JUNE 6th, 1916
BATTLE OF VERDUN
FRANCE
Cpl. Jean "Jehan" Prouvaire was not a fighter. He was a struggling poet. He was a pursuer of peace and love and tranquility.
So why was he loading his Fusil Gras Modèle 1874 M80 Bolt Action Rifle and aiming it at fellow human beings?
Because he heard the cry of France reaching out to him.
When The Great War broke out, his new wife Mary DuFontaine, was successful in preventing Jean from answering the Call of Duty.
But recently, Jean was anxious to answer it, and so in the early year of 1916, Jean sailed across the Atlantic, and back to his home country in France.
What he saw was devastating. France was not France at all.
Instead, his country land was gray, skies and ground. Not a single tree could be seen for miles.
Bunkers. Trenches. Explosions. Gunfire.
This was not France. This was Hell!
Jean was assigned to the French Second Army. He had been stationed at Verdun for several weeks now. Things were not turning out in the favor of the French.
"HERE THEY COME, MEN!" Jean's Commanding Officer shouted. "Take Aim!"
"FIRE!" He bellowed.
Jean aimed his rifle and fired.
The German Army was advancing through the trenches, taking cover whenever possible.
Prouvaire and his regiment were positioned in a small bunker on the highest hill of their side of the battlefield.
For the past hour, the French have been ordered to fall back. This was going to be their ultimate last stand if need be.
Jean ducked for cover as he reloaded his single-shot rifle. A part of him felt as if he was in this kind of scenario from a different lifetime.
"Choose Bayonets!" His Officer shouted, as he fired his revolver at the Germans.
Jean pulled out his bayonet blade from his holster, and attached it to his rifle.
Soon the Germans were advancing. Jean fired his rifle again, and ducked for cover before a German soldier could climb over the edge.
Jean thought about the condition of his home and country, as he rushed the German and bayoneted him to oblivion.
He then turned his attention to a second German who was about to do the same to him. Jean swung his rifle at the attacker, and caught a glimpse of a third German about to aim.
Without wasting a moment, Jean rammed the butt of his rifle into the Second German's stomach, forcing the latter to drop his rifle, giving Jean a chance to grab it.
Then in a fluid motion, Jean grabbed the German and held him up as a shield in time for the Third German to fire.
Dropping the now dead German in his grasp, Jean picked up the dead soldier's rifle and fired it at the third German. When he saw that it was clear, he looked around to see the rest of his comrades cheering.
The Germans were repulsed. This was the second time in the past day that they've tried to advance.
The French soldiers were cheering in victory, except for the Officer.
"Mon Lieutenant!" Jean approached the Officer. "What is the matter? We've driven them off!"
The Officer looked at Jean. "We drive them off a third time and we'll be out of ammunition!"
!
Jean understood what the Officer was talking about. Twice the Germans charged and blew recall. The Third time is always the deadliest.
Jean knew that when the Germans would advance again, there would be no retreat. They would either take this position or die trying. Jean had to think of a way to buy time for the French.
That was when his eyes caught something down the hill.
"Lieutenant!" Jean called out to the Officer to get his attention. He pointed down the hill.
It was a cannon. A Canon de 75 modèle 1897 moving artillery piece.
"A magnificent idea, Corporal. But unfortunately, we are also critical on artillery ammunition."
"But…" Jean began. "We have cloth, and small rocks and gravel, and perhaps some pebbles of rubble from the fort. Perhaps we can create makeshift grape-shots?"
The Officer pondered the idea. "You're a genius! Take three men with you!" The Officer ordered.
Jean led his three friends, Callard, Marcel, and Pierre down to where the cannon was positioned.
Earlier, Callard had emptied his knapsack of everything and took it with him. When they got to the cannon, he salvaged as much artillery ammunition as he could get. Maybe at least 6 or 7 shells.
Marcel and Pierre stood in front of the cannon and helped to push while Jean and Callard pulled the latch that was used to tow cannons.
They were about halfway up the hill when…
"Incoming!"
Three explosions shook the ground. The third one hit too close to home.
When the smoke cleared, Marcel and Pierre were slumped against the wheels.
"Callard!" Jean said. "Give me the shells!"
"You're crazy!"
"We'll never get the cannon back in time! Just grab the grape-shots and get back here! Go!" Jean shouted.
Callard hesitated before running up the hill.
Jean acted quickly, as he could see the smoke against the trenches begin to clear, as the Germans were slowly advancing.
Jean threw the first shell into the cannon's mouth piece, then ran to the cranks and adjusted it accordingly.
When everything was checked, he pulled the chain and the cannon fired.
From what the Officer could see, a large explosion took place overhead of the Germans, causing dozens of them to fall to the ground dead.
When Jean saw that the rest of the Germans dove into the trenches, he took the chance to reload again.
Callard was hustling everyone for the bags of grape shots.
Jean pulled the chain again. Maybe a few less Germans were killed in the explosion this time.
He checked Callard's knapsack. The rest of the shells, unfortunately were spent. They couldn't be used.
Jean turned around just in time to see Callard running towards him
CRACK!
Callard jerked his head back, dropped his bag and fell forward with a thud.
Jean crawled over to his body to see the damage.
A Sniper must've gotten him. The bullet hole was in the man's head.
Jean muttered a quiet Vive La France before grabbing the grape shot and lodging it into the cannon's mouth piece.
But as he returned to crank the gun lower, he felt a sudden blinding piercing rip through his thigh as he collapsed.
Jean was hit by a bullet. The pain was extraordinary…
But he could not let this be the reason that France could fall! It was now or never.
The Germans were at least 40 yards away, when Jean crawled to the chain, grabbed a firm hold of it, and yanked the chain.
In an instant, at least thirty-five more Germans were knocked down dead.
Just then, Jean could hear a whistle being blown from behind him.
The French had stormed down the hill to finish off the remaining Germans that attempted to charge.
The Officer knelt down beside Jean.
"You are going to be alright, Prouvaire!" He said, as he fired his revolver again.
By the end of the day, the French had held off the German advances, buying them time to regroup and fall back.
But Jean Prouvaire had had his war.
!
Several weeks later, he was honorably discharged from the French Army, and was awarded for his extreme heroism.
When he returned to America, he returned with a Hero's welcome. But he was not the same Prouvaire as he left…
!
Just when no one would've thought it could happen again, it did. On November 21st, 1916, His Majesty's Hospital Ship (HMHS) Britannic, on her way to the Mediterranean, had stuck a German placed underwater mine off the coast of Kea, and sank within the hour. There were 1,065 people aboard the hospital ship. Thankfully they were not delivering patients/wounded soldiers this particular voyage.
And surprisingly, only thirty people have lost their lives, and in a rather disturbing way.
When the ship struck the mine, she had lost control of her engines, and when she was listing to the starboard bow, her propellers were still churning and halfway out of the water.
Two lifeboats were launched without permission, and were tragically caught in the propeller's path, killing thirty.
One lucky survivor was Nurse Violet Jessop who really was a remarkable woman; she had served as a stewardess to the RMS Olympic when she collided with the HMS Hawke, and had also survived the Titanic.
But this was the final blow for White Star Line.
RMS Olympic had continued to live a long and healthy life, re-painted with war paint to confuse her enemies. Her ramming of a German U-Boat had earned her the title "Old Reliable."
Other ships in the Titanic story were not so lucky. The SS Californian, which stayed in its spot the night of the sinking and didn't save a soul was torpedoed in November of 1915. And the RMS Carpathia, which was on the other end of the spectrum, a Hero's ship for rescuing the 710 survivors, was torpedoed in 1917.
RMS Olympic had continued her service as a passenger liner well after The Great War ended in 1918, until she was sold for scrap in 1935.
But now, at long last, it is time for us to put the stories of these shipwrecks back on the shelves and now, look to the future for the survivors and their loved ones.
Jean and Mary had three children, Doug, Judy and Thomas. The two boys signed on with the United States Air Corps in 1939. Due to his injuries in the war, Jean would walk with a cane for the rest of his life.
Julien Lesgles and his wife Clara Musichetta Lesgles had a daughter in 1920 named Marilyn. Just like her mother, she wanted to become a nurse, and graduated Nursing school with flying colors.
Eponine and Franklin ended up having three more children: Patrick, James, and Azelma, the last two being named after their lost ones.
Franklin moved up in the world of telegraphy and was eventually approached by Military Intelligence. Soon, he and his family had relocated to Washington DC.
!
Let us now jump ahead several years.
It is the beginning of October, in the year 1941.
A new political power has risen and consumed Germany. The Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler. Soon their influence began to spread as they annexed Austria. But they took it a step too far, by using violent means to invade its neighboring country, Poland in 1939.
Great Britain and France declared war on Germany and its Ally, Fascist Italy led by Benito Mussolini.
Much to Jean and Julien's grief, France has fallen the following year.
In 1941, the Japanese Empire had signed a pact of Alliance with Germany and Italy. This proved to be quite a threat; especially since they've already massacred China.
The United States took action, and relocated its Pacific Military Fleet from San Diego, to the Island of Oahu, Hawaii…at Pearl Harbor.
This relocation, had put an embargo on Japan's supply of oil. Their option was to either withdraw from its war with China, or to find another source of oil.
Diplomatic tensions were beginning to grow.
History was repeating itself.