Here is a medal that was presented in a leather pouch to French soldiers. There is a very similar medal with a loop and ribbon that is to be worn on a uniform.
Today is an anniversary of the beginning of the "Battle of Verdun" 103 years ago to the day.
At 7:12 a.m. on the morning of February 21, 1916, a shot from a German Krupp 38-centimeter long-barreled gun—one of over 1,200 such weapons set to bombard French forces along a 20-kilometer front stretching across the Meuse River—strikes a cathedral in Verdun, France, beginning the Battle of Verdun, which would stretch on for 10 months and become the longest conflict of World War I.
There is no way that I can capsulate the story of this battle in a post. I believe there were about 143,000 casualties on the Germany side and 162,440 on the French in this battle alone. I am not 100% sure of this.
Since artillery blasts buried many of the fallen or rendered their remains unidentifiable, most of the recovered bodies have since been placed in the Douaumont Ossuary, a sobering memorial that contains the mixed bones of at least 130,000 French and German soldiers.
Here's a mild video that does a good job of putting you there. I have seen much more gruesome videos but thought this was more appropriate for all viewers. The Germans in grey and the French in blue.
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World War I Era 1917 France Battle Of Verdun "On Ne Passe Pas" Memorial Medal. Loosly translated, "On Ne Passe Pas" means "We're Not Going", or, more likely "They Shall Not Pass", referring to the German Army. This medal was sculpted by S.E. Vernier in 1917. With a reverse text of "Verdun 21 Fevrier 1916", (VERDUN February 21, 1916) this medal measures 37mm (1 7/16 inch) in diameter.
Funny thing about the Verdun medal. I had been chasing a nice one for a couple/few weeks now and won that yesterday. I can do some basic French translation and when I wrote that date in English in the post I had that ah-ha moment that it was actually that very same date (yesterday) that appeared on the medal. Pure coincidence! I think that's kinda odd to have happened.
She was born at Domremy , in the northeast part of France, January 6, 1412.
She arrived at the besieged city of Orleans on April 29 1429 during The Hundred Years War between France and England. The extent of her actual military participation and leadership is a subject of debate among historians. On the one hand, Joan stated that she carried her banner in battle and had never killed anyone, preferring her banner "forty times" better than a sword; and the army was always directly commanded by a nobleman, such as the Duke of Alençon for example. On the other hand, many of these same noblemen stated that Joan had a profound effect on their decisions since they often accepted the advice she gave them, believing her advice was divinely inspired. In either case, historians agree that the army enjoyed remarkable success during her brief time with it.
Joan was captured by the Burgundians, English allies and the English negotiated the sum of 10,000 livres tournois to obtain her. The English moved Joan to the city of Rouen and she was held prisoner. A trial for heresy was politically motivated. The tribunal was composed entirely of pro-English and Burgundian clerics, and overseen by English commanders. In the words of the British medievalist Beverly Boyd, the trial was meant by the English Crown to be "a ploy to get rid of a bizarre prisoner of war with maximum embarrassment to their enemies". May 30 1431 Joan of Arc was sentenced to death on charges of heresy. Accused of being a witch, cross dressing and having worn her hair short. Burned at the stake and her remains were thrown into the Seine River.
The date 1909 is for the beatification ceremony, held on April 18 1909 for Joan of Arc. Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name. Samuel Clemens was fascinated with the life of Joan of Arc. I too find her life quite extraordinary and have collected a few things about her. I posted about another medal in this thread about Joan of Arc here. http://goccf.com/t/301479&whichpage=37#2701304
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Posted 02/21/2019 6:56 pm
that it was actually that very same date (yesterday) that appeared on the medal. Pure coincidence! I think that's kinda odd to have happened.
