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It's fattening work

Raemaekers, Louis, 1916, Chromolithograph
It's fattening work
It's fattening work
It's fattening work
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Category
Library Item
Item no
32982
Title
It's fattening work
Description
"L'appétit vient en mangeant."

"The German attack on Verdun, 25 February 1916: It as daybreak before Hill 288, at Vacherauville, between two small hills in a sort of valley. We perceived about 1,500 ft. away a brown line from which human shapes stood out. The mass was still confused, but no mistake was possible. It was certainly the enemy, who was doubtless preparing for a fresh assault. Our "75's" (3-inch guns) opened fire at point-blank range, and we saw numbers of bodies spring into the air. Large gaps were made in the brown mass by each shot, but the attacking column did not appear to move. Some more shots were fired, but the Boches neither advanced nor retired. When day dawned the mystery was explained. The brown mass which our artillery had been shelling was a mass of German corpses. Surprised by our fire the evening before, the whole column had been annihilated there in the ravine between the two hills, and the bodies were so closely pressed together that the majority of them were standing upright. 'Le Petit Journal', 1 March 1916".
Artist / maker
Date
1916
Size
34.6 cm x 23.9 cm
Location
Art and Design Library
Copyright
Louis Raemaekaers' drawings are reproduced by kind permission of the Louis Raemaekers Foundation.