Mort Homme & the Most Haunting Memorial of Verdun | History Traveler Episode 315

[@MrSebfrench76]

French guy here. Don't worry about your pronunciation. Because no one else is so passionately working on our own history. This is truly a work of art, and furthermore, the respect and the understanding of what we have been through , diserve our utmost repect, we frenchies. Wheter it's for your serie on Normandy, or this very one, you are a true friend of my country, and i owe you one bier the day you visit my town, Rouen.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Appreciate that!

[@seabirdjim]

It was October 31, 1964 when my family and I visited Verdun and wandered about Mort Homme as evening fell. I was 14 and we were touring Europe in a VW camper. Papa was an artist and getting him to stop at a battlefield took a lot of effort. Visiting the Verdun battlefield meant a great deal to me as it had been a subject I had studied for years by that time in my life. No one else was atop the hill. I recall the grim scenario of the ground all about pockmarked with shell craters from the horrific battle 48 years previously. Steel pigtails that once held barbed wire still protruded from the ground and could be seen out in the darkening forest of oddly stunted trees. I recall the areas off the paths were fenced so as to keep tourists from wandering into zones where live ordnance might still claim a life. The fences had signage sporting a skull and crossbones with the words “danger de morte.” The message was clear. As the light faded that day a wolf man fog crept from the forest and engulfed the hilltop with its grim statue. The fog was only knee deep, but was so dense you literally couldn’t see your feet. Tendrils of fog seemed to reach out from the foggy blanket that was shrouding the hill and reach up for us. We rolled out in the camper before the light totally faded. I’ll never forget that battlefield visit as long as I live.

[@m.h.6499]

What a well written, evocative description. Thanks for sharing that memory. I can see why it’s never left you.

[@roryhennessey1983]

Thank you for sharing that experience. I wonder what the area looks like now, if those signs are still up along with the rest of what you had seen almost sixty years ago

[@davidryan4454]

The standard of work you put out is incredibly high. This Verdun series is THE finest English language series on this battle bar none. And a great, conversational style, not talking at your audience. Your modesty also does you credit. Bravo 👏🏻👏🏻

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Wow. Thank you. I really do appreciate that.

[@geraldblackburn4883]

Agree.

[@cleverusername9369]

Agreed, and well said.

[@Stopcryinguwuss]

That's because he follows jesus.

[@cleverusername9369]

@@Stopcryinguwuss religion has less than nothing to do with his presentation style

[@Valscorn01]

I just want to say, this channels videos are just at such an incredible level. The intro might be one of the most haunting things I've ever seen. It really brings to eye the weight of WWI, and modern wars, into how much they cost us in human life.

[@davidarneman]

The history teacher we all wanted but don't deserve.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

🙂

[@Verdunveteran]

My dad and I was involved in putting up the two crosses: the granite cross to commemorate the fallen German soldiers and the white sandstone cross commemorating the fallen on both sides. It was done in 2006 and 2007 respectively if I remember correct. We were a small group of French, Swedish and Belgian enthusiasts of the Verdun battle who did the job. By the way, the German troops attacking Le Mort-Homme, and Hill 304, attacked from the north, not from the east across the Meuse. Remember that the 5. Armee had established it's frontline on both sides of the Meuse already in the fall of 1914 after the battle of the Marne. So when the battle of Verdun was going on and Falkenheyn finally gave in to Kronprinz Wilhelms and Knobeldorffs demands for attacking on the west side the 5. Armee already had well dug and well prepared positions on the hills north of both Le Mort-Homme and Hill 304 to launch it's attaks from. However the Forge stream and the valley it flows through frpm west to east, in between the German front line to the north and Le Mort-Homme to the south, proved to be difficult to attack across. THere were no element of surprise and the French were well prepared with well manned positions and plenty of artillery in the Forêt de Hesse. So the situation on the west bank was completely different by the time the Germans attacked compared to what it had been in February when the battle begun. Had the offensive begun on both banks on 21 February the Germans would most likely had managed to take both Le Mort-Homme and Hill 304 with realively light casualties. However by the time they actually did attack it was a completely different situation. A situation that cost the Germans dearly in blood!

[@michae8jackson378]

This series reminds us how insane war is. Your word at the end...INSANE! I humbly agree. In my years of service we never had to actually fight. We had the cold war. But my grandpa lost his leg in France, Sep '44. We can never forget, as we remember Veterans Day this weekend. Let us work to erase war. Humans have got to find a better way!

[@markprenger1979]

Totally agree ❤

[@markb.7642]

Your story telling is captivating especially combined with video from the actual sites, I could watch for hours on end. Fantastic work bring us more!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joegranchelli415]

JD is the man! I’ve only discovered him about a month ago and have been going through his videos like a fat kid with a pack of skittles and every time I hear that “Right Now…” it grabs me. Definitely, definitely, one of my favorite channels.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@dennisunglesbee1391]

As an older man with some serious health issues, I want to say thank you for myself and all the others who may not be able to go, to you and Erik for the great videos. You both show a compassionate spirit as you tell the stories of not only the battles, but the human aspects of all those impacted by them. The VFW Post I belong to is named after the action at Molleville Farm, just north of Verdun.

[@timothycantor4488]

That "Hmmmm" when you talked about the French soldier that fought in WWI, and then in the resistance during WWII, only to be taken captive and executed by the Nazis said alot without saying anything. He was in his later years and still wasnt having any. Incredible. Someone wasnt going quietly into the night!

[@sandysue202]

My Uncle Ed served in France during that first World War. I never heard him speak of it. I do have some of his military papers and maybe I can find more thru Ancestry and Fold3. He died way back in 1966, just a few months after he retired from the post office. I sure wish I could talk to him and ask questions about what he saw. This video was a tough one. So many young men died there, along both sides of that river in France. How terribly sad...all those young lives cut short. 😢 thank you for telling this story. Briefly I can almost see their shadows as they make their way through the hills and valleys of a country far from their homeland. Rest in Peace, young warriors, both French and German. ❤

[@ArturBFPV]

There is something unique about your WWI battlefield videos. They are just pleasure to watch. Thanks a lot for taking us there.

[@flogrs]

Two of my ancestors fought there for german side. Both made it through Verdun, both made it through the Battle of the Somme. One of them, Johannes, went missing six weeks before the end of WW1. The other one, Albert, lived until the 1950's. Thank you for this video!

[@honker3282]

I visited all the sites you have covered (except the railway tunnel) in the 1980s. Thanks for reviving the memories ! A truly awe-inspiring and sobering place.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@olivierpuyou3621]

I am French and I have only visited Verdun once, I should point out that I am not easily impressionable. But arriving at the scene of the battle of Verdun other than in full light is quite worrying, this feeling of desolation, this silence, these graves by the thousands, everywhere, this feeling of solitude among the dead. Brrrr that sends shivers down your spine.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Quite the place.

[@Peace2U-ec6es]

JD presents history from 100 years ago in a way that is educational and inspiring, and he does it in a way that is as fresh as a breaking news story- The only difference is that JD does it with truth and accuracy.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@Peace2U-ec6es]

@@TheHistoryUnderground Back at ya brother!

[@mpol12]

Awesome again. Visited the hill few years back. You can still find artifacts (belt, ammo case etc) just litering the ground.

[@nicktrueman224]

Verdun is hell on earth. Thank you for these videos. I am glad interest is being shown by so many viewers! I reenact a French soldier of WW1, one of the more complex uniforms to put together as it changes so much throughout the war with so many variants as well. Stay safe

[@Wreckdiver59]

Definitely one of the best monuments so far 👍 I looked it up online and it must have had a recent cleaning. It looked even more ominous a few years ago

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Probably my favorite monument there.

[@jetsons101]

JD, I'm not sure why but this vid took back to your Gettysburg series, It's like the whole area is Hallowed Ground --- so much death over such a large area. Your videos are outstanding. Thanks for your time, work and posting.....

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

🙏🏼

[@cdd4248]

I have such a difficult time grasping the devastation that occurred at Verdun. I am so very grateful that I can't grasp it; and this is testimony to my freedom and living in peace as a result of their sacrifices.

[@RakkasanRakkasan]

From having spoke in my youth to actual wwi veterans American, British, French, and German. WW1 was madness HEAPED on madness. The stories the men told are horrifying and sad. Being former army and having served in the infantry there is no way I could have imagined doing those battles. The only and true victory was simply surviving the war. The most remarkable thing was those men coming home returning to work having families and living life. That's heart of iron and wills of steel they are and will always be Supermen.

[@olivierpuyou3621]

You know, my great-grandfathers fought in the 14th World War, none of whom returned without terrible after-effects. I especially remember my paternal great-grandfather who 50 years later could not have a quiet night, sleepwalking, he took his hunting rifle, jumped out of the first floor window and called his friends who had been dead for 50 years to alert them to the arrival of the Germans. (Attention les gars, les boches arrivent. Aux armes) I don't think many of them returned without a lot of trauma, both physical and psychological.

[@RakkasanRakkasan]

@@olivierpuyou3621 I cannot imagine what that man saw or endured just one word can summarize it VERDUN.

[@cyndiebill6631]

This series has been amazing. I’m learning a lot and enjoying it. The places you’ve taken us to were never talked about in history class. I know the main battlefields are important but so are these places too. 👍🙂

[@GlasgowCeltic88]

JD, your French is improving... somewhat... as your Verdun series goes on. Being an avent reader of all things History it's fascinating to watch your History Traveller episodes and learn MORE about WWI/WWII/Civil War than I EVER did back in high school reading it from a textbook or watching a video from the 1970s.

[@terryroths4254]

😢 keep on with this style of historical unearthing!. This was never, ever, talked about in school. I'm mortified, and speechless. Great work.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@mikemercer5808]

I am really loving this Verdun series. I have studied more WW2 history, so I am learning a great deal more than I ever have about WW1. Thank you!

[@mgway4661]

I’m so glad you’re doing this series. This battle is one of a handful that has always baffled me for its brutality and horror. Other honorable mentions being the Somme and Stalingrad which are pretty well covered. Thank you for doing such detailed work

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@GhostofSicklesleg]

As always, I am loving the series and content! Thanks again JD

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@stephenrrose]

Well Done JD, Well Done! "They did not Pass." Wow, and what a cost of life! Thank you for keeping History Alive! Love your videos!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@billburke1169]

I've never been that interested in WW1, more of a WW2 guy. But your series has gotten my attention. Great work.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Awesome! Glad to hear it! 👊🏻

[@Ryanboy2020]

J.D., I agree. The monument on top of Morte Homme is one of the best monuments I have seen for a war monument. I cant believe it survived the German occupation of France during WWII. Great job. Keep em coming. P.S. Nice buck! 👍

[@MrSebfrench76]

German occupation forces were rather respectful regarding the WW1 memorials here, since they lost some very serious quantity of men .

[@cleverusername9369]

I tell you what, Ken Burns better watch out, JD Huitt is gunning for his spot as America's finest documentarian

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Ha! Appreciate that but I’m just a monkey with a camera. Glad that people are enjoying the channel though.

[@TribeTaz]

I agree. Ken Burns better watch out. LOVE this series

[@randystolz]

I read "All Quiet on the Western Front" in the eighth grade and "Red Badge of Courage" a year later. They changed how I thought about war. I always appreciate you showing us the ground, JD. Ty🤓🤓

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@SMTraz]

I wish I could like this video and your entire Verdun series 1,000 times. I've thought about it for a while, finally going to sign up for your Patreon account. You deserve support!

[@larryburwell8550]

Great video JD, your a walking history lesson for all of us who cant make these journeys and i appreciate it royally. thank you. great video, Larry

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

🙏🏼

[@terryrogers1025]

Thank you for the video, I can tell you have done your home work on this series, and I appreciate the effort you put forth. We must never forget the past, for if we do, we are doomed to repeat it.

[@chrisj9904]

Great tour, thank you!

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gloriasmestad3803]

Is this area part of the Red Zone ? I have heard that even now there are volunteers and some French military who work every summer to “demine” in this area. Some parts are so dangerous to this day they are off limits and I recall hearing it will take many years before the Red Zone will be cleared of unexplored ordinance. If you can enlighten me further, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

[@Jblaze8284]

I really enjoy your videos ,the amount of detail you go into is amazing.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thank you very much!

[@edthered1971]

Love the intro music 👏👏really adds to the eposide, in fact the music in all the episodes is awesome JD, keep up the Brillant work, love the channel

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks a ton!

[@jimcronin2043]

Another well-done episode in a excellent and greatly needed series.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Much appreciated. Hope that people are sharing it out.

[@ymcavalier3555]

Weekend double drop, fantastic

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@SheenaStandring-qd4kr]

I was there about 20 years ago, what was so creepy was the absolute silence, no birdsong at all

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Quite the place.

[@not_genghis]

Love your videos! Thank you for posting 👍

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Thanks for watching!

[@andrewvanveen1804]

I have been to Verdun - and got much more about it from your great videos! I know Ihar I am going to see when I get back.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@sscinamon]

Great video. So sad. Thanks for the good work

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@rgerca1593]

I agree. Great monument. First time I saw it i was 13 y old. Shivers down the spine. Natzweiller Struthof is worth a visit btw.

[@rodeastell3615]

Great video ... thanks for posting.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@arielcabalin2746]

As always. An amazing video !! Thank you so much for your extraordinary work !

[@WestfaliaStuff]

My grandfather took me to Verdun many times (we were living in Saarbruecken, close to the French border). His father was fighting on the 'Toter Mann', and - that might sound a bit cheesy - but one could feel the horror and the bloodshed that happened there 60 years earlier. The vegetation nowadays has grown back, but back then - more than 60 years after WW1, it was still the bare reddish soil and really it's unbelievable how this resembled a a different planet rather than Earth. Crater next to crater and faint traces of trenches. Walking there, you could just bend down and pick up fragments of grenades literally everywhere. Nothing has shaped my view of armed conflict as much as these visits. War is a crime.

[@wattana62]

The story of hill 304 is madness too. The hill lost 7m in heights between the beginning and the end of the battle of Verdun ; it was war on the surface but also inside the hill with tunnels (mines, gaz attacks, etc...)

[@SoCal780]

I agree completely. This one was interesting AND intense.

[@greggriffin1]

Always great vids, with so much history taught from them.Thank you

[@pauldouglas3084]

Really enjoyed the video mate can't wait for the next one

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@camdodge9891]

JD incredible video this series is just amazing I’m absolutely enjoying thank you JD

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@paulmccusker4305]

Great stories on Verdun JD, I hope to visit there next year so thanks for the info gives me more ideas what I want to visit 👍

[@huibertlandzaat1889]

Very good video. Thank you for uploading

[@MrWhitelightning73]

Outstanding as always

[@Bullrider33Outdoors]

Wasn't WW1 Where Lord Of The Rings Author Wrote Lord Of The Rings And When J.D Quote You Shall Not Pass Was Gandalf Telling The Balrog You Shall Not Pass

[@evanmyers100]

JD thought I would share that Robert Sink grew up in my home town of Lexington NC. Yesterday on Veterans Day the State put up a sign in honor of his service. After he retired he came back to Lexington until he died in 1965.

[@swgeek4310]

I actually stumbled upon this location last night while looking at the trench of boyonnets website which led me to this location. If I remember right the hill was bombed so much it decreased in height by 300 feet.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Crazy.

[@fm192429]

At 5:06 the inscription on the top indicates: Here the marching regiment of the foreign legion took over Cumières on 20th August 1917 "Glory to his heroes".

[@glenwitteman2585]

69,000. It baffles comprehension. Also, I have wondered if the Germans passing through in WWII were respectful of the French monuments. This series just gets more informative and moving. Yeah, sure. The War to end all wars. Thanks, JD. Top notch.

[@Nighthawk1966]

Awesome series !!!!

[@drmarkintexas-400]

Thank you for sharing 🏆🇺🇲🤗🙏

[@cjsdad93]

When you're in the areas where the fighting happened and there were so many 12:20 deaths, do you not feel the sprits of the dead or anything like that ?

[@beaudilecaliste6545]

Mmm... No, because there is no such thing as "the spirit of the dead"; whatever that's supposed to mean.

[@pmccoy8924]

Interesting series on Verdun. Are you planning on any AEF battles sites like St. Mihiel or Meuse-Argonne in the series?

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Not now but definitely in the future.

[@beckiskiss]

My Uncle died in WW2 in France. So you have my full attention. Last name O'neil

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@MrSebfrench76]

From France with my great respect.

[@didierlacroix6488]

to this day there are still 380000 French soldiers missing in action. every year some of them re appear on various locations of the western front. One in ten can be identified... they are all re buried with full military honors.

[@erikroelinkcitizen2302]

In the last 4 years i have been there several time now. Its really impressive. Like you say most monuments that is really talking. Just walking alone in those woods (that there were non in the war imagination of that is crazy) is a feeling that 😮 304 is the same

[@mibamoeba]

Natzweiler - Struthof was a concentration camp located in the French Elzas. It was also a ‘Nacht und Nebel’ location for political prisoners and members of the resistance sentenced to disappear without a trace.

[@oldtanker4860]

Another question is how many unexploded shells are beneath the ground there.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Yep.

[@peterkruse788]

I skip football when your notice comes up 😅

[@yanzhao7298]

I wait in anticipation for the next episode!

[@Thoosken1386]

Have you ever read the book 'Poilu' by Louis Barthas? he was a Corporal for the entire war and was also stationed at hill 304 for some time. He hated his officers more then the Germans soldiers opposing him. It's a really fascinating journal.

[@-jk-2580]

Been there. Truly grim and haunting place. Wasn’t able to visit the Hill 304.

[@vincentsalas2323]

Many thanks for your video. It is always breathtaking to see those places!... No worries your pronunciation is much better than most of my American friends 😅. Ils n'ont pas passé!

[@garyhowell8607]

The numbers of dead ….. are just staggering

[@KRM02]

Love it brother

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👊🏻

[@chrismartin1761]

Strutthof camp is up on the north polish coast near Gdańsk . Worth a visit and free entry .

[@Chiller11]

Harrowing account of the intransigent French resistance and the frightening cost to the French and Germans. WW1 history tends to be deemphasized in favour of WW2 in this part of the world. What WW1 history we are exposed to is heavily anglicized. It’s important to realize that France suffered twice the number of deaths per capita (4.3%) as Great Britain (2.2%).

[@wdchamp2389]

That statue looks like it was used for the inspiration for the villain in Stranger Things.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

It does.

[@terryeustice5399]

JD there were so many of these tragic stories in WW1 Mort Homme one of the worst. But held. Amazing story. 💯👍

[@eckispassion573]

Great Video. I was expecting that you show us the (closed) entrance of the „Kronprinz“- tunnel, which is located ca. 50 mtrs behind the memorial. The tunnel leads several km‘s eastbound. The experts are knowing where some side entrances are and how to get in, but its life dangerous and strictly not prohibeted. . The tunnel allowed the germans to bring soldiers and equipment into the first trench - relatively safe. You can read more about it in wikipedia. Greetings from 🇩🇪

[@andrewhumphries4029]

Hill 304 was taken by the Germans on 6th May. Morte Homme was taken on 24th May. Both hills were retaken by the French in August. In between the battle raged to and fro and was considered to be a no-mans-land zone. It is said 12m of the soil was lost to the continuous bombardment from each side.

[@corychecketts]

WW1 monuments have a darker feeling than those of WW2. Maybe it’s the art and style of the time but there’s something more horrific about them.

[@dbach1025]

I think when i compare terrain damage from the US Civil War, which was devastating in some areas more than others, to the Great War, it really puts into perspective how terrible it was. When you look at the Western Front, nothing compares. Obviously technology made artillery more devastating and precise, but i cant help but think of the endless, continuous barages. How did anyone survive when the terrain was completely overturned like it was tilled?

[@simonsmith1974]

For our todays, thousands of men gave their tommorows. Lest we forget. Lets all take the freedom that we have and actually use it wisely and for the benefit of ALL mankind.

[@lonnyjohnson2061]

A videographer on another channel said as many as 1000 shells per square yard of the battlefield may have been expended by the French and German artillery.

[@stanboyd5820]

The monument at Cumiers also shows the place was retaken by the French Foreign Legion on 20 August 1917.

[@denniscahill9683]

Not "decimated" -- that has a specific meaning. And was used during the Mutiny of 1917.

[@francesco245]

Maybe find a dictionary, open it, and learn that words can have several different meanings (🤯) instead of lecturing those who know better than you.

[@denniscahill9683]

"Decimated" as meaning "heavy casualties" is simply wrong militarily. It means "killing one out of ten" (deci is the Latin prefix for ten) and regiments were decimated -- by military directive -- after the Mutinies in 1917. What is usually meant by the coloquial use of "decimated" is much worse casualties. Don't ASSUME I don't/haven't used a dictionary.@@francesco245

[@mehullad2383]

Love the videos, just one question. It has been over a century since the war and the hill seems largely left to the wild, so why are the craters still present? Why hasn't nature been able to fill them or level them either through soil formation or erosion or sedimentation etc

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

The damage was that violent that the evidence still remains after 100 years.

[@beaudilecaliste6545]

Fill them with what? The craters aren't magically going to disappear in a mere hundred years! A hundred years is the blink of an eye for nature. The only thing (other than human intervention) that could hide the shell holes is the growth of vegetation; but if vegetation is cut regularly, or if it doesn't even grow naturally in the first place, of course we're still gonna see the scars left by the war.

[@DonnalPorterfield]

I was there in the 60s you could see the bayonets sticking out of ground

[@geraldblackburn4883]

Le Muesse ? looked that up on the Map, hope I remembered how to spell it correctly, in town referred to as a canal, the Branche du Nord ? The River ?

[@Cyrille1536]

Meuse river

[@PascaLM_]

Have you visited the sites of the "war of mines", _Les Eparges_ or _Vauquois_ ?

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

Not yet.

[@PascaLM_]

I visited the site of Les Eparges, a village close to a hill from where you can see the plain of the Woëvre at the east of Verdun. The road that leads to the point of view twists and turns around huge craters created by the mines explosions. Very impressive.

[@renemartiny8681]

Bonjour, You have the same réflexion like me : this statue is incredible and when i see it in réalité, i’m with no voice…😢

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

👍🏻

[@johnlazlo1908]

I have my grandmother's cousin killed in France Perple Hart 1944 . Is there a website I can find out which battle where he passed? He was only enlisted a few month in France when he was killed.

[@TheHistoryUnderground]

I would recommend reaching out to Footsteps Researchers.

[@ianpattison841]

Thank you, went to the Verdun battlefield quite a few years ago to the more famous sites, very sobering

[@VeroniquePerren]

trés bien la vidéo

[@jamestakacs]

Thank you for yet another terrific program. Question, as you know next June 6 2024 is the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Do you plan on being there? I would say this will be the last D-Day Anniversary where we can see folks who were there. Kind of sad if you think about it. Might be the last milestone anniversary. Very sad indeed. Thank you