Amputated French veterans sharing cigarettes in Paris, January 14, 1916.
Amputated French veterans sharing cigarettes in Paris, January 14, 1916. The following is the translated letter from French soldier Charles Guinant to his sweetheart, written during the Battle of Verdun on March 18, 1916: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ "My darling, I write to you to tell you that I won't be coming back from the war. Please, don't cry, be strong. The last attack cost me my left foot and my wound was infected. The doctors say I won't have long left to live. By the time this letter reaches you, I may already have died. I will let you know how I was wounded. Three days ago our generals ordered us to attack. It was an absolutely unnecessary butchery. In the beginning there were 20,000 of us. After passing the barbed wire, there was just about 15,000 left of us. It was at that moment I was hit. A shell struck not very far from me and a fragment tore off my left foot. I lost consciousness and didn't wake up until the following day, at a field hospital. Later I learned tha...
