George,

In France, Armistice Day is more important than VE Day (May 8th), someone told me, because those who died during the Second World War died for a noble cause; those who died during the Great War were slaughtered senselessly. The French find it very important to remember the victims who died for "little or no reason".

It's true that the technological advances in warfare brought an end to the chivalric code on the battlefield, and consequently, mass destruction and slaughter resulted. If one drives along the country roads in the north of the départment of Meuse in Lorraine, you come across cemetery after cemetery of soldiers who fell on the battlefield - sometimes from as far away ar Russia or Romania - or signs saying, "Duoaomont, village détruite" marking villages which were completely leveled by artillery fire and the few, sporadic advances of opposing armies. (Villages were sometimes wiped out in the space of a few hours!).

While the Nazis had method to their madness, the mass destruction from the Great War had litte or none. Lack of knowledge of how a war with the new weaoponry of the era would unfold took a heavy toll not only on the soldiers who fought on the battlefields, but also on those living in close proximity to the battles.

Joseph Cheek (electronic mail, November 12, 2003)