Passendale

Passendale is a term for the horror that occurred during World War I. This is poignantly described in the book by Stefan Hertmans, War and Turpentine: "...the most horrific things we hear come from Passendale... We are entrenched, watching our stretcher bearers being called one by one. The word Passendale is on everyone's lips. The officers remain silent and look at the ground when we ask for an explanation. The mortar fire in the distance is more intense than anything we have ever heard before. Mustard gas is being used, the stories we hear are so horrific that we are almost grateful to be sitting here rotting in the mud, merely subjected to freezing, treacherous machine guns, and military caprice. The burns from mustard gas are more painful than anything seen before; there is no ointment or remedy available to ease the suffering of the howling victims. Morale sinks deeper than the nighttime freezing. There are again covert suicides - boys walking towards enemy fire and shouting: Shoot then, b*stards, shoot then."

Dromos