A close run thing

As I already said I don’t much like films. Nor do I like theatre, music, opera or ballet. I used to think I liked art but then I went to the Tate Modern and realised it wasn’t my thing anymore.

When I was a young man I read a lot of novels, but I can’t stand them anymore. I spend my whole time thinking how the characterisation has been made so artificial in order to please some fashionable critic or another.

I used to like non fiction, I read a lot of history and biographies but at some point it becomes repetitive, there were only so many Henry VIII’s or Charlemagne’s. I liked economics for a long time but once you’ve been through 2 or 3 ‘ new economies’ you start to get a good feeling for where things are going. Philosophy is good, but quite honestly it requires a lot of time and concentration, and I’m getting lazy.

Well I hadn’t done that analysis, consciously, before 10 days ago and I got quite a shock. It suddenly transpired to me why I was struggling with conversation in pseud’s corner.

With one weeks vacation I was determined to do something about it and read a book.

This had to be a low investment project, so I rummaged furiously through my father in law’s book shelves of mainly rather old books and came up with: La Grande Guerre by Pierre Miquel. Published in 1983 all 650 pages of it.

And I loved it; I was completely entranced by what must be the greatest epic of human endeavour in the history of mankind. Yes I knew the result and this was probably my fourth book on WWI. But it was fabulous. Those plucky little Belgians being overrun by the unprincpled Germans. The incredible discipline, organisation, innovation and single purpose of the Germans. Their stupendous belief in their ability to deliver the results, taking on first France and then Russia.

Oh yes I was on the road with the straggly French troops steadily retreating towards Paris as they lost one fight after another. How could it be possible to turn around such a forlorn situation? The Germans were unbeatable, this time the Marne would not be held, it was impossible. And boy was it close I was sweating all the way through, but they did it the miracle happened and against all predictions the Germans were pushed back.

Trench time was upon us. My feet were cold and wet as I sat in that house even though there was comfort and central heating.

My stomach churned, my heart sank. The young kids sat through their school exams, were called up for the summer battles and were buried 4 weeks later. It was mathematical, a good push took 250, 000 lives, 10 000 a day mowed down by the machine guns. If you were lucky you won a couple acres of land. As the resources dried up the Germans stripped the dead before they were cold and recycled them on to the next future dead body. Yep mankind can be creative.

And Verdun, unbelievable, the total experience, the outer outer edge of being alive, for those few who came through. Heroics, tenacity, single mindedness. A moonscape, nothing recognisable as being planet earth. No animal no bird, no tree no plant. Just man slaughters man in the midst of the churned mud and booming cacophony of the sound of death. Would the Saviem trucks deliver the goods and save the day? I was far from certain, but they made it God bless them.

Yes I will return to see those acres and acres of smooth lawns covered with impecable white crosses; everyone bears the name of a young man.

The UBoats, the sinking of the allied merchant ships. Germany starving, spreading illness. Give up? No way. We have a plan and we will win.

They almost did. It was close, close, so close. No film, would dare that level of suspense. Nearer and nearer to Paris. The German artillery reaching into the metropolis. The Marne crossed. The French and English running out of troops. The key rail lines lost, the horses out of food and dying. The tanks broken down and inefficient. The Americans not yet ready to pick up the baton. The plans in place to retreat to, yes, Orléans. It was hopeless, just hopeless the teutons had done it, history was wrong.

The miracle happened, the allies out resisted the irresistible. Suddenly it was all over, there was nothing left, the Germans had given their all and much more besides.

What a story, what a week. I’m giving up books while I’m ahead.