Verdun
We have just left the Verdun battleground memorial area. The weather is gray and rainy, and it suits the mood of the place. We visited the museum at Fleury first. This museum flies both the French and German flags, symbolizing that this is not a monument to the French only, but to all those who perished in the battle of Verdun, 300 days and nights of horror. The students have not learned about the world wars in the social studies curriculum yet, so the museum’s short film about the battle of Verdun was a perfect way to start our visit to this solemn, somber place.
The site of the destroyed village of Fleury.
We next visited the village of Fleury, one of the 9 rural French villages caught in the middle of the battle. I could tell this memorial had a powerful effect on the kids who braved the rain and came down to view the cratered landscape and single building, the small Fleury chapel. The chapel was the only thing rebuilt; no one else wanted to return to this terrible place. They have erected small plaques to show where the different buildings of the village once stood – identifying them as the residence of a certain person, or the bakery, wine maker, etc. once run by someone now long gone.
The French flag in the distance surrounded by the graves of 15 000 of the more than 150 000 French soldiers who died here.
The ossuary is an amazing site to behold, with the graves of 15,000 soldiers of the French army laid out before it. The crosses, row on row, and the Islamic headstones of the North African colonial soldiers turned conspicuously towards Mecca, forcing you to contemplate the enormity of the tragedy that took place here. The students wandered among the graves with the ossuary, containing the bones of 130 000 more unidentified, looming above them.
Leaving the base of the Ossuary.
The Ossuary - the last resting place of 130 000 unidentified soldiers.
We made a brief stop at the Trench of the Bayonettes, where some French soldiers who had been awaiting the command to "go over the top" (leave the trench and advance on the Germans) were buried alive by artillery fire, their bayonets pointing up at the ready.
Leaving the Trench of the Bayonets.
The Social Studies 11 and History 12 curriculum will definitely take on a deeper meaning to these students who have visited Juno Beach, Caen, Verdun, Dachau…
We are driving to Strasbourg now, hoping we leave this weather system behind us!
Craig
We have just left the Verdun battleground memorial area. The weather is gray and rainy, and it suits the mood of the place. We visited the museum at Fleury first. This museum flies both the French and German flags, symbolizing that this is not a monument to the French only, but to all those who perished in the battle of Verdun, 300 days and nights of horror. The students have not learned about the world wars in the social studies curriculum yet, so the museum’s short film about the battle of Verdun was a perfect way to start our visit to this solemn, somber place.
The site of the destroyed village of Fleury.
We next visited the village of Fleury, one of the 9 rural French villages caught in the middle of the battle. I could tell this memorial had a powerful effect on the kids who braved the rain and came down to view the cratered landscape and single building, the small Fleury chapel. The chapel was the only thing rebuilt; no one else wanted to return to this terrible place. They have erected small plaques to show where the different buildings of the village once stood – identifying them as the residence of a certain person, or the bakery, wine maker, etc. once run by someone now long gone.
The French flag in the distance surrounded by the graves of 15 000 of the more than 150 000 French soldiers who died here.
The ossuary is an amazing site to behold, with the graves of 15,000 soldiers of the French army laid out before it. The crosses, row on row, and the Islamic headstones of the North African colonial soldiers turned conspicuously towards Mecca, forcing you to contemplate the enormity of the tragedy that took place here. The students wandered among the graves with the ossuary, containing the bones of 130 000 more unidentified, looming above them.
Leaving the base of the Ossuary.
The Ossuary - the last resting place of 130 000 unidentified soldiers.
We made a brief stop at the Trench of the Bayonettes, where some French soldiers who had been awaiting the command to "go over the top" (leave the trench and advance on the Germans) were buried alive by artillery fire, their bayonets pointing up at the ready.
Leaving the Trench of the Bayonets.
The Social Studies 11 and History 12 curriculum will definitely take on a deeper meaning to these students who have visited Juno Beach, Caen, Verdun, Dachau…
We are driving to Strasbourg now, hoping we leave this weather system behind us!
Craig
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