I spent a week in France earlier this year visiting battlefeilds from WW1. I spent several days at Verdun with a couple of collector friends. The damage that was done is still visible today. Over 40 million shells were fired in an area approx 10km by 10 km. At least 10% failed to explode, some due to manufacturing defects and others due to the softened state of the earth. As you will see, many are still there today.
1.5 million men fought there. Approx 500,000 died. Many remain unfound to this day. Names of places like the Ravine of Death, and The Dead Man earned their monikers a thousand times over.
The city of Verdun has not changed much in the last 100 years. Take away the cars, traffic lights etc... and it still looks like the Germans could be there at any moment. But up in the hills above the town lies the tortured earth.
To fully apprieciate the damage man has done I'll start the tour with a look at one of the undamaged forts that ringed the city. The Ouvrage de la Falouse is one of the smaller fortifications. It was used as a rest area during the battle with troops rotating out of Fort Vaux for a spell of relief before going back into the storm of shell fire.
1.5 million men fought there. Approx 500,000 died. Many remain unfound to this day. Names of places like the Ravine of Death, and The Dead Man earned their monikers a thousand times over.
The city of Verdun has not changed much in the last 100 years. Take away the cars, traffic lights etc... and it still looks like the Germans could be there at any moment. But up in the hills above the town lies the tortured earth.
To fully apprieciate the damage man has done I'll start the tour with a look at one of the undamaged forts that ringed the city. The Ouvrage de la Falouse is one of the smaller fortifications. It was used as a rest area during the battle with troops rotating out of Fort Vaux for a spell of relief before going back into the storm of shell fire.
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