World War I's Battle of Verdun

Popo Agie Flow · Oct 18, 2008

In 1985 I visited the monuments, cemeteries, battle grounds, and other historic Great War sites around Verdun. Each poignant stop spurred my interest in writing about the horrific battle and its devastating results. I want to write nonfiction, but historic fiction might be an option.

So far I've found no real help in libraries or modern book stores. Combing through used book stores' "military" offerings, I've found several stunning books about WWI, but nothing directly related to the February - September 1917 period around Verdun.

I have discovered interesting reports in newspapers of the day.

I will return to Verdun to do more firsthand research, but now that I have time to devote to this work there I fear there are no survivors of the battle around to interview.

Have you seen or read anything that will help me put the battle in perspective? I'd be especially interested in diaries, journals, letters, or other personal or family accounts of soldiers' and civilians' experiences (French, Brittish, German, American, etc.).

Thanks in advance for your replies and information.

Slainte,

Bob

qwerty · Oct 18, 2008

You might find this interesting.

BATTLE OF VERDUN

It has a few extracts from diaries and letters as well as other info.

Inarticulate Babbler · Oct 19, 2008

I've seen two different History Channel shows focused on this battle.

There are some good source materials. I hope some of these books help in your quest for answers.

Popo Agie Flow · Oct 19, 2008

qwerty said:
You might find this interesting.

BATTLE OF VERDUN

It has a few extracts from diaries and letters as well as other info.

Thanks very much, qwerty. I appreciate your time and the link.

Popo Agie Flow · Oct 19, 2008

Inarticulate Babbler said:
I've seen two different History Channel shows focused on this battle.

There are some good source materials. I hope some of these books help in your quest for answers.

Wow. Thank you, IB, for this list. I'm unsure why my searches didn't produce these results. I appreciate your time and the references.

PastMidnight · Oct 22, 2008

Another Great War enthusiast!

For personal accounts, I especially recommend Svetlana Palmer and Sarah Wallis' A War In Words: The First World War in Diaries and Letters. They transpose letters and diaries from both sides of the conflict and all of the fronts/aspects of the war. There's a whole on the Somme and Verdun.

Anther good one for following a single family through the war is Michael Walsh's Brothers in War: One Family’s Ultimate Great War Sacrifice. It's been a while since I read it, so I can't remember where each of the brothers fought, but it's a great book for reading about the general condition of soldiers (what they had, what they didn't, what they wanted, what they didn't, etc.). All letters between five brothers at war and their mother and sisters back at home.

If you haven't already found it, The Long, Long Trail is a good online resource. They have a forum as well for specific questions, although many of the threads are genealogy-related.

waylander · Oct 22, 2008

'Goodbye to All That' Robert Graves autobiography of his time in the trenchs. Does not deal specifically with Verdun, but gives a good overall picture of life in the frontline.

pdr · Oct 22, 2008

And...

of course, the war poets, Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke, Siegfreid Sassoon who still fill me with horror when I reread their poems.

fullbookjacket · Oct 22, 2008

Ah, yes, Wilfred Owen. He wrote amazing poetry about the Great War.

Popular culture is obsessed with World War II, I guess because the good guys and the bad guys are so clear-cut. World War I is more interesting, in my view, because of the colossal stupidity that created that mess. The lessons of unbridled nationalism and subsequent arms races are compelling for modern times. In hindsight, there was no other possible outcome than that of a stupendous bloodletting.

World War I's Battle of Verdun

Popo Agie Flow

stream of consciousness

qwerty

exiled Brit

Inarticulate Babbler

Pissin' Everyone off, 1 at a time

Popo Agie Flow

stream of consciousness

Popo Agie Flow

stream of consciousness

PastMidnight

Oponionated

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

pdr

fullbookjacket