Shell Shock - The Psychological Scars of World War 1 I THE GREAT WAR Special

[@TheGreatWar]

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[@shantishan1172]

XD

[@jamescepe7506]

Still operating

[@Benny.13]

I believe it was inhaling all the chemicals and fumes of bombs and gunfire.Alot of gasses were also unknowingly by the enemy used to do neurological damage mixed with the emotional trauma of war this is your result .

[@baroose67]

There is new evidence now that the amount of concussion persistent over the career of artillery troops can cause symptoms very close to PTSD and some thought is given to that it may cause chronic encephalitis. So both psychological and physical trauma exasperates each other.

[@1969JohnnyM]

You cant help but feel extreme pity and sadness for these poor people.

[@TheGreatWar]

Yeah, it's so unbelievable what they have been through.

[@jonathanoxlade4252]

yea well when you go to war one you seen combat throw your life away because after it you might aswel put a bullet in your head how can you live after going through that

[@grahamlane131]

agreed. a difficult topic highlighted in this episode. full kudos to all on the great war for their endeavours.

[@slopcrusher3482]

John Maddin yeah, they remind me of people with dimentia or some major mental illness, just stairing off with nothing going on in their brain, staggering around like zombies it's very sad how most of these soldiers were just moved aside as not an illness

[@pieterjanwillems5149]

slopcrusher look up on youtube: shell shock. Horrible

[@factorscrinium]

'A generation of men who, even though they may have escaped its shells, were destroyed by war.' Erich Maria Remarque.

[@thatoneradicalizedprussian225]

All quiet on the Western front

[@petlahk4119]

This needs to be the top comment, not the person who is being disrespectful to victims of Shell Shock and people who care alike.

[@nickb2208]

Don't forget the women and children and families who's lives were destroyed or forever ruined and the casualties of war.

[@shadowthrunight5911]

"But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me. I thought of your hand grenades, of your bayonet, of your rifle; now I see your wife and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, comrade. We always see it too late. Why do they never tell us that you are poor devils like us, that your mothers are just as anxious as ours, and that we have the same fear of death, and the same dying and the same agony - Forgive me, comrade; how could you be my enemy?" This could be applied to modern times, with all the Trumps, Erdogans and Putins in this world who sow hatred

[@julz3tt3]

Hence known as the "Lost Generation"... 😢😢😢😢

[@juanaltredo2974]

war is always hell but the first world war was a truly very special and extreme kind of hell, I dont think europe ever recovered from the sheer horror of that war. I mean it basically lost a generation

[@Zer0thehero117]

Generations of men were lost in world war 1 and 2

[@juanaltredo2974]

NestR flores agreed, but WW I left a trauma that don't even allows for the usual macho, heroe talk you had in the second WW. It was a silent pact to not talk about it because it was too horrible to discuss. Think about how many WW II comedies were produced so soon after the war, humans still could laugh at the horror, but not many comedies were made about the first one, because the horror still was lingering, like the gas, too present to laugh at them.

[@juanaltredo2974]

***** but thsts because while theres a war going the public rarely gets a fair assessment of the brutality and cruelty of it, only when its finished people can make fair judgements and understand the hell of it all

[@mitchellcasetta3655]

juan altredo that's why the vets and people that died are called the lost generation

[@fxzero666]

That's why they're called the Lost Generation, unlike WWII veterans who are called the Golden Generation.

[@PalmettoNDN]

My great-grandfather spent most of the rest of his life after WW1 at the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum. He suffered from shell shock after being knocked unconscious during a wave and waking in a crater with rotten corpses and being stuck there for weeks. Snipers kept him from getting out. Eventually he got back by following a German wave into the American trenches and almost died doing it. As a Native American, he did this all for a country that refused to see him as a citizen.

[@doreenperrault8301]

Thank you for the comment. It was very interesting to read

[@joergmaass]

Poor guy! War is terrible!

[@PlatinumIrishrose]

I am sorry. 😢❤

[@EPFForsyth]

I am a combat wounded US veteran with 5 years and 4 months of actual trigger time. You would not believe what happened to my unit the first time we actually got shelled. It broke men, it made some defecate in their pants, most of us just peed on ourselves a bit, and some just hid the anxiety and developed serious emotional outburst issues later. During training we were never shelled, but the Iraq army had rockets, and a smooth bore artillery that actually out preformed ours in sheer distance. Having to clean up someone you have known and trained with for years and there is only about 10 pounds flesh, bone, and goo left of them is a very difficult thing to come to grips with, as it may be you next... Anyone who starts a war should have to have someone they love on the front lines...

[@sashahamilton9550]

wow, this is heartbreaking. I hope you're doing better

[@b-retrogamer2324]

Why would you sign up for military? You can’t change anything

[@Ditka-89]

Thank you for your service

[@Deathstock]

Did you end up finding those WMDs?

[@mkul7ra_xx]

@@Ditka-89

[@michaelthompson3284]

I, of course, cannot speak for everyone but, as someone that has been treated in a hospital for PTSD, I have to say that the German method actually sounds kind of nice. Being given a job in a community amongst others who are coming from the same place and being given military-style orders (which for me at the time was what I was most comfortable with in regards to any form of guidance so it would not be unreasonable that German soldiers in 1916 may feel the same way) seems like at least a good starting point to work from.

[@Raygun222]

I agree.

[@IIIIIIII]

agreed. when you think about it, the method makes a lot of sense.

[@mjinnh2112]

I thought it sounded like the best treatment too. Beekeeping...

[@Raygun222]

It used to frighten me, but not anymore, because I have seen that pic everyday. Something way scarier is Black Dahlia or the jawless WW1 guy.

[@erikaitsumi7198]

Michael Thompson yea that treatment sounds relatively nice since they dont get treated wierdly or given electric shock but instead get to live in their little community

[@Brandon210-q4n]

I think the reason for officers having a higher rate of contracting shell shock or another disorder was because of the added responsibility of being a leader. They're seeing men they lead shredded by machine guns or blown apart by a shell, and just can't hack it.

[@anthonydeluca6966]

Brandon Korner Obviously

[@rubenschreuder5196]

low rank officers where the fits one to get out of the trench so they dy a lot faster

[@VT-mw2zb]

Or they just survived more often.

[@obiwaankenobi4460]

They feel as if the deaths are their fault. They think they ordered men to their deaths.

[@davewolfy2906]

Officers did not have the same camaraderie and mutual support that the ranks had, they had an aloof and relatively solitary position of authority. They also had a hideous mortality rate.

[@diegolavera6508]

Watching those soldiers trying there best to walk and do normal everyday tasks brings tears to my eyes, truly depressing

[@miepmaster25]

Ok

[@tannerthepanman9202]

@@miepmaster25 okay

[@swirlffle8323]

Wth why are these recent

[@speedy4205]

Ok

[@sickeningmisfit9898]

What’s even more sad about it is that these were young men even teenagers going through all of that.

[@lordred4116]

My mum worked in a mental hospital in the 1950s. She said there were dozens of older men with shell shock, who had been locked away by the government because they were considered an embarrassment.

[@u-shanks4915]

The government officials should be hanged for that

[@SandfordSmythe]

To be truthful, probably their families didn't want them.

[@mattstrathis4328]

​@@SandfordSmythe Thats BS

[@Nunya58294]

​@@SandfordSmythe idiot

[@Jo_Wardy]

That's fucked up. Get those fuckers in government to go to war and tell us how they feel

[@StoryTimeZE]

Watching footage of shell shock victims is like watching a horror movie but worse. From the dead eyes, stiff walk, and poor treatment from doctors, it’s horrific to think that this happened to hundreds of thousands of troops during the war, and millions of troops after

[@Jo_Wardy]

And many men were ruined and never came back. They were still at war till they died.

[@RRRoyalGames]

Poor soldiers.

[@raygiordano1045]

+Spiniosa They are the primary victims of war and even peace. I think of Orwell's "Animal Farm." As soon as their soldier was no longer needed, he was liquidated. Or Kipling. "For it's, 'Tommy this and Tommy that!' And, 'chuck 'im out, the brute. But it's, 'saviour of 'is country,' when the guns begin to shoot."

[@supersev2001]

as my great great grandfather said about ww1 I would rather die then let austria Hungary lose the irony is he survived all 4 years

[@supersev2001]

as my great great grandfather said about ww1 I would rather die then let austria Hungary lose the irony is he survived all 4 years

[@bobbyamerican1979]

+supersev2001 which country did he fight for in WW1?

[@RRRoyalGames]

Aus-Hun?

[@TheColonelMargotic]

The german thing with work might actually was a good solution. You see my dad is a Veteran who has PTSD he was wounded and came back home the first thing he done was build a huge farm even though he had a pension when i got a bit older i asked him why he did that he answerd me "Son if i didnt have anything to do i would kill myself"

[@julz3tt3]

The Europeans were much more progressive in their treatment of these poor men, aside from the UK that is.

[@Ale-mv3gr]

I was thinking the same, give a man a clear purpose in life and he will find the will to overcome most obstacles.

[@peculiarlittleman5303]

@@Ale-mv3gr That's very similar to what Victor Frankl wrote, "Give someone a Why and they will find the How."

[@peculiarlittleman5303]

I should have given him the attribution. Ooops! My only contribution was the caps. :(

[@superme63]

I don't have PTSD, or any other illness from war. I have severe, chronic, and debilitating depression and suicidal ideations. People who know that of me, always question how I manage to do the day-to-day tasks of life...and I give them a very padded version of what your dad said to you. I do it to make it to tomorrow.

[@johnbrewington2539]

Ernst Junger in "storm of steel" describes surviving an artillery barrage as like being a man blindfolded and tied securely to a post, while another man swings a heavy hammer at your head. You can hear him wind up and swing, and then Crack! it hits the post instead. I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting an authentic German perspective of the war on the western front.

[@TheGreatWar]

We will have a special about him.

[@kevinwilmot8110]

Did you listen to that podcast too?

[@LukoHevia]

His and Erich Maria Remarque's 'All Quiet on the Western Front' are always considered the most important war books by people who fought on the german side. Remarque's is a work of fiction, and it is strongly anti-war, while Junger's is a memoir and it portrays war in a more positive way. Despite their differences in views and style, both have been very influential, and i find them very interesting for those interested in the german perspective

[@fatto77]

One of the finest books I've ever read. Bought it last year and I've read it three time and loaned it to friends.

[@anbitye2134]

I was going to buy it.

[@edgleason8918]

I have former students who have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of them returned home and his unit was greeted by a throng of friends and family who gathered in to welcome them back. A few men, combat veterans, ran and hid themselves while he repeatedly asked his father if he was really home and if things were really okay. There are also interviews with WWI vets who were then in their 90s or over 100, but could recall what they saw as teenagers with absolute clarity. It never goes away.

[@McCbobbish]

Soldier’s heart is my favorite name for shell shock. It’s very poetic.

[@davisworth5114]

It's also accurate; "PTSD" robs a person of vitality and will.

[@coolbreeze2.0-mortemadfasc13]

@@davisworth5114 And leads to cardiovascular disease.

[@Lethargie55]

@@davisworth5114 agree

[@VintageLJ]

This series is literally the most detailed and educational series about WW1 there is, as far as I know. Covering everything that happens _every week of the war_ is insane, and bloody brilliant!

[@TheGreatWar]

+VintageLJ THanks.

[@notdarell6951]

yeah might not be WWII but I became fascinated to WWI due to this channel.

[@TheFrothyBrew]

Check out Dan Carlin's podcast called "Hardcore History". I can't recommend this guy enough. He made a 5 or 6-part series on WWI and each episode is about 4-5 hours long.

[@Mike-tw1pi]

This series (The Great War) and Indy deserve an Emmy. They need to create a category for best web series, or something similar.

[@flipgunderson1946]

@@TheGreatWar where can I find the photo from the thumbnail?

[@hermanPla]

'In Russia they were quite forward thinking' Thats a sentence you don't hear every day.

[@stefanfilipovits9221]

Seriously! That's what I thought too. It was weird to hear how progressive some German & Russian treatments were given their authoritarian and iron reputations at the time. I know Germany was pretty progressive in the time before the Nazi take over but still. What a surprise.

[@Zamolxes77]

+hermanPla Russians were forward thinking in a lot of domains - tank design comes to mind, a little later, but on the flip side, backwards in others.

[@gregmiller9710]

+hermanPla only to lose that edge by the bols. revolution.. give them a hearty thanks..

[@gregmiller9710]

***** true dat.. they just got rid of a one that was getting better for one that was worse......

[@ramzanninety-five3639]

+hermanPla is't more unusual to hear it in Russia, believe me.

[@RatTalisman]

All this footage of how physically disturbed they were makes me want to throw up. Holy shit.

[@RatTalisman]

Blackball Couldn't agree more.

[@erenjeager5290]

Finn Jenkins it makes me wanna fight for those guys

[@sotis1756]

Odious Ktenology Jup ive made that mistake xD

[@conspiracybear1564]

The comstant thumping down of artilery gave them micro concussions. There eyes sunk then skin tightenes turned white and yellow. They speak in quick short gitty burst like drunks.

[@obiwaankenobi4460]

They were malnourished...they didn't eat...they walked in a zombie-like manner.

[@hug0420]

My father recalls that my grandfather's friend was a Vietnam vet. A Mexican immigrant that was drafted into the war in the 60's. He'd say that even in his 50's he would start screaming claiming that bombs were dropping, he'd start screaming for his life as if bombs were actually dropping. When he moved to Mexico for retirement he was still severely traumatized from Vietnam even 20 years after the war. He was just labeled as crazy and was banned from restaurants in the state.

[@mr.sir.]

At least he wasn't murdered like the USSR did to most of its vets

[@mohammedisaa9952]

@Vaquero Hugo .... was Mexico really a wise choice when there was/is so many cartell drug killings through street gun battles and explosions going off everyday in many places..... dead bodys left lieing in the street and all of the horrors where gangs chop each other up and leave body parts lieing around to be found............?

[@phil3924]

My dad was a kid in the 40's and he would talk about some guy in his neighborhood who had this from WW1. Stumbling around and talking to himself.

[@SlightIyVicious]

I am a twelve year veteran of the US Marine Corps with multiple combat deployments. I suffer from mild PTSD and I was so happy to see you address this subject. I sometimes think people think this is a new phenomenon. my only explanation for this is that because it is such a horrible thing, not only for us to suffer from it, but to the society who is constantly reminded of what their political actions have reaped. I myself do not have as serve a case as many of my friends although I am no longer a fan of the 4th of July and fireworks. But I am getting better. I hope that the rest of society can recognise and approach the subject with the same patience and understanding you have shown in this episode.

[@stefanomaccarone4637]

+Scott Trujillo Hey, thanks a lot for sharing that. Have a great life.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Scott Trujillo Thanks for sharing and all the best for your future and that of your friends.

[@thicctony6236]

Hey do you have Vietnam flashbacks

[@jorgerivera5464]

Scott Trujillo i

[@Eirik36]

Scott Trujillo rahh what unit were you with?

[@nirvanafan21191]

It should also be noted that often, when shellshocked soldiers were unable to function on the frontline, their COs and other superior officers would have them shot, not even realizing they were in extreme mental distress. Sad.

[@Chriscraft-ug3sz]

Yes but it wasn’t that plentiful

[@davisworth5114]

@josh There is no evidence to support this. The British shot some men for desertion, they have been pardoned by the UK government, when the French Army resisted en masse in 1917, about fifty were shot.

[@ang47]

@Somarik Green Because that's what those at the bottom are. The day they will be true individuals, who refuse to go to war, they will no longer be cannon fodder. But even today, that's what you, the masses, are :)

[@aybrokemyback6739]

@@ang47 the day that your country will be full of true individuals who refuse to go to war will be the day that your country will be enslaved by non-individualist community's that want to go to war. Like all pacifists you think that you can chose your enemy, but it's the enemy that chose you.

[@aybrokemyback6739]

@@davisworth5114 in both cases those numbers are fake. I know as a french that probably more were killed. There's a story about a commander who used the expression "faites monter la viande" which mean "bring the meat" to call soldiers and launch an attack and it clearly didn't go well with the soldiers There's probably like 400 or 500 killed by peloton for desertion, cowardice etc...

[@aboot2754]

Watching these old videos of people being messed with while suffering from PTSD is hard to watch... great video as always

[@caelvanir8557]

meme Poking at people with what we know today as serious medical and mental conditions like they're curiosities does infuriate me.

[@C4RL1NN]

You have to learn and have to experiment. If you just left them in bed all day with the lights out and curtains drawn then you’d learn nothing even though they’d no doubt prefer it that way.

[@joeldecoster8816]

why do we watch it, it is a morose form of entertainment

[@ecliptic6911]

Same man..

[@OwenPrescott]

Now imagine what people of the future will think of our treatments today

[@goddessofchaos7754]

"Young men should not fight old men's wars." -Dalton Trumbo

[@vksasdgaming9472]

@Felix Tofts It is really sad, but only soldiers who fought in a war know value of peace. I mean truly KNOW its value.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

@Felix Tofts Also true and even sadder.

[@C4RL1NN]

You’re right. Let’s send the nursing homes to fight the battles. Smart.

[@urhunn7778]

Well, who else would fight wars, other than young men? For them it's an adventure, a lot of them can't wait for the oppurtunity to be issued a gun and charge towards the enemy's general direction. We are all barbarians at age 20.

[@Aster_Risk]

@@urhunn7778 Fantastic job completely missing the point of the quote. 👏

[@kathyboxx3678]

My grandfather and his brother fought in the Great War. turns out the brother returned with shell shock, shot his wife who was with another man, the man, and then, himself. Very sad.

[@TheMaztercom]

going to war and returning to see your wife with other man, i dont blame him, poor guy but, that is women nature.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@TheMaztercom Some men at the front received "Dear John" letters and returned to wreak vengeance on the wife and the new partner.

[@sosteve9113]

Unfortunately this happens even today

[@Greatergood3]

@@TheMaztercom please tell me more about women nature. You seem like an expert

[@TheMaztercom]

@@Greatergood3 i cant, youtube censor what i writte, i dont know why.

[@Maluhia808]

that's fucking sad how war world 1 veterans deal with this condition.

[@goodnoodle4337]

Maluhia808 most WW1 veterans have passed away now.

[@notatumor433]

Maluhia808 all ww1 vets are dead

[@matthewwinner9197]

NotaTumor not all

[@nyyankees4296]

yes all

[@Griffin4122]

Think about it. They'd be at the very least 112 years old now. (if they were 14 years old in 1918)

[@mick2403]

We all need to thank them for their sacrifice

[@panzer8671]

for every country...

[@mick2403]

Yes

[@UCUCUC27]

pleese dont be so cringy

[@mick2403]

Fok off

[@UCUCUC27]

The rancho bro ?o-o

[@eioclementi1355]

My friend was telling me about his great grandad after he returned back from ww1 when the coal man would deliver the coal it would make a loud bang at which point he would start flipping over the furniture and hiding under it screaming and shouting . loud bangs and other events affected him till he died his only remedy would be spending all the houses money on alcohol he would drink every day.

[@PaulRudd1941]

This comment made me tear up...

[@tuljan4419]

eio clementi most of the people who survived the war in Bosnia have the same symptoms, even simple sound of slamming a car door can cause people to slightly duck as the sound is very familiar to a mortar shot.

[@ryanschuler9827]

They have a video on KZbin... Poor soldier was unresponsive to all words except for "bomb" and he would do what your grandpa would do..

[@harmonizedigital.]

I had a mild case of that after a bad car crash. Glass breaking would bring the memory right back. Luckily I got over it and now drive for a living.

[@totallyfrozen]

Very sad

[@Ohnoitsthatguy-620]

"three assumptions about personal invulnerability were shattered: the world as meaningful, as comprehensible, and seeing oneslef in a positive light" 100 years later and veterans still feel this.

[@preest_nz]

Imagine seeing people’s limbs blown off their bodies, blood and entrails everywhere, people constantly dying in horrific fashion everyday. Everyone has a breaking point, the human mind can only handle so much.

[@kyleissoco]

War.... War is hell.... And hell is war. God bless all veterans. And all soldiers.

[@mguangang2239]

Amen

[@acidplatypus5270]

Kyle Short except terrorists...and militants...and militaries that serve under a corrupt goverment

[@raphaelsmithwick4363]

US is corrupt...

[@sosteve9113]

Amen to that

[@abuddyofmine2524]

@@raphaelsmithwick4363 what makes you say that

[@Silky4ever]

I had seizures when I came home from Afghanistan, there was no neurological signs, it eventually went away. I was told it was mental not physical. This makes total sense that I went through what every soldier has went throughout the years.

[@mjinnh2112]

+Dylan Galland Debate about whether it is "physical" or "mental" is still very much going on. Either way, it is very real--even if it does go away.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Dylan Galland Thanks for sharing.

[@codiemiddaugh4193]

The Afghan was is a total joke lmao

[@codiemiddaugh4193]

War

[@mojewjewjew4420]

@@codiemiddaugh4193 This aged well

[@RollerPigg]

I wonder if the Germans had the best way of dealing with it (?). It would seem like 1) putting these men in an environment where they are amongst their peers with the same issues and 2) giving them meaningful jobs, allowing them to be productive.

[@alexporter7379]

+Joe Stubbernubbensteingenson This is similar to what the US government does for those soldiers, and marines who have PTSD.

[@RollerPigg]

Des Ires Isn't it amazing how therapeutic simple camaraderie and productivity can be?

[@Punisherfan123]

I remember hearing about a lot of Germans being ostracized and even executed for "cowardice" and "defeatism" when displaying signs of PTSD. They were often mocked by not only their soldier peers, but even civilians, especially afger the war when many civilians held grudges towards enlisted men, viewing them as responsible for the horrendous state Germany was in, as they were "responsible" for Germany losing the war.

[@RollerPigg]

Punisherfan123 I can see where that would happen, when you're on the losing side, and your country is suffering because of the defeat. (probably even on the winning side, to some degree).

[@TheBoldImperator]

+Joe Stubbernubbensteingenson it doesn't help that a lot of German WW1 veterans formed paramilitary groups after the war like the freikorps, the spartacus league (actually formed during the war), and later the SA. Much of the NSDAP's original support and base came from WW1 veterans, and extremist views both on the right and the left were common and becoming increasingly more common over time...

[@FREEMAN....]

WWI is by far the most psychologically devastating war of all times.

[@bubsterjohnson7438]

Vietnam war was super fucked up too tho

[@RigbyWilde]

I agree. At least in world war 2, you knew that the Axis were evil and they had to be defeated. In ww1, you dont even know why was fighting

[@robertmaybeth3434]

Pretty sure, they all are, every one... my dad's uncle with the American expeditionary forces got gassed in France in 1918 and survived it, but was never the same. He lived for a few decades and could never breathe right afterwards. And suffered from it, every day until he died.

[@reputation1990]

How

[@AgniFirePunch]

​@bubsterjohnson7438 they were similar in some ways but I still think WW1 was worse

[@mrfugazi6713]

Back in 1982 I spent some time in hospital and I met a older man who was suffering from shell shock, believe me when I say this, shell shock is a terrible thing to go through I had many chats with him he was a really nice man and to think that in the First World War he would of been shot for being a coward, it was disgraceful to even think to shoot those poor boys.

[@hlynnkeith9334]

My uncle came back from the Second World War with shell shock. For the rest of his life, his right hand trembled (zitterte).

[@megawave79]

@@Doesitmatter00710 what?

[@kenlucas5474]

@@Doesitmatter00710 WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!!??

[@snaek2594]

@@kenlucas5474 what did they say

[@Mars_junior]

I can't help but shed tears for these men. Hero's with the strongest will, broken by an unknown fire from the skies. I watched my police officer father become debilitated by an awful cancer and the effects of having a strong will but a mind and body that cannot keep up eat at the heart and soul.

[@_lambert_1785]

One of my relatives got shell shock in the first world war when he was buried alive by a shell. He was luckily found but because of internal organ injuries he was told that he would only live to 25 or so, despite this he lived to the ripe old age of 70. He still had shell shock though which caused him to have nightmares and he would wake up screaming because of this.

[@bobhayett2376]

One of my friends when I was young had a father who was a bombardier in WII over Germany. The bombers were constantly attacked by German fighter planes and flack guns. My friend's father had nightmares and would often yell in his sleep about the German attacks. Stress in war goes well beyond what some men can endure without some level of permanent damage.

[@steve5825]

As a child I never understood my grandfather‘s odd behaviour. Many, many years later talking with my now elderly father our conversation turned to my grandfather. My dad’s eyes started to well up and told me that although his dad survived the war (WWI) without physical injury he was still a casualty of it. He said he had undergone electric shock treatment, as he was suffering from shell shock. We, who never experienced the horror these men went through, can never truly grasp the effect it could have not just on the mind but the body also. So many lives wrecked directly and indirectly by the most ugly facet of humanity.

[@xcesar4impx666]

Iam an Afghanistan U.S . Vet. OEF.2008-10. infantryman 82nd airborne. and this video. means alot to me. thank you. comming home was very hard , and alot of the things mention here are very true. in combat we are all not afraid but , we are all clenching at the anticipation of the blast from the IED. or the sniper shot. or you're eyes moving everywhere without missing a tiny detail. a detail that can cause your or the rest of the guys in the Humve .their lives , but the one thing that keeps you bonded and not fully afraid is the thought that your not alone and that your are amongst brothers that will give their lives for yours and yours for their. thank you for a very educational video . that unless your a train Dr.or a combat veteran. you will never know what's like to come home with your duffle bag with a few demons.

[@wendysw714]

Thank you so much for your service. I hope you are doing well.

[@sirandrelefaedelinoge]

Thank you for serving. I suffer from CPTSD too. I hope you get the treatment you need. Be well...

[@kananpreetkaur3485]

thk u so much for your service

[@berzerker1100]

AIRBORNE & Geronimo ! 🇺🇸🎺🥁

[@prixred80]

Thank you very much for your service and I hope you are doing better.

[@adamd0ggg2]

The German treatment plan doesn't seem that bad. Giving soldiers treatment while the soldiers were still able to contribute to the state. I think it was important for most of those soldiers to feel like they were contributing.

[@kanegarvey3188]

Yes and paying them for their labour instead of making them feel pitied

[@Tmanowns]

Granted, it was 1910's factory work, so it was grueling stuff, but I do think the feeling of being a burden goes a long way to making lots of veterans feel worse, even today.

[@joshobio98]

​​@@Tmanowns your spot on I think. As grueling as the work was I think just being productive and contributing in some type of way as apose to "pointless work" was an awesome way to go about things. As back and forth as the process was to get these soldiers the help they need.. I think this was a pivotal point and layed a few tiles of foundation to work and build from. Would be so fascinating to have a time machine to see the development first hand!

[@opperbuil]

Great work, Indy! After 1 1/2 years of Great War videos, you still get even better.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Opperbuil .NL Thanks.

[@acuerdox]

+The Great War when all of this is finished. You should see to it that the whole of it can be bought virtually and physically. So as to preserve it for posterity. Engaging education, such us this one, is very important.

[@dgunn4408]

+The Great War Agreed. This is hands down the best and most accessible delivery of WWI history I've encountered in three decades of life. It's also one of my favourite channels on KZbin. Keep it up, man!

[@stephenfennell7502]

As a man dealing with PTSD I even now cannot imagine the horrors and insanity of the great war. Thanks for bringing up the genesis of it all and how we all are wounded by conflict.

[@kimberlyparrish7522]

I saw a short film on this at high school, many years ago. And to this day, I will never forget it. Every student cried and when the bell rang, not one word was spoken. That day we saw what war really was and whats evils of the world really were.

[@u-shanks4915]

What was the short film?

[@kimberlyparrish7522]

@@u-shanks4915 Sorry it was 1985.. lord knows i wish i could remember the name.

[@u-shanks4915]

@@kimberlyparrish7522 May you at least describe the scenes Any connections with the old teacher?

[@mohammedisaa9952]

@U-Shanks ..... dont go digging, she dosent want to talk about it, and she gave you a polite "brush off", ofcourse she remembers, how could one forget? i watched threads as a teenager and ive never forgotten about it...... Please have alittle respect for someone older than yourself.

[@1Nova_Nova1]

May i have a link?

[@Tommy-dz3do]

Your channel as being booming with the realese of battlefield 1 trailer...your videos are very well made and interesting.

[@501lilspoon]

really

[@LeeEverett1]

Fun fact: The Great War actually helped make the Codex entries in Battlefield 1.

[@angels2online]

Fuck, the guys just wobbling about like that, it looks horrific. It actually made my eyes water up.

[@lesliemotorsport8077]

Cleaveage Tenshi same

[@redoxam]

Cleaveage Tenshi it’s horrible, it makes me so sad.

[@DrummersHell96]

As a Medical student, I've been waiting for this topic! Please, do more episodes on what life was like in a field hospitals, Front lines etc. Great episode :D

[@TheGreatWar]

+Mass Percussion We will

[@colinkelly5420]

+Mass Percussion If you want an excellent book on the subject, I'd recommend "Wounded: A New History of the Western Front in World War I" by Emily Mayhew.

[@DrummersHell96]

+Colin Kelly Thank you, I'll be sure the check it out +The Great War Cool!

[@six2make4]

I remember reading this book a long time ago, apparently it's a real biography of this Austro-Hungarian soldier, he talks about how his captain got his two or three only sons in the war with him. All the sons die, the captain acts like nothing has happened, the soldier writing the book remarks that he didn't think it was because the man didn't care about his sons, it was because he was a great leader who couldn't let morale drop. This should be obvious, but that's kinda when it really hit me, why officers may come out really fucked up.

[@davisworth5114]

Read Karl Marlantes .

[@KP-ej7gc]

I went through something very traumatic that lasted 24/7 for a month and a half. I was temporarily left with PTSD. People don’t realize that PTSD isn’t just flashbacks. It’s extremely physical in nature. The way it effected my body was far worse than any flashback, in my opinion. About a year later, I started dying. I had thyroiditis, and the symptoms were so bad that I nearly had a heart attack before being put on meds for my thyroid. I had debilitating tremors. I was so physically sick that I couldn’t work for 6 months. Thankfully I’m fine now, though whenever I experience stress I still get debilitating tremors. I experienced that trauma at age 20 and was diagnosed with thyroiditis at age 21. I am a 22 year old woman now. So when you mention the cardiac issues after experiencing war, understand that trauma and PTSD often lead to disease in the body such as thyroiditis that will end in a fatal heart attack without medication. You may survive the trauma, but will your body survive the aftermath?

[@applejuice9468]

i'm so sorry. Thank you for educating through sharing this

[@captainandthelady]

My son has PTSD from the first Gulf War. Not as bad as shown here thank goodness. He has it under control now but knows that it's just under the surface and leads his life accordingly. If you get a chance, watch George Carlin's routine about shell shock.

[@uegvdczuVF]

+captainandthelady LOL thanks for the tip, i loved his stand ups but i somehow missed that bit. btw when i got back home i used to sleep in my military sleeping bag on the floor next to my bed for almost a full year...

[@arthurc1971]

uegvdczuVF I know this is old but wanted to share...when I came home I slept outside in my sleeping bag. My parents thought I was insane.

[@TheTrueMattiMan]

@@uegvdczuVF "LOL"

[@hovanti]

I was there, too; I wish your son all the best.

[@proxel96]

As a psychology student I found this episode very intresting. Although I do with all of this channels content. Thanks guys!

[@TheGreatWar]

+Proxel Thanks!

[@greenlaw6503]

+The Great War "should be a an entire documentary series in itself"

[@bdiraa]

+greenlaw well i mean, this channel goes through it week by week as it happened 100 years ago so... I doubt there anything more detailed than that... lol

[@jaxone2639]

same here. I was just doing research on the history of ptsd when this came out

[@richardbriley8072]

WW1 Has only been briefly mentioned in any of my history classes from elementary until now. And with the release of Battlefield 1 soon (which I intend to get)my interest definitely has grown. this was a really well made video and was very informative. I'll be sure to subscribe so I can come back and watch the rest of your videos.

[@TheGreatWar]

Welcome to our show.

[@jackwong8393]

+The Great War great vid

[@ozzyjames87]

+The Great War All of those "treatments" reeked of the quackery found in the insane asylums of that time period.

[@stevenmtaylor21]

+ozzyjames87 the history of psychology and therapy has a really dark history. The relatively good care of people now with issues is actually a recent thing.

[@IdesofMarch223]

I'd say it is a good thing, sad yes, but I'm glad a game like Battlefield 1 brings attention to a war almost forgotten by many today

[@markhodge5006]

My dad fought in Korea and one of the Frozen Chosen, where a lot of US soldiers died from the cold. I remember as a young boy, that he'd have nightmares, yelled, talked and cried in his sleep. He always had to be doing something and he hardly ever sat down and relaxed. So sad 😞

[@chriscraven9335]

Over the centuries, I wonder how many soldiers had been summarily executed by their own side, due to 'treason' or 'cowardice', when they had PTSD...?

[@aickavon]

From what I understand. A lot of Irish people were.

[@mohammedisaa9952]

Also russians, from what i have read in the comments, but today cowardice in the russian army is not punished on the soilders, but on their families by poo-tins kgb, where people magically disapear in the night never to be seen again, and new families take over the homes, their old homes are filled with Ukranians that have been captured by the russians and moved to the urils or somewhere far far away........ thats poo-tin efficency

[@tristan2193]

If it helps, from what I have read and understand, most of that stuff occurred at the very beginning of the war. Surprisingly, the mental health effects were very closely studied and rapidly began being understood in such fashion that MOST of the time, especially in Germany, the idea that PTSD developing soldiers were just "cowards" who deserve execution for treason stopped almost entirely. There was a LOT of shuffling soldiers in and out of the front line that basically corresponded with how much they seemed to be developing negative psychological effects. Mental health, and the strain of being on the front lines, was taken VERY seriously as the war dragged on. In fact, especially in the Western Front, many soldiers would not have to spend more than a week in the front line before they were rotated back to the reserve line.

[@maracaibostar]

For the Italian viewers: there's a great documentary about the shell shock. It's called "Scemi di guerra ". About 45 minutes long, worth viewing

[@PotNanny]

One of the best episodes indeed. Those assumptions at 9:04 are a bone chilling reminder of our own "sense of self" and how vulnerable we really are. Makes me think...

[@WhiteWolfLIT]

+Lucas I butts

[@UnsounderGnome]

One of the scariest things about World War 1. Glad you did a special on it.

[@thecardoski]

My great-grandfather lost his leg in the 2nd Boar War but lost his mind in the 1st world war. Died 8 years after it when he had enough.

[@dreadpiraterobertsii4420]

British: medicine Germans: fresh air and farm work Russians: medicine+ communism Italy: more combat (for some reason) France: “Pierre get le jump cable”

[@wiemarball8966]

I think

[@michaelward9880]

What about the U.S.A.?

[@doeweeyah1236]

@@michaelward9880 usa is too late to have a problem like them

[@dorianphilotheates3769]

Dread pirate Roberts II - Greece: roast lamb and olive oil.

[@dreadpiraterobertsii4420]

@@dorianphilotheates3769 making my mouth water just thinking of it

[@will2Collett]

My Grand father fought at Ypres, he rarely talked about his experience, but I could always tell that it was an experience no one can describe. These video's show much of the real brutallity of that war.

[@Jack-M1951]

Same. Mine I think lied about his age. He fell at Ypres.

[@aaronwest1055]

I never knew there were symptoms beyond the psychological, thank you very much for making this video and informing folks. As always, you're doing a fantastic job.

[@Kinglorrecom]

The Great War going beyond the tour of duty again to bring us all aspects of the War. Gud'job gents!

[@TheGreatWar]

+Kinglorre Thanks

[@Kinglorrecom]

I'd like to thank you too Flo. :P

[@TheGreatWar]

Kinglorre Haha! Thank you.

[@calebdehart6651]

It's weird how my friends that came home with physical injuries seemed better psychologically than those of us that were just emotionally scarred.

[@antoinelachapelle3405]

Survivor's guilt maybe ? You're home in one piece while others are dead / crippled, it takes its toll

[@johndicus123]

@@antoinelachapelle3405 perhaps also the thought that the physically injured are recognized as having been injured. The mental issue is not properly recognized still by most people, this compounds the issue.

[@Aster_Risk]

@@antoinelachapelle3405 Also, it might be easier to deal with a tangible physical injury that you can see and feel and know there's a treatment for in some way. As a person with mental illness, it's frustrating to always feel like the treatment attempts are a shot in the dark.

[@seanmccuen6970]

@@Aster_Risk I too deal with chronic (and rather 'severe') mental illness. I think you're probably spot-on here. best of luck to you.

[@GeorgeAusters]

Could you even imagine being in a muddy trench for months on end eating out of a tin and living off a couple hours sleep per night?

[@sniperelite360]

@2manynegativewaves They where still in the trenches when they where rotated.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

British troops were rotated regularly, which may have prevented mass mutinies breaking out like those that affected the French in 1917. All troops on the Western Front were rotated on either side, spending some time in the rear with its improved living conditions compared to the trenches. But the British sent men to the rear more often and more regularly.

[@debraleesparks]

My father was hurt, at Omaha beach, w.w.11... He spent the rest of his life in and out of State Army hospitals, and had electroshock therapy three times... he tried to kill my mom, and us kids when he had flashbacks.. so, it’s not just the solders who suffer from shell shock.I’m almost 62 now, and still feel bad about not having a sane father, my whole life because of the war.

[@philipians1635]

makes me sad "The impact of these recurrent traumatic dreams and fragmented sleep, which are today recognized symptoms of PTSD, devastated even the great Achilles."

[@suzannakoizumi8605]

My father was in WWI. He fought in the US Army all across France. Most of his fellow soldiers in his NY 14th engineers did not make it unscathed. But was told that he

[@suzannakoizumi8605]

I was told that he was shell shocked.

[@youknow227]

​@@suzannakoizumi8605How old are you???

[@murraybartlett4571]

I watched a documentary series on the great war not long ago. One of the saddest stories was of one soldier, he had gotten disoriented and seperated from his group. He was found lost and confused, The Officer in charge of the group that found him. Had the soldier shot for cowardice.

[@jerodsmyrl2488]

Man, in hs and most college history classes I've been to anyways very very rarely discuss or went over anything of ww1. This channel has taught me alot so love this, thanks

[@airborneshodan]

As a PSTD casualty of the war on terror, it is amazing how similar things are today.

[@robert.257]

It's hard to imagine, you have been in your trench for hours listening to shells exploring all around you. Then you hear a officer's whistle to go over the top. My papa fought with the Gordon Highlanders in WW1. He joined right away he was 15.

[@wilsonb1121]

I can’t imagine what these young men went through. Incredible

[@aliasunknown7476]

I have PTSD and the repetitive concussion shockwaves that hit your head during a motar attack regardless of if your in the killzone is mentally debilitating and has caused me to have what I call Shell Shock Headaches. These headaches render me immediately combat ineffective and I left the army 15years ago.

[@Morisu-Chan]

I still can't believe how even tho they had shell shock and was suffering, many people still looked at them as cowards.

[@YYaMataSula]

Yep, when I was a kid and asked about my ancestors who fought in WW1 and WW2 my grand-grandpa's case intrigued me the most as all my relatives were telling me that after the war, for many years he could barely walk or speak, after some time I realised that he actually had shellshock! Interesting is that he did cured and he even became mayor of the village in wich he was born. He also been decorated and received land from the King Ferdinand of Romania. Some peoples with whom I had the luck to speak told me about all those intense artillery shellings and how the battlefield sounded like. What struck fear into soldier's heart was the sound of the enemy or friendly artillery, way before the shell falls you hear first a strong sound like if, imagine you beat into your wall with your fist or when your neighbour from above you hits his floor, it's a "Doom, doom" sound but you feel it into your chest and your blood in your pelvis gets very cold...Now multiply this as some artillery shellings went in some cases non-stop.. This is what mostly caused shellshocks, not the shell's explosion how many would think. It's that frightening moment when you hear enemy arty starting to hammer the skies with their sounds because u know u basicaly wait for death to land in few seconds near your or right on you... You can also go check clips filmed in Ukraine or Syria there's lots of shellings going on there to get an ideea... And if u ask me about WW1...it was a war between cousins and I really hope this wont happen again. It was an useless war. :( RIP.

[@julianpolzin4404]

As a therapist, I got to say: Very well done. I was intrigued by the British view point, where ambivalent feelings of duty and fear were described as part of the cause. Sometimes dissociative convulsions can be a sign of being torn apart on the inside by a massive feeling of ambivalence and the nervous system trying to release some of the trapped energy by compensating through convulsions, which can look a bit similar to epileptic seizures. Freud would have described as a type of conversion disorder, where psychic energy is being subconsciously transferred into physical symptoms in order to not have to face the psychological conflict.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Julian Polzin Thanks, glad you liked it.

[@christopherwilliams7845]

Here's a question for out of the Trenches: What were the lives of the Slavs in the Russian Empire like under German occupation?

[@timdewit6088]

+Kaiser Chris Perhaps they'll go into that a bit more when we enter 1917, and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk gets signed.

[@Teebs131]

+Kaiser Chris Would the Polish be considered slavs? if not it should include them too.

[@timdewit6088]

Teebs131 Poles are Slavs to be sure.

[@christopherwilliams7845]

+Teebs131 Poles are considered to be Western Slavs like the Czechs, Slovaks, Bosnians, Serbs. That's why many Polish people were killed in the Holocaust even though a majority weren't Jewish.

[@sergioandresbenitezhernand2542]

Slavs? They were squatting and dancing hardbass like if there was no tomorrow.

[@philgiglio7922]

A careful reading of the Odessy shows clear descriptions of what we today call PTSD...shell shock. It's not a new malady or unrecognized

[@marcusj2892]

Fascinating how different shell shock was viewed from country to country. Great show!

[@Jack-uc8mx]

Thank you so much! I have to write a synthesis essay where we get to explore a topic of our choice and I chose the psychological effects of war on the soldier. The funny thing is I just saw this video in my recommended without even searching anything up! I am definitely referencing you in my paper. I watched this video and now I can't stop watching your vids! I love your videos and I can't wait to see the new content!

[@TheGreatWar]

Welcome to the show.

[@ShubhamBhushanCC]

I have grown to love this channel in 2 days and I think it's absolutely beautiful and the horrors of Trenches cam alive in this video. It just made me think of the Counts and Field Marshals sitting in their offices sending poor men, boys rather to die for "King and Country"

[@TheGreatWar]

+Shubham Bhushan Thanks and welcome!

[@TenmaFN]

I am a vet(OIF), diagnosed with PTSD here is my feedback, some of the symptoms i experience are catching a glimspe of people in the corner of my eye or shadows, flashbacks (I was a medic) intrusive thoughts that put me back in. Hyper vigilance, combat mentality, a pin can drop and im fully awake and in combat mode... when i drive or ride with others I am scanning for IEDs. I can not deal with crowds of people due to my unrelenting need to see peoples hands in full view, When i enter rooms i scan or items to use as weapons. I can not sleep in my bedroom and I am more comfortable sleeping on my couch as i can see the front door. I can not maintain a consistant sleep schedual. Here now over 10 years after leaving service it persists. These things have damaged having connections or relationships with others, and in most cases I would rather avoid others as much as possible. I have to keep my mind busy at all times, video games, woodworking, working on cars, ...anything.

[@johnminer1407]

As a Corpsman with the Marines, I've seen this. Training before battle helps, but it is real years after the battle.

[@kaziiqbal7257]

The analytical treatment mentioned at 4:08 is actually called psychoanalytic treatment and the talk therapy is part of it (although talk therapy is also utilized in humanistic treatments). Your descriptions for both were accurate.

[@yelnatswaltuo]

Thanks for this episode. Many of us understand the damage done to the mind by war.

[@samcocking6523]

My Great great grandfather went to France and came back shellshocked

[@dingowendingo7572]

Sam Cocking my great grand fathers relative, i think it was his cousin, was forced to join the US army in ww2 and he was never heard from since he left, he died in war

[@erenjeager5290]

Sam Cocking i don't kno how to say this but I'm sorry to hear that

[@chornethefirstborn1768]

My Great-Uncle went to Vietnam and came back seemingly normal. He was unscarred, was making jokes, playing with his kid etc. He taught my mom to drive. Then, one day, while his wife was out and his son was at school, he hung himself in the house. The discovery REALLY screwed my uncle up when he came home. (first cousin once removed, technically, but who cares.) Turns out he had survivor's guilt. He didn't want to stress our family out so he simply decided to go quietly enough and leave a note.

[@thevacuumtubejunky9774]

Sam Cocking : My Grandfather went to France as well, but he never returned.

[@crimfan]

I highly recommend reading *Trauma and Recovery* by Judith Herman, MD, for a really powerful history of "shell shock", "battle fatigue", and so on, leading ultimately to PTSD, and the shameful way of how civilian society kept turning away from the impact of trauma after the war. We keep forgetting and I think we sadly will with veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, to say nothing of the civilians in those places. Later on doctors have realized there's a deep connection between PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI) so in a sense things have come full circle and really seen how embodied the mind really is. Things aren't "just" psychological or "just" physical and PTSD gives us a window into how important that is. The different views has some understanding, if incomplete. Pity that so much of the treatment was so cruel. Indy, I hope you end up doing a series on this topic. I really feel that your treatment of the war has been extremely good and I think you and your team would do a great job with this important topic.

[@tommyatkins2446]

As a Great War living historian, Indys programmes are a constant source of knowledge.

[@Artemis49]

I’ve always wondered how shell shock differs from PTSD. The early WWI footage of soldiers shaking uncontrollably is haunting. Although still traumatically scarred, soldiers from other wars didn’t seem to exhibit that shaking.

[@zzbudzz]

I believe very few soldiers experienced such massive artillery bombardment as soldiers of WW1 . The Ukrainians might be getting a taste of WW1 artillery effects right now.

[@chrisreynolds6143]

There are a lot of things that are different about WWI that could contribute honestly. Very lackluster troop rotation led to many being on the front lines for years non-stop and being subjected to constant concussive barrages could have had large affects on the nervous system. I think that's the prevailing theory at least. There's also a correlation to the extreme shell shock we're referencing and soldiers being buried by shells, I can't remember where I read it but I can try and find it if you'd like. I often wondered if it were something like 'sea legs' where the body and brain get used to standing and walking on a constantly moving plane and when that motion is removed there's a bit of lag with the equilibrium and body still correcting. In this instance it could be the constant shaking of the ground as well as exposure to a plethora of psychological trauma. It's a very interesting albeit sad thing to try and figure out.

[@petemiller2598]

@@zzbudzz Spot on. Nothing has compared to the infamous 'creeping barrage' of artillery in WWI battles like the Somme and Verdun, either before or since WWI. During WWI, the modern industrial base to manufacture shells, paired with lack of air power to degrade artillery, meant that it was a "perfect storm" to have these artillery barrages that could and did go on for *days* without even a minute's interruption.

[@ridleyroid9060]

God, watching these clips is just heartrending. I had NO idea that there was a physical aspect to shellshock, and that the soldiers would barely be able to MOVE because of it. Horrific stuff.

[@ToreDL87]

Yeah it makes us understand why WW1 started out as a mobility war and why they wanted to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. Even if it meant a slew of casualties right away, everyone would have been better off for it. WW1 is the reason why mobility warfare is so popular today, and why politics are berated for bringing mobility warfare to a grinding slugfest: It's an almost unbearable cost on humanity.

[@shamanplaysgames1793]

When you return from present-day war, they sit you down with a psychologist. He asks you "What did you do?" "What have you seen?" "Is there anything you struggle with?". After that, its up to yourself to notice. It can set in weeks, months, years, decades after you return. These casualties still exist in the hundreds of thousands today, and do not get the respect and care they deserve. Here's to you,fellow veterans all over. Thank you.

[@rorylabine7143]

I'm super interested in this channel now that Battlefield 1 is out.

[@TheGreatWar]

And you are not the only one.

[@freakgurung8299]

Rory LaBine so true i am also so interested in these after bf1

[@martinschou5351]

Is there any data on any of these treatments? I mean, todays doctors and psycologist are still struggling to treat PTSD - I'm just curios whether they actually had succes with any of these treatments? I'm especially thinking of the German solution in terms of labor-force. I could see how a secure and predictable enviroment could have helped these veterans...

[@boundarysentinel4181]

Not just soldiers suffered this, my Grandfather in England had a neighbour/friend who served in the home guard running a battery during the Luftwaffe London bombing campaign, he woke up screaming many years after the war recounting Stuka dive bombers attacking his position in his dreams almost every night of his life. Untrained civilians definitely suffered these mental consequences alongside their military brethren. Great topic!

[@vonMohl]

Thank you very much for addressing this very serious and often occulted problems; many WWI had post-war nightmares, slept under their bed out of fear, etc...

[@janeyrevanescence12]

I remember taking a class on the psychology of stress in college and the effects it has on not just your mind and your body and our professor talked about the theory of how while our technology has advanced, our hardwired status hasn't caught up and we still react to situations as if there's a sabertooth tiger chasing us. The bad news is that we don't have sabertooth tigers chasing after us but when we're stressed out repeatedly, we have real problems.

[@nirvanafan21191]

I took an abnormal psychology course in college (just as an extra credit thing, because mental illness is fascinating to me) but we never go into any of that. Mostly drug addiction, schizophrenia, etc. But yeah, I've heard of the theory you described and it is such a fascinating one. The fact alone, that we've accomplished in 100 years, things that no other species on this planet has ever had the capability of even comprehending is just crazy. This is one of the reasons why WWI may be the most interesting war for me. Soldiers able to mow down 500 men in as little as a few minutes, because humans had yet to evolve with the machines they were using. The psychological toll that implies is astounding. You have to feel for what those men (myself now much older than they would have been) went through.

[@mohammedisaa9952]

@Josh .... using your quote, "500 in a few minuites" ...... imadgine how many times a day those "few minuites" would occur, than...... over how many days in a week, weeks in a month? You would have a pile of bodies as tall as a building in a few weeks, maybe even days, mountains atleast,...... then sent back for a weeks leave, then back again for a few months....... just watching the bodys spin and fall, like a strange kind of dance and you were the conducter........... untill ofcourse, your machine gun blocks, wont un-sieze, then your parents get that "im sorry...." letter they all dreded.... not knowing that your mates had to scrape small parts of you off the leaves of the tree that was next to you........

[@ALaughingWolf2188]

I’m currently writing a ww1 story right now about a German soldier who deserted and somehow fled to America after fighting in Verdun and in the trenches since 1914. Even if he’s completely unscathed he still has immense PTSD and has night terrors, but because PTSD wasn’t very well understood back then, he keeps thinking there’s something wrong with himself whenever he wakes up in a cold sweat, and doesn’t know why he keeps being taken back to the trenches in his mind. PTSD is a really scary thing, I’m watching things like this to get a better idea of how to replicate and represent the effects of shell shock in the story. Since he’s trying to keep the fact he’s a German soldier a secret in fear he’ll be sent back to Europe as a POW, other characters in the story wonder what’s wrong with him too. But considering I’ve never known anyone who has the disorder nor do I have any combat experience myself, I find it a bit hard to portray just how terrifying and damning PTSD really is to someone’s mind when it’s triggered, especially back then during ww1. Not to mention the fact that he’s not able to tell anyone about it without being suspicious and that he doesn’t speak English.

[@raghavnegi6932]

No one wins the war, you just survive it.

[@calebsmommy812]

Your videos are phenomenal! Thank you so much for making them. I've seen most of your more recent work, but I just came across this gem. Makes me think about how Hitler struggled after the war.. If he had seen someone 20 years later in an institution struggling in that same way, they were sent to the gas vans because they were considered "useless eaters"...