1 hour ago
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As idiosyncratic who derives a batch of fulfillment from learning history, it's seldom that I spot a past treatment I don't instrumentality a infinitesimal to larn from. So, erstwhile I saw this post connected Reddit's WWI forum wherever idiosyncratic Sudden-Round6862 asked, "What are immoderate lesser-known facts of the regular lives of soldiers successful the trenches during World War I?" I wanted to spot what radical had to say.
A akin post from idiosyncratic WriterReborn2 asking, "What's your favourite weird/obscure information astir the war?" besides caught my eye, truthful I thought I would stock people's answers to some posts:
1. "Romania entered the warfare twice. The archetypal clip was successful August 1916, aft they faced governmental unit from the Entente Powers, and past marched into Transylvania (then occupied by Austria-Hungary) astir immediately. Later successful 1917, aft Russia backed out of the warfare owed to the October Revolution, Romania was surrounded by enemies connected each sides and forced into a treaty with the Central Powers."
2. "The original sanction for tanks was 'landships,' but they had to beryllium secretive astir them erstwhile they were archetypal invented, truthful they said they were 'water tanks' successful bid to support the accusation secret. The sanction stuck, and we inactive telephone them 'tanks' today, adjacent though that was conscionable the archetypal screen story."
3. "The French sanction for their soldiers (Poilus) was virtually conscionable 'Hairy Ones' due to the fact that of however unkempt they were."
4. "The crushed wherefore soldiers successful WWI were clean-shaven was for gas masks. The inclination was purely practical, but the signifier continued and became fashionable successful postwar life. The subject inactive practices shaving for this reason, adjacent though modern state masks volition inactive enactment adjacent with a beard."
6. "Soldiers didn't walk each their clip successful the frontline trenches. They were rotated to rear areas. Admittedly, they often had to signifier moving parties to excavation trenches and laic barbed ligament obstacles."
8. "In the aboriginal months of the war, determination was an unofficial Christmas truce betwixt the German and British soldiers."
10. "There was a benignant of bombardment called drumroll artillery (or telephone it a phenomenon). I don't cognize however galore radical person heard of that term. Imagine a drumroll, however accelerated the cadence is. Then representation each onslaught of the drum being a 77mm oregon 105mm. I haven't seen a WWI movie that captures this... Everyone ever talks astir the artillery being the biggest slayer successful WWI, but I can't adjacent fathom what it would beryllium similar to beryllium getting shelled for hours oregon adjacent days astatine the cadence of a drumroll. It's nary wonderment truthful galore radical snapped."
11. "In spite of the horrors going around, the astir fashionable taxable of conversation, by far, was gossip astir different soldiers of their trench. At slightest that's what Ernst Jünger said."
12. "What comes crossed successful narratives from the struggle is the randomness of death. A stray shell, a fortunate sniper shot, carelessness successful handling the multitude of implements of decease successful your mundane routines. The Allies had a word for it (presumably the Germans did too). They called it 'wastage' — the dependable attrition of combat spot by formations conscionable hanging retired astatine the front."
13. "The flies you would spot connected the decomposing bodies of some your comrades and enemies would beryllium landing connected you, and your food, and your belongings. That, and the rats that would beryllium everywhere."
14. "I spoke to a WWI vet and asked him what the worst happening was astir beingness successful the trenches, and helium said the lice. You couldn't flight from them. Itching, crawling, and biting. Day and night."
15. "If you fell disconnected the way of duck boards oregon planks that were utilized to navigate down the trenches, the mud successful immoderate areas was truthful heavy and heavy that you would beryllium trapped and apt to drown successful it if your friends were incapable to save you successful time."
16. And finally: "For the immense bulk of the survivors of the war, thing whatsoever happened astir of the time. They were waiting and doing regular routines. Maybe talking astir the feline who caught a random ammunition past week, oregon a newbie sticking up his caput erstwhile told not to. Then determination were places similar Fort Douaumont adjacent Verdun, wherever hundreds of thousands died connected a beforehand agelong of astir a mile. A nutrient grinder, with trains delivering men and artillery shells perpetually for implicit a year."
If you consciousness similar sharing immoderate facts of your own, consciousness escaped to permission a comment. Or, if you prefer, you tin constitute successful to the anonymous signifier below.
Please note: immoderate comments person been edited for magnitude and/or clarity.
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