Written by René Piegard Translated by Portia Craig August 17, 1916 Dear papa, In the letter that I wrote to mama, I told her how happy we were to find ourselves all in one piece, after the odds of that happening were so against us, thanks to a piece of metal. Finding ourselves alive seems crazy:…Continue Reading Lettre à papa
Written by Maurice Maréchal Translated by Lydia Gilliam Sunday, September 27, 1914 Oh, it’s long and monotonous and depressing. We’ve been staying in a place for fifteen days already. In 1870, as much as I remember, there were formidable battles where the armies would truly bash into one another with dedication! We talk everyday about…Continue Reading Carnet de guerre de Maurice Maréchal
Written by Paul Perin Translated by Elda Hricko From the start of the attack, the 165th Infantry Regiment was sent to the inferno, the Caures woods, to try to hold back the German divisions moving forward one against ten. Several years after the battle, the soldier Paul Perin relives his traumatic experience of the pounding…Continue Reading Carnet de guerre de Paul Perin
Written by Raoul Pinat Translated by Anna Mykytyn War diary April 22nd, 1917 The dugout collapsed. There are still living soldiers under it. Despite the bombing, I run to search for my pickaxe at the bottom of my pile of clothes and, between two salvos, I run toward the dugout. Lepeule takes a shovel. Hurrying,…Continue Reading Carnet de guerre de Raoul Pinat