Comments
R4G t1_iwozydp wrote
Sad to think that there were probably people who died when the Armistice was coming but word was still being spread.
Irish618 t1_iwpg0hd wrote
Hell, a lot of people died despite knowing the Armistice was coming. Commanders actually ordered assaults that morning, trying to get as much ground as possible before the war ended.
Victoresball t1_iwqn0me wrote
that makes slightly more sense since it was an Armistice and not an immediate peace treaty. The war wasn't over, just on hold while a peace treaty was being negotiated.
Gewurah t1_iwrq633 wrote
On the other hand a continuation of the war was pretty unlikely after the November Revolution
duskrat t1_iwr6tda wrote
Long time ago, I talked to a man who was there. He said they poured all they had into German territory until 11.00 a.m. He also said he didn't really believe the war was over until that night, when the soldiers made campfires and he saw all the fires lit up and burning.
Evolving_Dore t1_iwqsp79 wrote
I believe Hermann Goering attempted to do something of this sort.
Whittling-and-Tea t1_iwp0crf wrote
If you haven't go watch the netflix movie based on the book all quiet on the western Front. The movie is called "im Westen nichts neues". Haven't read the book yet, but I've heard people say it's better than the movie.
goinginforguns t1_iwpj4ux wrote
The book is my favorite novel, hands down. It’s less a straight war-is-awful story (as the 2022 Netflix movie portrayed it) and really more about about being a child growing up into a young man and being robbed of innocence and hope against a backdrop of trauma and violence. And so many poignant and wonderful moments between the narrator (Paul) and his comrades. The movie completely left out the dynamic between Paul and his mother - it replaced this with the diplomacy in the rail carriage - but that relationship is beautiful and tragic … and one I suspect many of us can relate to. I can not recommend the book more for any guy between the age of 13-35, it’s just still so relevant and timely. Should be required reading.
imnotreallyapenguin t1_iwp265u wrote
Highly recommend the 1930's version instead.
tremynci t1_iwp8u40 wrote
I watched that the year the Library of Congress finished restoring it. Just amazing: it was, I believe, the first film to win both Best Picture and Best Director. The boots scene is haunting.
TheKidNerd t1_iwphiht wrote
The boots scene?
Happy_alt_1 t1_iwpk563 wrote
The most gripping scene from that entire movie, so well executed but oh man... I have watched this movie (1930) with history class back in 2012/2013 and I still vividly remember the boots scene because it is so beautifully done, displaying a haunting set of events. Here is a description, which I would urge you to not read if you want to see the movie.
>!>!At some point in the story, one of the classmates (don't remember his name, let's call him A) has become wounded and his leg(s?) needed to be amputated. Some of A's classmate/friends are standing around him and they see A still got his new pair of boots that were send from home. One of the friends (B) basically says that the wounded A should give the boots to him because A doesn't have a need for them anymore. Some arguing ensues after which the classmates except one of them (let's call him C) leaves where A tells C that he should give B, A's boots. At which point A dies.!<!<
>!>!What ensues is the most griping sequence of scenes from this movie. B gets the shoes and dies from any of the horrors of the 1st world war, say a bullet in the trenches. The shoes get passed to D, who dies of say gas. The shoes get passed to E, who dies of say a gatling gun. The shoes get passed to F who dies of say a shell. So basically you have a sequence of deaths of the classmates followed through the perspective of the boots, showing the horrible ways people could die in the trenches!<!<
Edit: Spoilertags
NumberVsAmount t1_iwpuz4i wrote
“These boots were made for dying, and that’s just what you’ll do”
TheKidNerd t1_iwpkaxk wrote
Damn, those boots really don’t wanna be worn do they
Happy_alt_1 t1_iwplda9 wrote
There certainly was a little hesitance from their side
andthendirksaid t1_iwq6shf wrote
What made it fucked is how quickly soldiers if snyone goes through boots. Meanwhile those boots went through half a platoon.
tremynci t1_iwpnszo wrote
Thank you, neighbor: you nailed it.
Happy_alt_1 t1_iwqbysi wrote
Thank you sir!
worthrone11160606 t1_iwr98by wrote
I read the book and I remember that scene stood out to me.
master_a_skywalker69 t1_iwradxo wrote
The brotherhood of the traveling boots
Chickentrap t1_iwphqvl wrote
A scene with boots I believe
ballrus_walsack t1_iwq9zns wrote
From Dora the Explorer?
ClownfishSoup t1_iwqti3f wrote
fiction_for_tits t1_iwp8om3 wrote
It's a good movie for the most part but "based on the book" is extremely generous.
I don't just mean in the film adaptation loses details kind of way, I mean thematically and experientially they're quintessentially different stories, and I'm pretty sure that they just threw the title on there to give it a bump above like, "The Forgotten Battle" and "Siege of Jadotville."
This isn't to undermine your point or to tell people not to watch it. Just go in with that knowledge because knowledge is power or whatever Shao Khan said at the beginning of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
FrankieMcGigglefits t1_iwpftdg wrote
Jesus, dude
Gunship_unelite t1_iwqilir wrote
it hilarious that netflix is the only reason everyone is talking about this book when it used to he and should still be required reading in schools.
master_a_skywalker69 t1_iwra545 wrote
It was required reading for an elective for me. I no can read good and spark noted through high school but this is one of the few I read cover to cover. It gets the Dumbass Easy Reading seal of approval (and it’s a good book).
R4G t1_iwp0vlw wrote
I read the book 12 years ago and don’t remember much of it (I rushed through it for school). I’ll definitely check out the movie. Paths of Glory is one of my favorite films.
ExpensiveRecover t1_iwq4wx3 wrote
The movie is great as it's own thing. As an adaptation of the novel, it missed the mark and it lessened the book's message
HendoJay t1_iwrrc9p wrote
So like the Starship Troopers of WW1?
almighty_smiley t1_iwsa2bn wrote
Kinda-sorta, but in that case the movie wasn't missing the point of the book so much as expressly avoiding it and even parodying it.
HobgoblinKhanate t1_iwpcim1 wrote
Why? That battle didn’t happen so why suggest watching it ?
Whittling-and-Tea t1_iwpcm1i wrote
Similar events happen in the movie as described by the two redditors posted above me.
HobgoblinKhanate t1_iwpffnt wrote
Ok I just don’t think it’s similar at all
Lancel-Lannister t1_iwqpwzm wrote
I've read the book, and seen the trailers. I don't need that kind of anxiety in my life.
bolanrox t1_iwqvch5 wrote
there was a movie form ages ago as well. watched it in School at some point
DaddyJBird t1_iwq4h7k wrote
Well there’s always that Japanese soldier that remained at his post for like 25 years because he was never to.d the war had ended. My time frame may be off but I know the dude was in the jungle a long time.
Guac__is__extra__ t1_iwqcbqg wrote
That was a crazy story. If I remember correctly, they had to track down his commanding officer from the war and take him out there to convince the guy that it wasn’t a trick.
DaddyJBird t1_iwqdwa5 wrote
I remember something about that as well. Talk about committing to the cause.
Guac__is__extra__ t1_iwqeq5i wrote
We’ll I think he’d gone a little mad
RGJ587 t1_iwrt6x7 wrote
IIRC, he knew the war was over, and knew it wasn't a trick. But he was a loyal soldier following orders and refused to stand down unless his commanding officer told him to do so.
It was an honor thing for him, not a "I don't believe you" thing.
topdownviewofarabbit t1_iws0cuf wrote
That's actually not true though. He himself said he didn't believe it and thought all the notes were tricks.
ambientsound12 t1_iwreh0l wrote
If it is at all the story I am thinking of, of it was a Japanese soldier on one of the Philippine Islands. They actually sent SEVERAL groups of people to the island, including groups of his own family, with bullhorns and pamphlets from Japan and his family, telling him the war was over. HE didn't believe it because he assumed Japan would never surrender (he didn't know about nuclear warheads....) and that all of it was a bunch of traps. They tried to save him for years but he just refused to believe Japan would lose in spite of his family and his own government telling him otherwise. Commitment or stupidity, take your pick.
1-800-HENTAI-PORN t1_iws16u0 wrote
Commitment stretched into the realm of stupidity, I'd say. I'll give the man credit, his persistence is legendary.
BlueFalconPunch t1_iwr9kxu wrote
Finally surrendered in 1974
RealisticDelusions77 t1_iwpgbgd wrote
In the War of 1812, the US wasn't doing too good until Andrew Jackson won the Battle of New Orleans by killing over 2000 British troops.
The bummer was that the peace treaty had been signed in Europe 15 days earlier, but news traveled a lot slower back then.
olafthebent t1_iwrj889 wrote
Which is kind of like scoring the winning goal 20 minutes after the game is over but yeah.
BlueFalconPunch t1_iwr94hn wrote
11k casualties on the last day...hundreds killed.
1 American commander had his unit charge and attack on the last day for access to bathing facilities...he killed hundreds for a bath they could have without bloodshed in a few days.
The AEF commander Pershing was called before congress to explain the hundreds of dead for no reason...he said the French commander told him to keep fighting because the armistice wasn't signed yet. Eventually everyone forgot about it and no one was held accountable
cyrusm t1_iwqjc7t wrote
Most wars trickle on for a while after they end.
qubedView t1_iwqqiye wrote
Like everyone at the Battle of New Orleans.
Upstairs-Injury9660 t1_iwpgwg5 wrote
The guy was demoted from sergeant to private over a letter he sent home about the terrible conditions of the war and was trying to regain his former rank or at least a promotion
Starrylands t1_iwpo829 wrote
Wrong. There were a lot of commanders who didn't inform their soldiers of the armistice and kept fighting until 11. Thus many died in vain.
MintyMissterious t1_iwpreis wrote
Even if true, it was irrelevant to this case, and most cases. Many more soldiers got injured or died in these hours than in the previous days of actual war. Even if half the soldiers knew, the number should drop by half, not increase.
See bottom left. https://archive.org/details/eleventhmonthele00pers/page/378/mode/2up?view=theater
Anomaly-Friend t1_iwpyidh wrote
If I remember correctly the dude was recently demoted and he thought if he were to get a few more kills before the end of the war he'd get his rank back.
kchoze t1_iws7jw4 wrote
We don't know what he was thinking, but I find it highly unlikely he thought he could "get a few more kills" (that's CoD thinking, not actual war). A lone charge against a machine gun nest was a suicidal action. More likely, he felt so much shame and dishonor from his demotion, and the war ending before he could get it back, that he couldn't bear to go back home and chose suicide by enemy instead.
mayy_dayy t1_iwphh4y wrote
> We will never know exactly what was going though his head.
Other than the bullet, you mean.
leoleosuper t1_iwq9cyg wrote
IIRC I've seen this posted before, maybe not to TIL, but apparently he just wanted a story to bring home. He rushed them, the Germans and his buddies shouted at him, then the Germans shot him.
PerBnb t1_iwo5ajn wrote
The famous war poet Wilfried Owen died a week before Armistice in some unnecessary action that led to no significant Allied progress
RepulsiveWay1698 t1_iwop2l3 wrote
Most of the war in a nutshell
draw2discard2 t1_ix2h61u wrote
Most of war in a nutshell.
TacTurtle t1_iwos5ca wrote
“some unnecessary action that led to no significant progress” covers a large portion of the WW1 battles
DuncanDisordely t1_iwpkbnc wrote
I think what makes those to die late in the war (especially last 2 days) particularly awful was there was an understanding by high ranking generals that an armistice was going into effect. Yet so many allowed or even encouraged attacks to go ahead for highly questionable chances of success.
IIRC the head of the American expeditionary force even had to answer questions from congress about his orders in the days running up to 11th November.
IdlyCurious t1_iwq175p wrote
But we do have to remember that an armistice is a "pause" - they didn't know fighting would not start back up. So there's sense in wanting to be a better strategic position when/if fighting resumes.
[deleted] t1_iwo0rql wrote
[deleted]
ILL_Show_Myself_Out t1_iwodm42 wrote
It was an 11th hour decision.
[deleted] t1_iwp0qfh wrote
[removed]
shadmere t1_iwpjokt wrote
This account copies part of other peoples' comments and posts them as its own.
Carbon_Rod t1_iwppqug wrote
Bot has been banned. Thanks.
Swagasaurus-Rex t1_iwoc7ov wrote
Reminds me of All Quiet on the Western Front. Just senseless needless death for a few meters of earth
Aitrus233 t1_iwqae1f wrote
"Clearly, Field Marshall Haig is about to make yet another gargantuan effort to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin."
-Blackadder Goes Forth
DraslinHDF t1_iwodl0d wrote
This is what humanity is reduced to when corrupt governments are allowed to concentrate wealth.
nav17 t1_iwq5t58 wrote
This is a gross oversimplification of the causes of WW1.
bolanrox t1_iwqvua2 wrote
the gross oversimplification would be family infighting.
WhapXI t1_iwqc020 wrote
Grossly oversimplified but on a macro level it’s basically right. Wealth and power concentrated in the hands of people whose only goal to increase their wealth and power at the expense of each other. Ideas of prestige and imperial ambition and nationalism and revanchism are the puppet show they play for the masses while the ones in charge hope to make money.
leoleosuper t1_iwq9jsa wrote
Of the possibly 1000 causes of WWI, corrupt governments is not one of them.
DraslinHDF t1_iwr62uj wrote
The treaty system is/was corrupt. What are you talking about?
TheClayroo t1_iwo53l1 wrote
OG Leroy.
allegate t1_iwog5sb wrote
I figured, “there’s only thirty-ish comments, I’m early enough to make a Leroy Jenkins joke.”
Nope.
99redproblooms t1_iwr9vab wrote
Mine was gonna be "That soldier's name? Leroy Jenkins."
pupsinpajamas t1_iwo1uw3 wrote
Suicidal moron. Atleast he was remembered.
ivanthemute t1_iwo4m9k wrote
Gunther was a suicidal moron. He was ready to die, or kill someone , against orders to stand fast, for no tactical or strategic gain. He shouldn't have "been remembered" except as an object lesson in what a stupid, incompetent, and overall worthless soldier is. The fact that he was awarded the DSC for pulling this stunt is even more abhorrent.
I saw action in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Yes, different world than the trenches of WWI, but not that different.
Bad_Mood_Larry t1_iwotzrk wrote
To be fair he also might of been just suicidal which i think is a bit more sympathetic. His motives are unclear maybe he was a glory hound getting that last sniff of combat or maybe he just wanted to die for some reason. Who knows its not like suicide was talked in the open back then and the guy did seem to be generally depressed. That being said the award (btw it was the DSC) was unnecessary.
ivanthemute t1_iwpixg6 wrote
Updated. Not sure why my damn phone changed the acronym.
TryDiscombobulated17 t1_iwowkrj wrote
Where you said “object lesson” I think you probably wanted to use the word “abject”
Not trying to be a grammar nazi or anything just thought you might find the info useful
da5id t1_iwp0wxb wrote
Huh? You are incorrect. https://grammarist.com/usage/object-lesson/
TryDiscombobulated17 t1_iwp5z95 wrote
Well you got me. I feel like either could be used though. Never knew object lesson was a phrase
ThePegasi t1_iwpaylh wrote
At least*
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo2zla wrote
He probably didn't do it because he wanted to.
ratt_man t1_iwo4zad wrote
He wanted to, he had been busted down to private from sargeant a short time prior. Some say he did the suicidial charge to regain his honor
Suddenly, Gunther jumped up and charged the machine guns. His fellow
soldiers shouted for him to stop, as did the Germans. In fact, the
machine gunners stood up and waved, urging him to turn around. Then,
Gunther fired a shot. The Germans had no choice. They fired back in a
five round burst. One bullet struck Gunther in the left temple, and he
fell to the ground. Those who were there swore that the rumbling of
artillery stopped the very moment his body hit the earth.
Jaded_Prompt_15 t1_iwo6nlh wrote
He fought thru WW1...
He was probably legally insane by today's standards and just couldn't imagine life without war.
He might have had CTE from the constant explosions and gunfire.
He might have been trying to get last second revenge for friends who died.
Who knows why he did it, but there are lots of things that could have made it seem like a good idea at the time.
ratt_man t1_iwoci0z wrote
>He fought thru WW1...
no he had only been in europe for 5 months, most of that was spent behind the lines as supply sargeant. Until he got demoted and sent to the trenchs, dont get me wrong in the trenches must of been hell my grandfather spent a week in the trenches during the somme before being wounded. So not calling him out or anything but to say he fought through WW1 is not true
minkju t1_iwodnc1 wrote
US soldiers who fought in the war were there for a couple months to maybe around a year. He definitely could imagine life without war.
swanqueen109 t1_iwowfm9 wrote
5 months in that trench hell are enough to become insane.
minkju t1_iwpr8y4 wrote
Oh for sure, all it takes is just one horrible day to change your life. He got sent to the trenches at the very end after working supply lines. My point was that the original commenter made it seem like everyone who was a World War One vet came out like some totally changed person who saw nothing but non stop trench warfare, when that really wasn’t the case at all
swanqueen109 t1_iwqx2fs wrote
👍🏼
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo5wox wrote
Yeah I read it he had a death wish
Unsettleingpresence t1_iwoore4 wrote
He went against orders to stand down. The Germans tried to wave him off but he kept going so they shot him. He did what he did specifically because he wanted to, despite his superiors telling him not to.
deegeese t1_iwo3wfg wrote
I bet if he really wanted to, he coulda found a way to procrastinate for 16 minutes.
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo4c8f wrote
Cowardice in the face if the enemy was punishable by death during ww1. So it was either a small chance of survival in the charge or no chance by being shot by your own officer.
pupsinpajamas t1_iwo4mk2 wrote
Nobody ordered him to do it. Maybe read the article?
ivanthemute t1_iwo4x4w wrote
Not just that, but his unit was given orders to stand fast, don't advance, don't retreat, repel any attacks but don't attack further.
He disobeyed a legal order and could have caught a court martial (NJP didn't exist back then) had he survived.
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo5m91 wrote
So the man had a death wish
SteakHoagie666 t1_iwo9hnj wrote
Always love the reddit historians who try to teach us a lesson without even reading the fucking article. The Germans who killed him even waved at him to stop. His unit was told not to advance. His unit tried to stop him. He just did it.
deegeese t1_iwo50ay wrote
So if someone ordered you to charge a machine gun nest 16 minutes before armistice, you seriously wouldn’t be able to think of an excuse?
dougaderly t1_iwob9et wrote
Fuck I can tie my shoes for twenty minutes if it means not charging a machine gun nest
deegeese t1_iwobfna wrote
That’s the spirit!
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwo5tuj wrote
No I would have kept fighting like everyone else.
deegeese t1_iwoaykd wrote
Cool, cool.
Personally I’d rather go on living.
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwoklp3 wrote
Unless your co puts one 8n the back of your head for cowardice
deegeese t1_iwolt0y wrote
Did you even read the article?
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwom0fy wrote
Yes but we're being hypothetical
Ryjinn t1_iwoie8f wrote
But everyone else wasn't fighting lol
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwokjcu wrote
Alot of units still were
Ryjinn t1_iwom4bw wrote
His wasn't. Nor were the Germans across the line.
TheNobleCannibal t1_iwom894 wrote
He was
Ryjinn t1_iwomcak wrote
Yeah. The only one. Against orders.
5-dig-dick t1_iwo8q8f wrote
Same honestly
Gruffleson t1_iwoxz3a wrote
I have read most actions that morning sadly was initiated by US officers who didn't want to come home and say they didn't actually do anything in the war.
snow_michael t1_iwq0yqo wrote
This is the widely accepted truth
Wretschko t1_iwoioj7 wrote
A major general ORDERED his officers to keep attacking despite knowing that the armistice was going to take place in hours and he didn't care that his junior officers might get killed as a result.
"Because he had taught English, [Maj. Gen. Charles P. Summerall, Pershing’s commander of the V Corps] prided himself that he possessed a literary turn of phrase. “We are swinging the door by its hinges. It has got to move,“ he told his subordinates as he ordered them to cross the Meuse River on the war’s last day. “Only by increasing the pressure can we bring about [the enemy’s] defeat. ... Get into action and get across.“ His parting shot was: “I don’t expect to see any of you again, but that doesn’t matter. You have the honor of a definitive success — give yourself to that.“"
What a dick.
Excellent article about the Armistice Day clusterfuck by American commanders that apparently led to nearly 7,000 needless deaths from the Army Times.
Catshannon t1_iwq7znx wrote
Shame he didn't have an "accident "
bolanrox t1_iwqvpho wrote
fragged like Needlemeyer
washingtonandmead t1_iwo1xp6 wrote
‘Merica
Brownie-UK7 t1_iwph9v7 wrote
I remember reading that both sides fired off huge volley of artillery during that last morning so that they didn't have to lug it back with them. WW1 was the biggest tragedy of the last 150 years - particularly as it was so unnecessary. Plus a huge factor that lead up to the rise of the Nazis and WW2 was due to the ridiculously harsh punitive reparations defined at the Treaty of Versailles.
kcooke7919 t1_iwpieey wrote
War is always unnecessary. It's only about power and money.
Doodle_Brush t1_iwpknah wrote
I'd say WW2 was necessary from the Allies' POV.
Wd91 t1_iwqq10m wrote
WW1 was also necessary from the allies' POV
kcooke7919 t1_iwpksi2 wrote
War, in general, is not necessary. Humans act like fucking idiots. Do you understand my point, now? And I'm not referring to a country defending itself against invaders.
MCBADDY69 t1_iwt913u wrote
you all
arrbez t1_iwo6hdg wrote
dumbass
madmollie2 t1_iwor16b wrote
All war deaths are terrible but being the last one to die just seems so tragic.
snow_michael t1_iwq0vw0 wrote
He was by no means the last to die
He was the last to die in battle on the Western Front
ItDoesntMatter59 t1_iwpxyzc wrote
It was a stupid self inflicted move
scooterboy1961 t1_iwo6p15 wrote
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
Frammingatthejimjam t1_iwpzee2 wrote
is the name of a fascinating book about that day.
Jjex22 t1_iwror4h wrote
* the eleventh hour of the eleventh month of the eleventh day
- he was American
kaznoa1 t1_iwp5u5u wrote
Bro was stat padding
Iheartriots t1_iwqtzm8 wrote
There were a group of Tommies, wearing the Mons Star, awarded in 1914 that died at 900am. They had served the entire war in the trenches and died on the last day.
bobhargus t1_iwpum25 wrote
how many died AFTER 11:00 in similar stupid last second attacks or from wounds taken during those attacks? shouldn't dying FROM the war even after the war is over still count as a casualty of war? even if it's decades later from injury, disease, or even suicide?
andrew01292 t1_iwpy9z7 wrote
Well, they still find bombs when they fill up the fields in France and Belgium so in that regard it’s still growing
bobhargus t1_iwpzjty wrote
well... i meant casualties among those who served, but it might be just as legit to consider these two civilians who died in 2014 as WW1 casualties
almosttape t1_iwqopxi wrote
This wasn’t an isolated incident either. There were 11,000 casualties from the time the armistice was declared at 5:45am and the time the fighting stopped at 11:00am.
Sad_Letterhead3662 t1_iwqwao4 wrote
Wow, what a psycho. Who works for the last 15 mins?
Well_why_not1953 t1_iwri63b wrote
Nope. An ancestor of mine died about 10 years later from complications of mustard gas. That the thing about war, soldiers don't quit dying just because the bullets stop. Buddy of mine died a few years ago from complications of wounds received in Viet Nam.
neomage2021 t1_iwsks64 wrote
Can't read can you? Last to die in battle on the western front of wwI
Well_why_not1953 t1_iwsplqg wrote
Yes i can read quite well but evidently I was too subtle for you. I was illustrating a point. (pointing out a fact) I have seen war first hand. Always worried about the last to die. I now know that they continue dying. So the man who received the distinction of being the last to die was actually not the last. Just because others took longer to die does not mean they did not die in combat on the western front. If you had seen these things you would understand it.
neomage2021 t1_iwspzd1 wrote
No, if they died later they definitely didn't die in combat on the western front. That's not how space and time work. Were they casualties of war, absolutely, of course they were.
[deleted] t1_iwo6tqa wrote
[deleted]
SEND_PUNS_PLZ t1_iwoi8a0 wrote
Well he had an eleven adventure
slater_just_slater t1_iwomby4 wrote
Pretty much sums up all of WW1.
markedbeamazed t1_iwootk3 wrote
Should of just chilled out until the time came.
[deleted] t1_iwp7bzt wrote
[deleted]
DK2037 t1_iwoxuwv wrote
Somebody had to be last. If it wasn’t him, I would have been another guy 30 minutes before.
No_Contribution4841 t1_iwpn001 wrote
So that movie I just watched on Netflix lied to me.
RatherNerdy t1_iwps9m1 wrote
I bet he was less solid after that
MrBlueandSky t1_iwq7ka3 wrote
Soldiers were " press until the final hour so they knew they were serious about the armistice terms"
Because that makes sense. Let's show them how serious we are about peace, by killing as much people as we can before it starts
Khelthuzaad t1_iwqd4z3 wrote
On the other part of Europe, Russia was in full civil war with armies sent by the Antante, Hungary attacks Romania and neighbouring countries and Greece is in full conflict with Turkey.
Peace barely settles in around 1923.
pglggrg t1_iwqdrdf wrote
Wait a fcking minute is this masterpiece supposed to depict this guy? American charging at an MG nest.
#(I'd suggest watching the whole 9 minutes with headphones on, it was great).
I thought it was just fictional depiction, but there is now some historical accuracy. im so glad i could find this again
wats6831 OP t1_iwqe2sf wrote
Yes, he charged a German road block. Both the US and German soldiers were yelling at him in English to stop and that the war was over.
ixkamik t1_iwqgq7d wrote
Maybe he didn't get the memo...
somefckerinthe808 t1_iwqphzr wrote
“There will be soup…”
End of War- The final minutes of WW1 https://youtu.be/U10ON2aau3g
THE-BS t1_iwqqhjp wrote
Rumor has it, this was Lieutenant Dan's grandfather
PsychedelicHobbit t1_iwqvyuu wrote
Damn, he Leroy Jenkins’d himself right into enemy lines.
_grey_wall t1_iwqvzjl wrote
They made a movie about a similar guy. Great movie, just released a few weeks back.
DanishWonder t1_iwqypd5 wrote
Leroy Jenkins
SalamanderDrake t1_iwr7sg1 wrote
Just watched the remake of "All Quiet on the Western Front", it does show a similar action, although fictional of the main character from the German side of the conflict.
When I was in France, we got stuck in Arras on Bastille day, cause my friend was trying to visit the grave of his great grandfather, I think the last Canadian to die on the Western Front, at least that was the story. He was somewhere east and north of Arras, we never really found the grave.
​
Anyway, we spent the day drinking outside this little French cafe, listening to heavy metal with an old French biker who really liked Mötörhead. Interesting day, lol.
RunsWithApes t1_iwraomf wrote
I'll bet this had to due with the insane PTSD (called Shell Shock) soldiers experienced back then. Fighting in the trenches during WWI was probably so psychologically traumatizing, he probably felt there was nothing left to live for.
FrostyBallBag t1_iwrdtg8 wrote
I thought i heard a couple of Americans didn’t hear abour Armistice and killed some German guy who was trying to be friends. Just after Armistice. Anyone else heard that?
DartzIRL t1_iwrq2mc wrote
A coupole of those who died had been there for the whole show.
Augustin Trébuchon had been with the French army since it kicked off, had been through the worst of the war, and had been sent forward to tell people that there'd be hot soup when the war ended. A sniper ended his war fifteen minutes early.
George Edwin Ellison had been in the British Army since just before the start of the war, having previously had about ten year's service. A sniper ended his war an hour and a half early.
Marcel Terfve of Belgium had been in the army since 1914. Having spent three years in the trenches before trying for promotion, His war also ended fifteen minutes early.
George Lawrence Price, from Canada, had been in the military for just over a year, having been conscripted. His war ended two minutes early.
The final day of the war was above average for fatalities. Everyone tried extra hard with the finish line in sight
Pleasant_Series_8044 t1_iwq4kr5 wrote
Another sad drawback to the quiet quitting epidemic. Won't people think of the military industrial complex?
pilesofcleanlaundry t1_iwqqswq wrote
The stupidest soldier to die in WW1.
dion101123 t1_iwrzxlv wrote
Isn't this what the new Netflix movie is about? All is quite on the western front
Ben_Pharten t1_iws9j45 wrote
Dude didnt preorder Skyrim
phart_19 t1_iwob2d2 wrote
Apparently the last soldier to die in WW1 and WW2 were both American
Edit: The last to die in Europe
snow_michael t1_iwq0kqc wrote
Yes because, according to the US, WW1 only happened on the Western Fro t
ItDoesntMatter59 t1_iwpxvf6 wrote
That was a stupid move by him
cyrusm t1_iwqj6z8 wrote
What an asshole.
[deleted] t1_iwr79d9 wrote
He died as he lived. A moron.
Pudding_Hero t1_iwoi7q6 wrote
Fuck yeah America 🇺🇸
degorolls t1_iwouw8i wrote
Of course he was American. 😂
Salmol1na t1_iwogh0g wrote
Looks like OP watched All Quiet OTWF on Netflix recently
DefiantCondor t1_iwo33em wrote
Today you say? That exact text has popped up at least once lol in the last week.
wats6831 OP t1_iwo3bv7 wrote
No I learned it from a documentary series on WW1.
Seems incredibly stupid that they just kept on fighting and all commanders were told to continue operations up until the very end even for territory that Germany had said it would give back to France in the agreement.
I don't understand any of it.
theguineapigssong t1_iwo630r wrote
At the time, they weren't sure the peace would hold so they kept fighting to gain the most advantage in case fighting resumed.
wats6831 OP t1_iwo8dei wrote
Not true.
They were told to hold the line, not advance and not retreat.
Germany had already agreed to give back the land it had gained (to France).
There was literally no point to continue, the peace agreement had already been signed by all parties.
[deleted] t1_iwoq8zh wrote
[deleted]
w00tabaga t1_iwod19o wrote
Ehh, from what I’ve read he is actually correct. Some commanders didn’t believe the war would actually be over, some fought that morning to ensure they couldn’t be trapped by the enemy in case they tried attacking them, and some wanted some glory before the war was over. These cases were isolated, but it indeed did happen on small scales.
HawkeyeJosh t1_iwo6wwi wrote
At that point it seemed more like they were just staying in position just to be on the safe side (literally and figuratively) until the clock struck the magic hour.
DirtyDanTheManlyMan t1_iwo22r4 wrote
Skyrim’s release date was an homage to the armistice date of 11/11/11. Lol jk ww1 ended in 1918
fraserfraser t1_iwo7xle wrote
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in the year of nineteen eleven
Whispre t1_iwogk0d wrote
it was 1918
Crayshack t1_iwomy8f wrote
Everyone knew the Armistice was coming. Setting the specific time for it was to give everyone time to spread the word to avoid confusion. By 10:59, everyone had been informed and was just waiting for the clock to tick down. This guy didn't want to live in a world without the war. Maybe he thought it was one last chance for glory, maybe he was severely depressed, maybe he had a psychotic break, or maybe something else. We will never know exactly what was going through his head, just that everyone around him though he was crazy and tried to stop him. The Germans only shot him after waving him off and telling him to stand down didn't work.