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by Carmen Barthet (Author)
From Les Andelys to Verdun ... is the story of a young French cadet fresh out of the Preparatory Military School of Infantry (1910-1914) who, like all his fellow students, volunteered for the duration of the war, and found himself thrown into the inferno of the gigantic, murderous battles that marked the First World War.Prior to the action on the battlefield, the story focuses on schooling at the Military Preparatory School of Infantry, giving an overview of the intellectual, moral and professional training received by the students, that is the development of "national and patriotic awareness" in order to instill in them a sense of military honor, duty, sacrifice, and also of their dignity as young soldiers".Reconstructed from family archives and historical documents, this account retraces the events in which the young Henri Barthet took part, right up to his death on May 3, 1916, at the height of the bloody battle of Verdun.This evocation continues with the victory of France and the Allies on November 11, 1918, offering a reflection on this cataclysm that bled and ruined France and Germany, and led to the collapse of a civilization. It concludes with the duty of remembrance owed to these sacrificed heroes, to ensure that they do not sink into the "black death of oblivion", and that the echo of this tragedy continues to be heard.
