"Back at the station, an artilleryman is brought in, he is in terrible condition. His wounds are horrible, he has bled a lot, his face is like white marble. Both his legs are smashed, attached with just a few strands of meat and sinew. The splintered bones stick in all directions, the wound is full of strands of flesh along with remains of his trousers and underwear. Carefully we try and bandage the wounds. This means moving the leg, causing a fountain of blood to shoot out, soaking the doctor. The poor man lets out a low moan and dies. New screaming at the entrance, this time a wounded man with a chest full of bullet holes.
The bloody bandages are dropped on the floor, we have no time to dispose of them. They form a carpet which is ankle high.
Big black patches on the ground mark the places where the stretchers stand before the wounded are carried into the surgery. Leaning against the wall are the empty stretchers, their canvas covers are stained black with crusts of blood.
The bearers stand around with haggard faces, tortured looks, as if sentenced to death.
.
Behind the barn the sight is terrible. Wounded who had died on the way or during bandaging have been pushed aside to make way for those who are still living.
There they lay, piled up one upon each other, open torsos, missing limbs, it is terrible to see. The faces carry grimaces of anger, pain or desperation and the bodies lay in grotesque positions.
On a ground lay the remains of a captain, just three ribs and half a face wrapped in a tunic.
.
The pile of bloody corpses is the stuff nightmares are made of. At night the rats add to the horror, eating away the faces and eyes, leaving bloody skulls staring out of empty sockets.
.
Bury them? There are simply too many! We have to live amongst them, eat amongst them and sleep amongst them...." – Capt
Albert Garnier, French 52nd Inf. Div., Verdun, France, May 22, 1916. #ww1 #reality #stayzero #zerofoxtrot