(THREAD) From a letter by Danish soldier Jules Eliasen, who served on the Western Front with the French in 1915-16. Writing to his brother in march 1916, he recounts an episode from the early days of the infamous Battle of Verdun.
(Any mistakes in the translation are mine alone)
1/ "A big devil [a German soldier] got close to me. He raised the butt of his rifle to crack open my skull, but a long spike [a bayonet] went into his stomach, causing him to fall on top of me, and I in turn fell down in the bottom of the trench."
2/ "In his last seconds, he had his large hands around my throat and he was lying on top of me, so I couldn’t move. My right hand was fumbling at my puttees, I managed to get out my dagger and get a hold of it..."
3/ "... - then it went back and forward 4-5 times into his body and face, so the blood ran up my sleeves and over my clothes and face. But then his grip loosened and I could breathe again. I tumbled him over to the side and stood up."
4/ "It was getting dark and above me, the soldiers were rushing forward. My eyes were dizzy, and I thought, it was the Germans overrunning our line. He [the German] had certainly squeezed my throat tight, ..."
5/ "... I’d almost passed out and couldn’t think straight, but I recovered little by little, and then I saw that it was the African troops from our Division."
/END
Jules Eliasen was reported missing in action in mid July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme and is presumed dead.
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.