First World War - Les Eparges

[@gillesguillochon8721]

Dear Steven, I discovered very recently your "from the air" videos. Very impressive, well documented and clearly commented. Thanks to share with us. My grandfather (i'm French) enrolled in October 1914 to get revenge after his oldest brother was killed during the very first fights. He lied on his age and was only 17 years old. He went through several location your drone has flied over. Verdun, le Chemin des dames, la Somme and so forth. He was probably protected by a "good angel" somewhere because he did not experienced any wound during the WW1 and he died at 84 years old. When I was a child and discussing with him about the WW1 he was not talkative, but I remember he told me : "when we were getting out of the trenches, we were expecting to be killed, to survive. was something weird.." Millions of young men loose their life during this slaughter, your videos allows us to remember them (wherever they were from, allied or enemies). Thanks for that. Gilles

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. Thank you for sharing this.

[@gabelopez8337]

Your grandfathers Angel must have been his brother watching over him. R.I.P to all the fallen

[@Tom_Quixote]

@@gabelopez8337 Unfortunately it seems such good angels were in short supply in that war.

[@edouardesk4535]

Thank you for this excellent video and narration. I spent 3 weeks on the field of the Eparges during my conscription in the military engineering in 1983. We camped on the parking near the point X. We were on the spot to clear up the craters. It was very moving to walk this battlefield. It was dangerous too, we always had our gas masks on our belts because we could find shells with mustard gas. We found a lot of dangerous objects. And then, my company found the remains of a German soldier with his identification plate, his riffle, his snuffbox and his wallet. A German family has recovered its ancestor...

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you or sharing this. When you find and identify one of the missing its must be very moving. They all deserve a marked grave.

[@benjako6116]

Thank you for this video. My great-grandfather died on the 18th of february 1915 and is still lying somewhere in the battleground. He died on the second day of the battle, probably during the german counter-attack, as 218 of his comrades. Your video is certainly the most interesting drone video I've seen about Les Eparges. I watched it coincidentally as I plan to take some videos of the battlefield with my drone, and that was a very good one. So I subscribed and will watch your series asap. I wish you well. Ben

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. To walk the ground where a relative fell must be very moving.

[@redtomcat1725]

Thank you !!

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@SanDiegoPsychology]

Mr. Upton, I have learned so much from your videos and seen areas of the Western Front that I will probably never get to visit. Thanks for presenting such wonderful images and making the areas available to me through your work.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@ronaldwhite1730]

Thank - you .

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@samuelpierre828]

Thank you, Sir.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@mrb5491]

Thanks Steven for another very well done video. I live in America and am an avid follower of the First World War and have visited many of the battle sites myself, but having this overhead perspective is fantastic!

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I started filming these sites with a hand-held camera and it was just not the same. Then when you see it form the air it really helps you to understand so much more. Particularly the lie of the land.

[@Racerdew]

Amazing footage, great commentary. As an American who has never seen these sites I look upon your videos with much interest

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@Racerdew]

@@StevenUpton14-18 subscribed! ✔️

[@StevenUpton14-18]

@@Racerdew Thank you.

[@johnwango2488]

Beautifully done Steven! A sad and very interesting war.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@jmaz1971]

Fantastic videos. Thank you very much for sharing. Very interesting indeed.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@tonydoherty5614]

what would be fantastic , if you could drop the drone into one of the craters, thanks mate, great vid.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you watching. I'm always a bit scared when it flys out of sight. But certainly if was at the edge of a crater it would work.

[@redtomcat1725]

Well said and well done ! !

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@mattyBTX23]

This is very well done. Thanks for sharing

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@emmanuellanson3633]

Merci Monsieur. Very well done technically. And very informative as well. Last but notre least I sensed the true respect you have for the fallen men there (as opposed to mere pathos or sordid curiosity). A further reason to congratulate you

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching and your comments. I am a veteran myself, a luck one as I did not face war.

[@billyslittlebigadventurech9050]

excellent video Steven. Very touching. ` We will remember them `

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Are you a member of the British Legion?

[@billyslittlebigadventurech9050]

Hi Steven . No. is there any advantages with being a member ?, and if so, how do i join ? I was talking to a legion member at a biker rally who said that if i send over my details, he would get me a pass into the 70th D Day commemorations at Arromanches. He never replied. i did get to the commemorations, but only allowed in after 6pm.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

I am in the riders branch of the Legion. Visit www.rblr.co.uk - Its with you saying "We will remember them." Just thought you might be a member. You get to ride your bike and raise funds for the Legion to help veterans who need it. Make some great mates as well. Brings back memories with the forces banter etc.

[@billyslittlebigadventurech9050]

Steven Upton ill check out the link later. im off over the calais the first may bank holiday, to look at the atlantic wall as far down as bolougne sur mer and then just over the border in belgium plus fitting in the v1 &2 blockhouses and hitler bunker. We will also pay our respects at the menin gate . 😊

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Nice trip. I am off to New Jersey Friday morning for two weeks, but that's to work.

[@tiondeman]

first of all this is a lovely video keep it up! There is a serie about Maurice Genevoix he was with the 106th that is called 'Ceux de 14' and it al plays at Les Eparges. I think you would love it. :D

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I have one of his books in English about the opening stages of the war in 1914. I would like to find a copy of his book in English about his experiences at Les Eparges.

[@backchat8086]

Excellent

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@MickeyGooner]

You’re a bad influence... You make me want to visit all these locations asap... 😂😉

[@StevenUpton14-18]

I hope you get go visit. Walking the ground is an experience.

[@Thucydides08]

Excellent video footage! Do you have any plans to film areas where the American Expeditionary Force was in combat? I would very much like to see the area where the 32d (American) Infantry Division went into battle at the end of July 1918 and the ground between Roncheres and Fismes. Thanks for your footage and narrative.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

I have visited Belleau wood and American cemetery a couple of times. However, the 1918 Allied offensives is not a period I have turned my attention to yet. Fismes and the Cheman des Dames areas, do interest me. Particularly when the British were there in 1914.

[@RealButcher]

Incredible what happened in that whole aeria. Soooo big and large. Unbelievable.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@totoabicyclette7100]

one interesting thing is that the French, the Brits and the Germans stopped detonating mines around mid-1916 when they figured out that it was no good on the long term, since these gigantic craters where a nightmare to cross with supplies if somehow one side or another managed to push further a few hundred yards.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. On the 7th June 1917 the British set off 19 mines as a prelude to the attack at Messines. I have made three films showing all of the craters.

[@totoabicyclette7100]

@@StevenUpton14-18 you're right. I need to check my dates: was it in 1917 that they stopped detonating mines litteraly every day along the front? Someone said so on a WFA video I should be able to dig out.

[@totoabicyclette7100]

@@StevenUpton14-18 there, I have it: this pause in the detonation of mines was described by Andy Prada during a lecture called 'WW1 Engineering the Loos Salient' that can be found on YT. It begins at 29 minutes. I think I assumed it was the case on the whole front, but it wasn't so, apparently.

[@bret9741]

Those craters on the aircraft black and white recon map were massive. Any idea on the diameter? Also the areas are well kept. How do they keep the grass cut, is there livestock or do people mow? It is a beautiful area today even with all the terrible scars.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. The French regard these places as sacred and go to great lengths to protect them. In some places they graze sheep to keep grass down, whilst in others they cut it.

[@bret9741]

@@StevenUpton14-18 I grew up on a large sheep and cattle ranch. When I saw how rough the areas were I said to myself.... that would not be fun to mow or use a weed eater..... sheep, I’d use grazing sheep. Thank you again for such thoughtful video documentation.

[@nicolasczubak150]

Hello, Very nice video ! Thank you ! I've written with a friend a book about the war on the Eparges Hill between 1914 and 1918. The title is :"Les Eparges - Die Combres-Höhe (1914-1918), Français et Allemands face à face sur les Hauts de Meuse". It can be found easily on the net. Unfortunatly, it is only written in French. Best regards

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I would very muck like a copy in English. Also the book written by Maurice Genevoix on his experiences at Les Esparges in 1915. I have a copy of 'Neath Verdun in English, which is about his experiences in 1914-15.

[@laurentyarp514]

There's a great book about the first offensive against Les Eparges in 1915. It is called "Ceux de 14" an autobiographical account by the great french author Maurice Genevoix. It is imho one of the best book I've ever read about the great war. It is not only about Les Eparges though, since it starts from August 1914. Since Genevoix is a famous author it is possible the book has been translated in English.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I am aware of the book, but not found an English translation yet. I have read his first book which covers 1914 and the opening weeks of the war.

[@laurentyarp514]

@@StevenUpton14-18 Thank you for your videos. They are great memorial documents.

[@rafopderand8524]

I secretly wish you could've been there with your drone in 1919, when the first pilgrims made their way to the Western Front, curious to see where their loved ones fought and died. These first "battlefield tourists" must've gotten a much better and accurate - and far more bewildering - view of it all. By then only the most superficial cleaning up the WW1 battlefields had taken place.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching. I have often had similar thoughts. Imagine filming the entire Western Front in 1919 with a drone!

[@armanzbahrani291]

In my opinion, this spot, along with the Mort Homme and Cote 304 saw the absolute worst of the war. Three of the bloodiest, most savage fighting in all of human history took place on these three hills. The air is still stifled with dark energy; you don't have to be "energy sensitive" to slice through it with a knife.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@elijacobson3896]

Yes never forget.

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for watching.

[@marcbonneau7009]

Superbe and very pedagogical production as usual. May I proposed you all the Ernst Jünger book '' Orages d'acier '' (Steal Storms) book, which is the german testymonies about les Eparges war fights. Wounded several times and one of them the same day as Maurice Genevois was, Ernst Jünger depicts with an extremly real scriptural sens how they, frenchies, germans and americans try to survive the horror of the wild trench fights. The story is a rescribing from 15 of its daily carnets written during the facts. André Gide had written at it's french first edition '' I just can say the Ernst Jünger book is incontestabely the best writtens about World War One I have ever read. Extremly well written, with perfect verasity, descriptions and honesty. ''

[@StevenUpton14-18]

Thank you for this information.