | History Traveler Episode 318
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- When people visit Verdun, the cemetery that they are most likely to visit is the one at Douaumont. But one cemetery can't hold all of the dead that Verdun claimed. In this episode, we're looking at some of the other silent cities around Verdun and also at the story behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe.
This episode was produced in partnership with The Gettysburg Museum of History. See how you can support history education & artifact preservation by visiting their website & store at www.gettysburg...
Support the effort to expand history education on PATREON: / historyunderground
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- The Dead of Verdun at the Douaumont Ossuary | History Traveler Episode 317: • The Dead of Verdun at ...
- Myth & Reality at Verdun's Trench of Bayonets | History Traveler Episode 314: • Myth & Reality at Verd...
- Documenting Death: Verdun's Military Museum | History Traveler Episode 308: • Documenting Death: Ver...
- The Sacred Way of Verdun | History Traveler Episode 307: • The Sacred Way of Verd...
- The German Dead of Verdun | History Traveler Episode 306: • The German Dead of Ver...
An outstanding series, even by your high standards ! "Trauma" is the right word--even the smallest French villages have memorials with depressingly long lists of names, often with the same surname repeated more than once.
This series is never going to end! Keep the videos rolling.
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Thank you for such an amazing series on the First World War. Both of my grand fathers served for France. One on the western front, the other in the Dardanelles. Both survived. The one on the western front was gassed. I just got back from visiting some of my relatives in France, and while I was there, I had the opportunity to visit typical French villages. Without exceptions, they all had memorials to their fallen in the First World War. My parents always said that their childhood memories at family gatherings always ended up with conversations about the war. It fundamentally changed Europe for ever.
You should drop the mic right now. I gained a greater appreciation of WWI and the Verdun area. Visited Verdun as a green Lieutenant in 1990 for a development program. This series multiplied my understanding! Well done JD.
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JD - your last episode was utterly enthralling - the vignette-shots you took through the bottom ports of the Douaumont Ossuary served as a chilling underscore to the overall magnitude of 'The War to End all Wars"... Keep up the great work. Thank you.
A fitting end to this series JD, I have really enjoyed this trip to France and discovery of the Great War.
No words of mine can express the gratitude I have for this series.
I never knew anything about WWI and still have a lot to learn, but nothing will compare to Verdun..
A beautiful and thoughtful series JD. Thank you for telling their stories both soldiers and civilians. 👍🙂
Fabulous effort, fabulously informative, and should be RUN on National TV. World Wide. RIP Men.
An utterly superb series. You said before that WW1 was not your best subject knowledge and you wanted to do something... And did you do just that!
Informative, easy to follow, personal and emotional.
Thanks!
I can't thank you enough for this series! Understand I'm still sucked down this WWII rabbit-hole that you introduced me to.. but this has been some of your best work yet. That teaser trailer from a while back? 100% on target. The thrills and all of the feels, you portrayed them with dignity and honor. You should be really, really proud.
Thanks! So glad that you enjoyed it.
Absolutely a exceptional series J.D. Thank you
Thank you so much for the series! Visited Verdun a year ago, and this brought some good memories although it might be the saddest battlefield I’ve ever visited. You gave so much new information of those places I didn’t know before. Please keep ’em coming, your videos are awesome!
Thank you so much for this series. I've only heard and seen small snippets about Verdun. With this series I have learned so much more. I had no clue there were so many lives lost for France. You my friend did a spectacular job and I give you many many thanks. Be safe in you travels and God bless you.
The losses were so bad that near the end of the war, they were sending 14 and 15 year olds into combat, knowingly or unknowingly.
The row upon row of crosses…. 😞 One reads the statistics, but it’s the sight of multiple cemeteries of seemingly endless crosses that brings it home. Agree, he’s done an excellent job of making it real.
JD yet another OUTSTANDING series brought to a close, I have to agree with you, there could be no more fitting place to end the series than at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Thank you again for bringing us yet another series on the war history of France during WWI.
This was an amazing series JD, such a poignant and respectful conclussion beautifully directed and narrated. Well done ❤
This series is an astonishing accomplishment. Thank you for all the insights we would not have otherwise had.
Sound was good all the way through. Very well done. No over sentimentalism. Just straight forward to ponder and remember.
Thank you so much for bringing this story to us. Before this video series I just thought of Verdun as a battle, perhaps a day or two, that took place in France. Now I know the sacrifice that these soldiers made, thanks to you.
Kinda hoping you stayed longer in France to visit and film a series about The Somme as well. I went there last year. Incredible place. Regardless this has been an excellent series to watch, thank you JD - simply awesome.
I would like to thank you JD for showing me the Verdun battlefields, where my grandfather and his brother were both sent to hold out. They were volunteers in 1915, a year after the war had begun… protected by a wealthy textile family from Roubaix, they felt uneasy seeing their friends conscripted while they kept away… they both joined up in early 1915. My grandmother told me many accounts of the rows in his family home in Roubaix about their “final decision” to do their duty for France. In late October 1916 Julien Porisse went missing from a return with food and water supplies from the back lines. Six months later they found his body, the leg bones sticking out of a mound of earth and on his puteys his name was sown on them. He’s buried at Roubaix cemetery. My grandfather Raphael Porisse was a tough kind of personality, he didn’t speak much, he was very nice with me and my brothers and sisters. Very kind hearted but underneath there was a different kind of person. He had lost his right eye in WW1, was taken prisoner with Charles de Gaulle at Verdun, managed to escape and returned to the front lines. He eventually was injured and sent back to a hospital in Paris. Your videos showed the forts, the concrete, the bomb craters and the whole atmosphere. My grandmother talked to me a lot about WW1 and WW2, she said that my grandfather and his brother were bored of being at home, safe. They really wanted to volunteer and get to see action. I wonder how reality compared to their impressions… just the fact that my grandfather survived although injured is almost miraculous. Thank you very much. Merci
I really enjoyed each installment of this series. Excellent choice of topic and presentation.
I’m sharing your channel with all my friends. You well deserve 1M subscribers in the near future. I hope that will help you be able to travel more and cover even more historical events!
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A very fitting end to the series on Verdun in the first world war. I enjoyed it immensely!
Thanks!
Excellent series of Verdun. A very fitting ending indeed. JD, I have been with your channel since the very beginning and I must commend you on the excellence of your videos. Keep our history alive.
Truly an amazing series, wonderfully brought
Never appreciated the level of carnage that occurred in this war. Thanks! Great work!
This has been an outstanding series, JD. This and your Dachau series are tops.
Thank you so much for your series - incredible!!! so appreciate you honouring all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice visiting the battlefields and communities that suffered - May we never forget
Thank you, JD for an outstanding series. I learned so much about Verdun and WWI from you then I did in history class. I heard your comment yesterday on Gettysburg Address 160 live, so you are everywhere!
The whole series on Verdun has been great. I haven't seen a history youtuber go into so much detail about what happened around the city of Verdun outside of the events of Fort Douaumont and Fort Vaux.
The first Tomb of the Unknown Soldier I visited. My unease with heights meant I left the top of the arch before my friends were ready. While waiting, I walked around the base and found the one thing in France that affected me the most. No one else was there at the time, so i got to spend a few minutes paying silent respects. You saved the best for last, this was the perfect ending to a set of videos on a subject I don't know enough about.
This is a beautifully done series... very informative yet so poignant. Well done, JD!
Thank you kindly!
Fantastic series Maybe you can do the Battle of Somme next.
An amazing series JD, interesting, respectful & thoughtful. So much loss, then over 20 years later war was raging again
What an amazing series!! I learned so much from this series-thank you!
Another great series JD!
It is "amazing" (in a bad way), the amount of soldiers who were killed in the battle of Verdum!
May God bless ALL of the fallen and their families - of ALL wars!
Crazy to think about.
There is a ceremony that tales place every day at the foot of the monument in onor of the unknown soldier. I've had the oportunity to see it, it's impressive!! And it tales place every single day...
Thank you for this series, you inspire us!!
Outstanding JD. Being in France maybe you could scoot over and visit Canada's largest memorial in Europe at Vimy Ridge? We studied this battle in school at great length. We were always told it was the birth our our nation! Keep up the great work!
Vimy is high on my list.
Outstanding! Thank you for sharing this series with us! Looking forward to the next series!
Great series JD. Thank you.
I have been watching this seirs on Verdun. All war is horrible, but this has shown me just how brutal the first world War was. I know very little on the first world War but this has opened my eyes more to it. As long as any one has disagreements, War is a very real possibility. I have watched this channel for years and I will keep watching for as long as you post videos.
To be honest, I at first wanted to only know all about WWII, (still do) and never really cared much about WWI. That is until I started watching your Verdun videos. VERY moving, and VERY well done. You are always teaching me, and for that I Thank You from the bottom of my heart. 🙏 🤝 ❤
Humbling series Brother! Thank you for History shared very well by you and a respectful and humbling way! Thank you for keeping History Alive!
What a beautfully gripping series. Thanks for all the effort!❤
Fantastic series..thanks for all your hard work
JD.. You did it again my friend ! I learn more from your videos then I did when I was in school !!! THANK you Frank from montana......
Thank you for this entire series--watched them all. This last one: tourists, citizens, passers-by, just casually walk past this honored gave. No one seems to notice nor care. Breaks my heart. The sacrifice these French soldiers endured,--many to the very end.
The whole VERDUN series is a stark warning to the warmongers of the world: see with you own eyes what war is! Hell on earth. Verdun--where a soldier died every three seconds--over a 10 month period. As Henry V said: "This was a fellowship of death!"
I enjoy watching your videos. They are outstanding and very informative. Thank you so much!
Glad you like them!
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris and Westminster Abbey are very powerful and emotional symbols and icons remembering those that remain unknown and those that are missing. The respect people pay them is powerful and also the sanctity of the tombs is very palpable.
Excellent series on Verdun, have learnt so much, thank you
Glad you like them!
Thanks for putting this video together, obviously a lot of thought and behind the scenes work went into this. Thank you for sharing their story.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Such an outstanding series! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much to help english spoken people to know better this terrible battle between France and Germany. I wish to remember the death of my grand-uncle Francis Humbert (unknown soldier) and Henri Humbert (buried in Amiens) died at the age of 20. Your family missed you so much through years.
Thank you for this Series
Amazing series. Thanks for putting this together.
Thanks for sharing. Very interesting series. Couldn’t end it better then in Paris at the arc de triomphe JD. Respect 🙏on to the next place.
If you put the Verdun series all together, it would make a superb documentary worthy of any of the more professional history film makers. Lovely work. Verdun is a battle that probably receives less attention here in the UK as it was France against Germany and we tend to concentrate on the battles the British army was involved with. So I have learned much about it that I didn't know. I look forward to whatever you have to show us next.
Well done on an amazing series JD 👏👏👏
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Many thanks for such an educational and moving series.
Amazing work. Thanks for the effort put into these videos.
My pleasure! Thanks.
Very impressive episode. Thank you for sharing
Thank you for this outstanding series. I know so much more about the Great War in the area of Verdun now.
So good to hear!
Fantastic that you took the time to visit some of the other cemetaries. Those boys deserve the attention just as much! Outstanding series. Too bad its done 😊
As always, your amazing high standard Thank you.
You did honor to those men who fought and died for a cause J.D. you brought them honor in the sense that not only do the French know about the heroic deeds of these men but you also brought it to the attention of those who knew very little about these battles of WWI. If they ever gave an award for what you presented in this series you would most definitely win.
Favorite series from this channel so far
Thank you, JD, for your time and effort on this series. It was outstanding.
mike
Another outstanding series - probably my favourite as I’ve walked the same area. The chilling thing about Verdun is the dead outnumber the living to this day many times over. The occupants of the many cemeteries surrounding the small city of Verdun together with the ossuary and the tens of thousands of unaccounted or missing men gave me a feeling of over overwhelming gloom and sadness when I visited. 10 years later I still think about it often. The sound of the ossuary bell and the night lantern of the dead gave me a chill that I will never forget!
Thank you so much JD! What a wonderful series this has been 🤟
JD, just « Merci » for making this great series about Verdun. 🇺🇸 🇫🇷
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Such a great town to visit. Had some of the best food in France there
Nos glorieux ancêtres vous remercient de tout leur cœur.
Ils ne passeront pas!
I had a relative that was Quartermaster in one of the World War One battles, not too sure which. He won medals for bravery but never really talked about his experiences. But my grandfather (his son) knew enough to not want to fight in ww2. However my grandfather was an ARP warden and firefighter in London during the war. Both served in their way and both had scars from it.
Excellent series about the fighting of World War 1 @ Verdun ending quite appropriately in Paris @ the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.Your videos are always interesting & informative and I am an addict so continue with your good work!!!
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Fantastic work! Bravo! 🙂👍
Bravo ! Très belle série, bien commentée et très bien filmée aussi !
This has been a fascinating series. Thank you for doing this and helping to keep the history of this war on our minds.
I remember seeing a bronze plaque to General Patton in Verdun, who was also in the area during WWI.
That was an outstanding video thank you
Excellent JD
Thanks for one more interesting video ! Just a word of caution : In France, it's forbidden to fly a drone over inhabited places (like a town). Don't get caught or you'll have to pay a hefty fine and maybe lose your drone...
As it is in many places in the US, at least without specific permission and/or a permit. Someone needs to develop an effective but safe way to drop those things out of the sky for the times when one, for example, a rogue drone interrupts a professional football game in Baltimore.
A few years ago, someone flew a drone over Tinpot Macron's "private" residence (La Lanterne), situated in the park of the palace of Versailles. It's supposed to be a no-fly zone (Tinpot Macron has even pixelated "his" residence on Google Earth and similar sites).
The local police spotted the drone and tried to follow it by car, but of course to no avail: they were soon trapped in trafic while the drone escaped.
A few years ago also, drones were spotted above several of France's nuclear power stations (again, supposed no-fly zones, protected around the clock by special military law enforcement units). Once again, neither the drones nor the pilots were found or identified.
All this to say: given the clueless local plods, it's pretty easy to fly your drone above France and not get caught!
But nonetheless, you're of course right to remind us of the French law regarding drones.
The least of his worries if he gets caught would be to lose his drone, though, as you could end up in prison for up to one year if you break the rules -- on top of fines of up to 75,000 euros for flying above people, up to 45,000 euros for infringing on people's privacy (think about the private properties he filmed in one of his last videos) and up to 15,000 euros if you endanger someone's life. I imagine those could add up!
Very good point!
He clearly broke the law many times by flying over private properties without the proper authorisations (I would imagine).
Obviously, he meant no harm and I wish him no harm either, but he should be careful!
Another great and informative series.
Great series of videos JD! All the Best!
I second that there is no audio, but in JD style the videos will be stunning.
Maybe check again. I just checked and the audio was fine for me.
I will my friend
Working fine now!
Great job!
I've actually been to the tomb of the unknown soldier in Paris. I didn't know the origin story though.
JD, you've probably seen it, but if not check out the 2022 remake of 'All Quiet on the Western Front'. Shows just how horrific the fighting was. Incredible movie. Everyone here who loves these videos should check it out.
was terrible. see the original 1932 lewis aryes or the 79 with ernest mchales navy borgnine and richard john boy walton thomas
I agree. I feel the recent remake of "All Quiet on the Western Front" was greatly overrated. "Joyeux Noël" is a much better film on the First World War.
I thought it was an excellent film. Much preferred it over 1917 which I thought was very overrated and didn’t really capture the true horror of ww1.
@@Dan83C 1917 was a let down too. story was weak. the gimmick of a no cut away was ok not enough to carry the film
Love your narration.
JD I know the emphasis was on the French Army for this series, but it may interest you to know that 3 of the cemeteries you visited also held American graves. Of course not in their present state, but until the early 1920's when they were moved to the Meuse Argonne American Cemetery.
Very good video, thank you 🙏 this series on Verdun is amazing.
When will you do a series on the American effort in WWI and all the lives lost?
JD, I can’t even imagine what it must have been like in any European country that lost a significant, or millions of their young men after the end of the Great War. I know it was just as traumatic for those who survived. When I was younger, they had the drama services on PBS called Upstairs, Downstairs. Quite a bit of that English series was based around WWI. A theme carried out on the part that took place after the end of the war, was how the surviving veterans felt neglected with all the monuments that went up. We do a better job now with for example making right by the veterans who were exposed to agent orange.
To say that France was traumatized by the war is a vast understatement. Out of a total population of 39 million, 8.1 million were mobilized, and nearly 1 in 6 of those (over 1.3 million) died. Along with 600,000 civilian losses, that comes to just under 2 million total deaths, or about 4.8% of the total population. To put that in perspective, that would equal to the US losing 16 million today.
Helps to understand France during WWII.
@@TheHistoryUnderground Yes, indeed.
Cool video! Have been to Verdun multiple times - and still learn something new from your videos. I noticed you have a tattoo in Russian - perhaps you could touch upon the topic of the Russian Expeditionary Corps in France - there is a beautiful church cemetery at Mourmelon-le-Grand and a museum at Fort de la Pompelle - both near Reims. Keep up the great work!
Good morning from Syracuse NY USA brother and no sound
Maybe check it again? I just checked and the audio was fine on my end.
JD great video & thank you for an outstanding series I really enjoyed it and do you have any plans to do a series about the battle of the Somme JD
My Great Grand-father was from Commercy (mostly known for their madelaine) he surved in WW1 in Verdun survived not like his brother 😢 . Never met him but my grandpa still tells me "as soon as we got to Remich he looked on the other side and said LES SALES BOCHES". A lot of families lost their father and sons to this war either which side just let us pray that they won't be forgotten over time
I can't help feel sad each time I see a grace of the soldiers lost and then to see the black and while images of the honor guard escorting the coffin hits more of a punch
great series...learned a lot along the way...does France also have a tomb of the unknown for a WWII soldier at the same location in Paris?
I think that in the whole of France, there is only a handful - literaly, 6 or 7 - of villages not having a "monument aux morts".
Hard to imagine.