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re: The Top 10 Bloodiest Battles of the First World War
Posted on 3/7/23 at 6:27 pm to RollTide1987
Posted on 3/7/23 at 6:27 pm to RollTide1987
quote:
In fairness, volunteer regiments throughout the modern period had been formed in this way. During the American Civil War, volunteer infantry regiments typically hailed from the same area of a state. Many companies inside that regiment would have men from the same neighborhood, town, etc. Their company officer was elected and would often be the town lawyer, mayor, preacher, or schoolmaster.
It was also a way to boost volunteer numbers. Friends talking about joining up over a couple pints at the pub and they'd all meet up at the enlistment center in town later. They even had "shame" campaigns where local girls would go around and basically point and laugh at fighting age men who hadn't signed up. The Brits didn't have consceiption until the 3rd year of the war so they had to everything possible to get recruitment numbers up.
1
Posted on 3/7/23 at 6:27 pm to partyboy1930
quote:
are somewhat reliving WWI style trench warfare right now in Eastern Ukraine.
The Somme was nowhere close to six dudes shooting at each other in a trench getting droned. I understand what you're getting at, but it might be beneficial to see just the American Cemeteries like https://www.abmc.gov/Meuse-Argonne (3 hrs outside of Paris, not a lot of gas stations nearby!) to put the scale into comparison. There are only a "few hours" worth of heroes there, by comparison with French and Brit losses, but it's still breathtaking.
In Passchendaele, there was a marker that indicated that for the number of dead soldiers on both sides, *every square meter of the town* would have bodies stacked six feet high.*
Iron Harvest
quote:
The Iron Harvest is what Belgian and French farmers reap when they plow their fields along what used to be the Western Front. Every year, they find tons of unexploded ordnance, barbed wire, shrapnel, bullets, and trench supports.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 7:58 pm to TheRouxGuru
quote:
With all due respect to the deceased, I always equate the amount of wartime casualties to packed SEC stadiums
Picture a packed Tiger Stadium. 100,000+
At a rate of nearly 5,500 killed each day, it would take 18 days to put a dead soldier in every seat in Tiger stadium.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 8:08 pm to Stonehenge
quote:
I visited Verdun several years ago. There is an ossuary there containing the remains of 300,000 soldiers killed at Verdun, all unkown. Many areas of the battlefield are still uninhabitable today.
These are a couple pics when I was there in September of 2019.
Posted on 3/7/23 at 10:23 pm to SpotCheckBilly
quote:
At a rate of nearly 5,500 killed each day
On average. So, that's 11 days to reach our Vietnam war dead? Ok, cool?
Marshall Kitchener wants YOU for the war effort.
You, of all apologists, need to read "The Psychology of Military Incompetence."
Posted on 3/7/23 at 11:25 pm to SoFla Tideroller
I also visited Verdun this past summer. It was kind of a pain in the arse to get to there but it was very cool. The forests around the battlefield hide the pockmarked ground but you can still tell some pretty fricked up stuff went down there. Visiting the Fort Duamont and the Ossuary were very cool and the museum was first rate. If you like WWI history I would highly suggest a visit. Charming town too.
Museum
This is just a fraction of the graves.
Bones of the unidentified dead
Trench remnants
Inside the fort
Museum
This is just a fraction of the graves.
Bones of the unidentified dead
Trench remnants
Inside the fort
Posted on 3/7/23 at 11:31 pm to red sox fan 13
quote:
Fort Duamont
That's exactly where I couldn't buy petrol on a Sunday after leaving. You can clearly see the mucked up farmland due to craters; I stood in at least three of the places you took pics at.
Posted on 3/8/23 at 1:01 am to IAmNERD
quote:
They even had "shame" campaigns where local girls would go around and basically point and laugh at fighting age men who hadn't signed up.
Not WWI, but WWII...
Both of my mother's brothers were in the war. One as First Officer on a Liberty Ship and the other as a Naval Aviator.
My grandfather had been getting his hair cut by the same guy for years. One day during his cut, the barber's military aged son came into the shop. My grandfather inquired as to why he wasn't in the service. He said "Because I have bad teeth."
My grandfather, undoubtedly stressed about his sons both being at war and known to have a rather intemperate disposition, shouted, "You think you're going to bite the fricking Germans? The Army will give you a rifle!"
He never went back to that barber and bared his teeth whoever he saw the barber's son in public.
Posted on 3/8/23 at 5:16 am to AUstar
quote:
Shell shock became a massive problem
Wow! And that generation was a very tough & hearty bunch.
Could you imagine the psychological damage today’s generation would suffer? (God forbid)
Posted on 3/8/23 at 6:04 pm to RollTide1987
quote:
Battle of the Somme (July 1-November 18, 1916) - 1,060,000 total casualties
I remember listening to Dan Carlin on WWI and I believe I have this stat correct.
More British casualties on the first day of the Somme than ALL allied casualties during DDay and the following 20 days combined
For those who have also listened to Dan Carlin’s account of WWI, you may remember his story about Charles C. May who wrote a letter to his wife and infant child the day before an attack. It was a somber letter that preceded his death the next day during the Battle of the Somme. I found his grave when I visited the battlefield. It made an impression on me that I will never forget.
Posted on 3/8/23 at 6:12 pm to partyboy1930
quote:
WWI fascinates me. It's crazy to think that they are somewhat reliving WWI style trench warfare right now in Eastern Ukraine.
Yeah....no.
Posted on 3/8/23 at 6:18 pm to RollTide1987
quote:
9. Battle of Gallipoli (April 25, 1915-January 9, 1916) - 555,268 total casualties
The British admiralty royally fricked this up. Cost Churchill his job.
quote:
4. Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive (May 2-July 15, 1915) - 1,507,774 total casualties
One of the least discussed battles of all time.
Posted on 3/8/23 at 6:56 pm to kciDAtaE
quote:
For those who have also listened to Dan Carlin’s account of WWI, you may remember his story about Charles C. May who wrote a letter to his wife and infant child the day before an attack. It was a somber letter that preceded his death the next day during the Battle of the Somme.
I remember that letter. Incredibly heart wrenching. And one of millions probably like it.
This post was edited on 3/8/23 at 6:57 pm
Posted on 3/9/23 at 7:01 am to tide06
quote:
I always wondered if the actual concussion from the shelling might’ve damaged the brain tissue but I have nothing to back that up.
That's why they called it "shell shock", initially. That was the theory - a physical impact. And, frankly, I'm not sure they've ever conclusively ruled that out as a factor, but it seems secondary at best.
The trauma experienced by the men in the trenches is just unimaginable to a "modern" person. The body is triggered to "fight or flight", but you can't do either so you're sort of caught in that limbo/emotional state and everything is printed onto your psyche, perhaps forever.
Everyone had a different threshold and some men were in many engagements without ever breaking (e.g. Ernst Jünger).
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