If I die today

Panzerturm 2
Eastern gun turret, Fort Douaumont, Verdun


Work in progress!

„Und sterbe ich noch heute, so bin ich morgen tot; dann begraben mich die Leute um’s Morgenrot…“ (Drei Lilien, deutsches Soldatenlied)

“And if I die today, then tomorrow I’ll be dead; and they’ll put me in the ground when the dawn turns red…” (Three Lilies, German soldiers’ song).

Summer 1921. According to the calendar, the Great War has been over for nearly three years. But Max Schelling is haunted by the fighting at Verdun. The dead are as real to him as the living, the past intrudes vividly into the present.

His wife Frieda is deeply concerned about him. She suggests that he return to the old battlefield, in the hope that it will help him to recover. Max is doubtful, but desperation drives him to make the journey. Each of the places where he and his comrades fought brings the battle back to life…

ZB 1
Bezonvaux strongpoint, Verdun battlefield