FrenchKate

Oct 10: World War I monument in Reims

Reims, you may remember, was devastated in World War I. By the end of the war, 60% of the buildings in the city had been destroyed or badly damaged. Each red or green dot in the first graphic was where a German bomb hit around the cathedral (which received 42 hits in 1914 alone.) The city lost 3,827 soldiers and 740 civilians. 

Under the circumstance, it is not surprising that they have a formidable monument to les enfants morts pour la France. Situated just outside the old town wall, you have to cross a major highway to reach the monument. Just beyond is the oldest cemetery in Reims--Cimetière du Nord--which was created in 1785, and (I discover with chagrin only now)-- is full of splendid tombs. 

The Monument to the Dead dates to 1930. The inspiration is classical, but the style is deco. A statue of a pensive naked man sits pensively on a plinth at the center of a circular stage. A double row of columns wraps 180-degrees behind him. A broad flight of stairs leads the visitor up to the center of the monument. On either side, a bas relief sculpture portrays grieving families.

The inscription reads: "Children of Reims who fell on the field of battle, this monument was built by your devastated city to express forever its grief and its pride."

The first image is the graphic of where bombs fell in Reims between 1914 - 1918.

The second image shows the monument from the street. 

The third is the architectural drawing of the site from 1924.

The last is a close-up of the statue at the center of the monument.

 

 

 

Sept 20: Mort-Homme

Mort-Homme is another hill top site of unimaginable carnage. Between March 15th, 1916, and December, 1916, the Germans attacked at least fifteen times--sometimes the shells rained down at the rate of 120 shells per minute--and the French held on with unimaginable tenacity. The Germans finally took Mort-Homme in March, 1917, but despite deep shell-proof tunnels and formidable defenses, the French retook the hill in August 1917. As many as 89,000 French and 82,000 Germans were killed, wounded or missing in this action.The first image, of the lunar landscape of Mort-Homme, was taken after its recapture in 1917

It was very quiet the day we were there. You can still clearly see the scars of trenches. 

A stunning monument is found on the crest of the Mort-Homme. Its inscription reads, "This marks the Crest of Mort-Homme. In February, 1916, the German state had acquired extremely powerful ways to seize the citadel of Verdun. They had failed to pierce the front at Fort Douamont, so in March, 1916, they attacked the flank by Mort-Homme from Montfaucon which they had occupied since 1914. All these assaults took place on this crest. The losses were very heavy but Verdun was saved." 

The inscription adds that this wasteland was entirely reforested since all horticulture is impossible.

 

Sept 19: The battlefields today

We travelled the several kilometers from Hill 304 to Morte-Homme, site of another bitterly contested hilltop, through fields of ripening grain and bales of straw.

After the war, the French planted forests on their devastated battlefields because the ground was so polluted with chemicals and munitions. In addition to the nearly sixty million shells that were fired during the battle of Verdun--of which as many as 30% did not explode (click on the link for an interesting video)--and the ground was contaminated with scrap shells, mustard gas, chlorine, and corpses. The pollution continues to be a problem to this day.

My brother-in-law recently sent me an article from the BBC reporting that this July, the French government ordered the destruction of produce and milk valued at $170,000 from seven farms in the Verdun sector (not far from where I took these photos) after testing by the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research found too high levels of metals and toxic organic compounds in the soil. The testing had been done after nearly a ton of World War I shells were unearthed in the area in February. 

Sept 17: Hill 304

I am not sure exactly where my grandfather was stationed at Verdun. The citadel was far enough away--"was some distance,"--that they rode to get there. He also makes the following reference which make me guess that he was stationed on the left bank:

"The Germans were very methodical in the way they did some things. For example, I could set my watch by the time they shelled a certain hill each day. Because of the severe fighting that took place over it, it was at that time a very famous hill. It was known only by a number--such as “348.” I think those daily shellings were chiefly for the purpose of checking their range--to compensate for varying atmospheric conditions. At any rate, if you could help it, you knew when not to be on “Hill 348.” From a safe distance it was a spectacular show."

I wonder if he means "Hill 304" which was bitterly contested in May 1916. 

On our way from Sedan to Verdun, on July 24, 2015, we stopped at the monument on top of Hill 304, which now stands in sad isolation in the midst of a dense forest accessed by a single long, narrow road.

They have removed some of the trees to allow us to glimpse the view that was this hill's destiny. In 1916, the Germans had attempted to take Morte-Homme, a nearby hill, but, realizing that they could not Morte-Homme without first taking the observation post on top of Hill 304, they subjected the hill to a massive artillery attack in May, 1916. As many as ten thousand men died in this assault and the height of the hill was lowered by seven meters. Two months later, the French recaptured hill 304, and the battle continued.

Throughout the war zone, one encounters memorials to individuals. I have posted photos of two found on Hill 304. I found the first one incredibly touching. Donated by the widow of George Fabre, the inscription reads, "To the memory of s/Lieutenant Georges Fabre, 3 Mixte Regiment Zouaves Tirailleurs, Legion d'honneur, Croix de Guerre, fallen on hill 304 on 18 May 1916 at the age of 40 years." Once quite fine--its funerary design consisted of an elegant cast iron planter and palm leaf, surrounded by six ornate torches and heavy chain--it is neglected now, suggesting that one hundred years later, no one is left to tend the grave or plant flowers.

The simple cross in the midst of the wounded land is for Leon Pialat, who died on 9 Sept 1914 during the initial German advance. Someone has planted a fern at its base and placed one of those memorial red poppies.

Sept 13: Photos from 1916 in the underground citadel

Of course, I found a few photos from the Citadelle-souterraine taken in 1916: sleeping quarters, a bar, the bakery.

Sept 12: Visiting the Citadelle-Souterainne today

During World War I, the French soldiers would arrive at the Citadelle-Souterraine before leaving for their stint at the front, and, if they survived, they would return to this place of comfort before deployment elsewhere. The galleries, constructed between 1886 and 1893 under the citadelle of Verdun, could house 2,000 men and played a major role during the 1916 battle. 

Visitors today climb aboard a sweet little "nacelle"--a little motorized cart--for a slow, cool auto-guided ride through galleries. The tour includes scenes of the lives of French soldiers during World War I--bakery, hospital, kitchens, sleeping quarters.

Although most of the tableaux are pretty low-budget--mannequins in badly fitting, rather dusty uniforms and shelves of fake bread--Disneyworld it is not--but scene by scene it tells the full story of Verdun. On some occasions, the cart stops for hologram recreations. I remember one--a young officer writing his wife expresses his doubts about the war and his longing for the sweet earth of Brittany. The final scene recreated the sad and serious ceremony at which the Unknown Soldier was selected from a set of six coffins in 1920.

I found the overall effect deeply moving. 

 I hope this link works for you. Ignore the French, just watch the video. It will give you some sense of the experience.

Sept 10: The citadelle souterainne de Verdun

We visited Verdun's Citadelle-Souterainne, the underground fortress that has defined the geography and destiny of Verdun since 1552. French King, Henri II (who had annexed Verdun and two other independent bishoprics in Lorraine in his Renaissance game of real-life "Risk") decided to upgrade Verdun's medieval fortifications. The fortress, completed in 1634, was constructed on the site of the 11th-century benedictine Abbey of Mont-Saint-Vanne. Fifty years later, Louis XIV's brilliant military engineer, Sebastien Le Prestre, Marquis de Vauban, upgraded the fortress as part of a plan to defend the entire city. 

The use of the star-shape for the construction of fortresses was a mid-15th century Italian adaptation (thank you, wikipedia) to warfare with cannons and cannonballs. The basic design survived until exploding shells in the 19th century forced military strategy to evolve again.

At Verdun, the citadel is vast. The first image indicates some of the long corridors inside the fortress. Most of this is closed to the modern visitor (who enters via an entrance (see the second photo) situated in the south-eastern corner of the fortress (near the P (for parking) and small black rectangle on the floorplan.) I don't know if what we saw was typical. Next year, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Verdun, more corridors are being opened up so it may be that what we saw was a temporary set-up.

Inside, we found a surprisingly spacious corridor-- brick, barrel-vaulted, maybe 20" high--where a couple of French college students managed a small counter which held both the main ticket desk and a small gift store. To the left of the counter, the corridor contained a collection of newspapers, journals and costumes from 1916. Beyond the counter to the right, the main corridor intersected a second corridor, perpendicular to the first one, that contained a small museum of World War I posters and uniforms (third photo.)

Straight ahead, beyond the ticket counter, the corridor continued, where we waited on benches for the main attraction, a train ride through more corridors.

 

April 27: What does anyone know about history?

You may get the idea that I am preoccupied at the moment, and the answer is, yes, yes, I am preoccupied. It's near the end of the semester, and a great deal needs to be completed between now and May 8th.

But when I have a moment to spare, I am pondering what a guide book--"Walking in France: Exploring France's Great Towns and Finest Landscapes on Foot"--says in its opening passage about Toulouse:

"Toulouse has always been the  hub of the southwest. Once it was the capital for all the regions united by the Occitan dialect or langue d'Oc. Now it is a thriving centre for the aerospace industry, but arts and culture still flourish here, and it makes an excellent stopping place before you go walking in the nearby mountains of the Pyrénées or visit the historic towns of Albi, Carcassonne or Moissac."

"The settlement that became Toulouse originally grew up by a shallows where the river Garonne could be easily forded. It was known as Tolosa by the Romans and became a centre of new ideas, converting to Christianity in the 3rd century. The Visigoths made it their capital in the 5th century before it fell into Merovingian hands in 508. After Charlemagne, the region was ruled by the counts of Toulouse, a great feudal dynasty that kept one of the most magnificent courts in Europe."

While this statement contains nothing inaccurate--it is very typical guidebook-ese and, in fact, a more extensive treatment than many--what strikes me is how it skips across the surface of history. Perhaps, a traveller doesn't need to know more, but how much does any American tourist understand about these references to Occitan, the Celtic pre-history of France, the Roman empire, Gallo-Rome, the emergence of Christianity in Europe as Rome's influence declined, the Visigoths, the Merovingians, Charlemagne or the counts of Toulouse? How much richer would one's experience of southern France be if one had a richer representation of these historical events?

The first photo is rue du Taur, the ancient road out of Toulouse leading to the pilgrimage church of St Sernin. The second is a print from 1642 showing the Bazacle, the mill, and the ford thanks to which Toulouse was founded. (between the two blue spots.)

Nov 4: French Colonial expansion

Another way the French compensated for their humilitating defeat at the hands of Germany --in addition to a religious revival, cultural renaissance (in both art and music), and a renewed interest in educating the young--was to expand their colonial empire.

There was a comforting myth that emerged among the French after 1871. The French were too noble and gallant, and just simply too admirable to win against the souless German combat machine. And from that self-deceit emerged a mission: to bring civilization to the benighted throughout the world.

The first French empire--in North America--had been by Napoleon I's day. Starting over in 1830 (in Algeria) and especially after 1870, the French put down new colonial shoots, in North and West Africa, in South East Asia (Vietnam), and in South America. At the end of the century, the French empire was second only to that of Great Britain.

The 1876 painting  by Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (in Musée des Augustins in Toulouse) represents Mehmet II riding into fallen Constantinople in 1453, another crushing loss for Europe.

June 1: Travelling to France, 2013

  We are departing for France on June 4 for three weeks. The first week we will be in Toulouse; then on June 12, we are flying to Paris, picking up a car and driving to Normandy. We are going to stop at the ruins of Château-Gaillard--the castle built by Richard the Lion-hearted in 1196 and lost to the French by weak King John in 1204--on our way to Giverny , the home of painter Claude Monet from 1883 until his death in 1926. We'll be staying there for two nights to explore Monet's house and his gardens.

  On the 14th of June, we are going to meander across Normandy (stopping to sight see at the Château de Carrouges and, if we have time, a little village, Domfront, which still has most of its old defensive wall) to Mont-St-Michel. We will spend two nights on Mont-St-Michel.

1) Château-Gaillard

2. Monet's garden, today

3. Monet in his garden in 1922

4. Château de Carrouges

5. Domfront

6. Mont St Michel