Bonkers..... |
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sc-em
Senior Member Joined: January 02 2018 Location: Cannock UK Status: Offline Points: 125 |
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Posted: December 05 2018 at 12:31pm |
I am just sat here watching the series World War 1 in colour. I have heard the facts and figures before, but watching the accompanying images I am just incredulous. The sheer scale of, well, just about everything is frankly staggering. It is just so harrowing as to be almost inconceivable. I know it has been said before, but this loss of life in such dire and devastating circumstances can, along with all other conflicts, must never be forgotten.
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Zed
Special Member Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 5585 |
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And then consider that WWII was even worse in terms of casualties! The Rissians alone loosing over 20 million people. Estimated at around 95% of all Allied losses.
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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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sc-em
Senior Member Joined: January 02 2018 Location: Cannock UK Status: Offline Points: 125 |
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Agreed but over a much larger theatre of war. Irrespective. Horrific in both cases. In some ways we are more exposed to events of WW2 due to the huge range of films depicting the many battles etc. WW1 by contrast has very little bar the documentaries such as I am watching. Just watched the section on The Somme...
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MarkG
Senior Member Joined: November 30 2018 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 130 |
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I've forgotten whose it is, but there's a Russian guy on Youtube who's part of a group who are searching old battlegrounds for the remains of the soldiers who died there, and trying to return them to their families. The sheer amount of stuff they dig up while searching is astonishing, and really gives you an idea of just how extreme the fighting was..Mosins, Mausers, artillery she!!s, anti-tank rifles, even parts of a plane.
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sc-em
Senior Member Joined: January 02 2018 Location: Cannock UK Status: Offline Points: 125 |
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The figures are astounding. The Battle of Verdun- 12 million she!!s. Eight days of bombardment before the Battle of the Somme even began and 60 000 casualties on the first day and on and on it goes.
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A square 10
Special Member Donating Member Joined: December 12 2006 Location: MN , USA Status: Offline Points: 14452 |
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yes , we have lost perspective , the fact that this history is no longer emphasized in history classes anymore is very disturbing , those who do not know repeat ....i fear the world may well one day see this again but the fact that our population has exploded since those times will make even those devastating numbers pale ,
do not forget and teach your children-grandchildren , we cannot relive this
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Shamu
Admin Group Logo Designer / Donating Member Joined: April 25 2007 Location: MD, USA. Status: Offline Points: 17603 |
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There are still what the locals call "moonscapes" in the areas round Picardy, this was densely forested before The Great War all the trees were blasted down & then pulverized & all that's left even today, is thousands of overlapping she!! craters.
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Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force)
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sc-em
Senior Member Joined: January 02 2018 Location: Cannock UK Status: Offline Points: 125 |
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As a primary school teacher I make sure that my children are made as aware as they can be about the sacrifice that was made, without being too graphic of course. It has helped by our topic theme being WW2. We dutifully stood for the 2 minutes silence recently. One lad was seriously castigated by his peers for not giving the respect the occasion demanded. I had a little word....
On the theme of the battlefield sites ( we must do a tour we have promised ourselves) I have a collection of books produced in the early 20s by Michelin of guides to the battlefields. The more notorious were given a volume each. The photos depict omnibuses taking tours around areas still decimated by the Great War. Madness, but I suppose if it had the desired effect on the tourist then so be it. However, as we know, within another 20 years or so we were at it again.
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MarkG
Senior Member Joined: November 30 2018 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 130 |
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That's freaky. I wonder whether they used the same omnibuses that used to carry soldiers to the front?
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sc-em
Senior Member Joined: January 02 2018 Location: Cannock UK Status: Offline Points: 125 |
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I wonder. These are they. Fascinating books with detailed maps of trench line, photos of the destruction etc etc. Something else I really must sit down and read.
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Zed
Special Member Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 5585 |
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They would useful for families searching for the area where they lost a loved one. I read a lot of WWI and WWII history. A particularly good personal account is the diary of Harry Drinkwater. He survived the war and wrote up his dairy into a more complete volume just afterwards.
I have a couple of michelin road maps from 1945. (January and June) They mark the damaged bridges and roads following the liberation. |
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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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sc-em
Senior Member Joined: January 02 2018 Location: Cannock UK Status: Offline Points: 125 |
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Yes, they may well at that be a good source of almost contemporary information.
We recently watched The Water Diviner, which is a heart felt account of a father trying to find the graves of his three sons. It seems the whole idea was taken from one line in the Guardian that recounted a father trying the find the resting place of his son. Gallipoli.....
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Zed
Special Member Donating Member Joined: May 01 2012 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 5585 |
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would that be on Netflix?
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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice!
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sc-em
Senior Member Joined: January 02 2018 Location: Cannock UK Status: Offline Points: 125 |
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No. Amazon
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