And the trench foot. ;)

Did you know that for a short time the troops were given whale oil to put on their feet. The intent was to isolate the foot from the water outside the foot. Unfortunately, the problem is also the water inside the foot or on the surface. Putting oil on the feet prevented the sweat from evaporating actually making the problem worse.

Oops. Medical science at its best.

I did not know that. :hmmm: Good thing we learn from our mistakes. :DL


The older I get the more I realize the importance of WWI. When I was younger I sort of looked down my nose at the technology available at the time. After all, nothing that flew then could beat the sleek lines of a WWII warbird on any side. WWI was archaic in comparison. The result of this being, of course, that I overlooked a crucial turning point in history. :rolleyes:

Very interesting, especially the part about the pilot of that airship.

Anyone else who might be as curious as I am on this subject should check more on YouTube. They've got literally hundreds of videos about the Great War, pertaining to all kinds of different subjects. Just to throw a few out there:


Kaiser Wilhelm II - "An Das Deutsche Volk!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9yf6rlHnPs


Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg - "Dankrede an die Soldaten der 8. Armee nach der Schlacht von Tannenberg"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYzPi...eature=related


Skagerak (The Battle of Jutland)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUmQIjxuHqU


"The Hell of Verdun"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKxhE9eY2uA


And some videos centered around footage compilations:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkxEyGLjwc4 (this has some of the rarest clips I've ever seen before, including some aerial footage)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d8g3...eature=related (color footage)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJEaU...eature=related (also in color)

And the influenza, mud and dirt and blood.

World War One in Colour was a very good series with film footage digitally coloured.

available from amazon.co.uk for a snip

http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-War-Co.../dp/B0000BXBX8

WWI was one of the main causes of WWII. Hitler's experiences in the trenches and after the war were what drove him into politics in the first place. The Treaty of Versailles was what pushed the majority of the German people to support him in reversing the conditions that were imposed on Germany.:know:

And the gobs of lice and fleas, and hordes of rats.
You are correct, sir.

Good program on the Kaiser I found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTRfVggJsxA

Can't understand much of it since I am not fluent in German, but it's got some good video clips and pictures of him.

WWI was truly a world war.

South America, North America, Southern/Central Africa, Europe, Asia, Pacifica Pretty much the entire world was involved in the First World War.

I am sure there are many people who thought the First World War was fought in only Europe. :nope:

Does anyone else remember a PBS series "Between the Wars"? That was a great show. :yep:

http://photo.goodreads.com/books/118...4l/1677592.jpg

Very good book for those interested. I have it in Swedish, but I suppose it's just as good in English. Takes up the entire war, not just the Western front. Everything really, from the Sea battles to the development of airwarfare. Admittedly, I believe it contains somewhat more information about the Western front than any other area, but I can't really see anything strange in that...

I think the worst piece of information I've ever heard regarding this war was some statistics about the Battle of the Somme. Apparently, comparing the British losses to the amount of ground they gained during those 6 months, you'll see that the British army lost two men for every centimeter ground they conquered. That. is. Insane!:o:stare:

The Battle of the Somme was pretty ironic. The main reason for the offensive was to relieve pressure from the French army at Verdun, but by the end of the battle, Allied casualties on the Somme exceeded even the massive Allied casualties at Verdun. Also, many of the positions taken during 4 or so months of the Battle of the Somme were lost within days to the German Spring Offensive in 1918.

I was at Ypres last year too, though unfortunately only for half a day or so. Need to get back there at some point.

World War I is one of my 'favourite' wars, perhaps due to how overlooked it is compared to World War II, or maybe because of how influential it was to the development of modern warfare and history.

Aye, that one. :DL