re: The “Zone Rouge”—dangerous post WWI site

My dad was stationed in Germany in the 70’s and our Boy Scout troop went to Verdun and camped for a week in and around some of the major battle sites. I vividly remember going in some caves used by the German aremy and there were bones stacked 12-15 feet high with thousands of skeletons, along with old, rusting artillery shells, helmets, bayonets and all manner of supplies. Strangely, there was no regard for preserving the bones, or the war relics so we took some with us as souvenirs. I had a bayonet and a German officers helnet with a single point. My brother was handling a bouncing Betty and our Soutmaster warned him that some of them could still detonate.

At that time, the amount of ruins from WW I and II were immense and old tanks, bunkers and bombed out buildings were just part of the landscape. Very surreal for a 12year old.

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They named it after Baton Rouge because it was just as dangerous

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It's Happeneing...again.

They have trails that are meant to be used for walking. You can find a clear area, and carefully look at the ground near the trail. If you see some metal shell fragments, there will be some small enough to gather a few and put in your coat pocket. You can just bring them home in your baggage.

The French park service should really gather up a bunch of harmless shell frags and sell them.

Don't get caught by the police.

The punishment after being arrested by the police in France and charged with attempted theft of national property of the Government of France? I don't know. But if you are an active duty military member who gets caught up in the criminal justice system of France, then, your military career prospects probably drop to Very Poor.

If you are civilian tourist then you risk missing your flight back to the USA while you spend time hiring legal counsel and working your way through the French criminal justice system.

Here's a nice news article from Reuters about the villages on the Verdun battlefield that were destroyed during the battle and never rebuilt again. Some villages were reduced to a white powdery smudge on the tortured brown pock-marked landscape.

Ghost Villages of Verdun

Take a look at the pile of bones that they found on the battlefield and stacked them up here.

LINK

It's a mountain of bones and skulls and enough to give anyone nightmares. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust . . .