Monday, March 5, 2012

World War I trenches in color


German troops on the Western Front.

Via Retronaut. Lots more at the link.

7 comments:

Irish said...

Good afternoon,

I had read about them uncovering one in France recently.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099187/Bodies-21-German-soldiers-buried-alive-WW1-trench-perfectly-preserved-94-years-later.html

ProudHillbilly said...

Very cool! Color has been available for much longer than we've used it because it was so expensive. It is so nice to see history in a color other than sepia.

MizuBob said...

Very cool indeed. Looks like a photo op pic.
"Don't you worry none you folks at home, the boys are just fine..(in that godforsaken He** called the western front)."
Looks awful tidy doesn't it?

NotClauswitz said...

Saw a bit on Rick Steves' travel show about visiting the Julian Alps in Slovenia, gorgeous scenery as beautiful as any in Europe, but the Soča Front in northern Dalmatia during the Italian Campaign had over a million casualties... Notice the Austrian Uniforms? From the Dolomites in the south-west to the Julian Alps, the site of some horrific high-alpine battles where trenches were chipped out of ice and soldiers died from avalanche and frostbite as often as from bullets. Where Shellfire in the rocky terrain caused 70% more casualties per rounds expended than on the soft ground in Belgium and France. Some twelve-thousand Russian POW's died building a road over the freezing Vršič Pass, are buried in a grave-yard at Trenta.
When you get up in those mountains you can see a lot of old-old brick fortifications still in place, they're too difficult to remove.

Chas S. Clifton said...

It is my impression that the Germans on the Western Front built stronger and more comfy trenches, dugouts, etc. because they expected to stay there, whereas the British were under the illusion of the Big Offensive that was to come, and so suffered in more haphazard living arrangements.

Stretch said...

That was my Grandfather's war.
Seems strange as I've only seen B&W photos of him.
He was gassed in 1918.
The German's do seem to have very nice trenches. But then again they ARE Germans.

45er said...

I love seeing old color photographs. It makes it more real. On the other hand, it seems funny that war is drab and dark even in color.