The Truth behind the Trench of the Bayonets (Verdun Battlefield)
May 14, 2024
13,397
610
29
4.77%
Search the Record
IndexedEvery word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
Stories of the Great War Episodes Around May 14, 2024
See what was published immediately before and after this episode.
10:46Now PlayingThe Truth behind the Trench of the Bayonets (Verdun Battlefield)
YouTube Description
as posted by the channelSupport Stories of the Great War on Patreon
In June 1916, this entrenched position was a part of Fort Douaumont, which the Germans desperately wanted to take. On June 12, Germans unleashed a hailstorm of iron and lead upon French positions. The attack caught the French by surprise.
The 137th Regiment of French infantry was annihilated almost to the last man. Years after the war, French teams exploring the battlefield uncovered the first clues of the horrific fate of this regiment. One of the trenches was discovered completely filled in, with only a neat line of bayonets sticking out of the ground. The bayonets were still fixed to their rifles. A body was found next to each one. Under relentless bombardment, the soldiers had been effectively buried standing up, perhaps even while they were still alive...or at least that's the story that was told.
The truth is a little different.
#history #ww1
Links & Promotions
Guests & Subjects Covered
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.