A preview of 10 highlights from the Honorat Collection, consisting of nearly 200 examples of amateur French stereography of the Great War.
The Second Battle of Verdun: Scorched Earth Around Esnes-en-Argonne 1917
A month-long French offensive known as the Second Battle of Verdun is the subject of this 10-slide series put out by the SDV division of LSU. Featuring scenes from the recaptured regions surrounding Esnes, the series really portrays the devastation caused by 4 million shells impacting a region localized around a few miles of space.
“My Shelter at 36th Artillery Regiment”, Verdun, 1918
4 "digital prints" from negatives of life in the camp of the 36th Artillery Regiment stationed in Saint Airy Forest at Verdun in January 1918 show snowbound soldiers near one's shelter - as well as a peek into the shelter itself!
One-shot #20: A 75 in action at Verdun
A look at the Canon de 75 mm Modele 1897, in use for almost a century, and the central role it played in defending the Meuse Heights in 1916 at the Battle of Verdun.
Acquisition: Brentano’s “Verdun”
A new box of slides from Brentano's - stamped "Verdun" on the front - gives me the opportunity to make some side-by-side comparisons of both duplicate and same-subject images from my collection.
One-shot #7: Tranchée des Baïonnettes, Verdun
The Tranchée des Baïonnettes - where 21 men of the 137th Infantry's 3 Company were supposedly buried alive, with only their bayonets poking out above the earth - was photographed after it was excavated during the planning phases of the 1920 monument built on the site.