The aftermath of fighting at Saarburg, August 20, 1914. A roadside crucifix was shattered during the battle, the cross bearing Jesus Christ was destroyed, but the figure of Christ was unharmed. Bodies of French soldiers lie in the field.
Das Kruzifix auf dem Schlachtfelde bei Saarburg.Wie durch ein Wunder unversehrtSieht man in stummen KlagenInmitten der Bervüstung GrausEmpor den Heiland ragen.Als wollt' zum Vater flehen er,Datz er das Schicksal wende,In seiner Allmacht gnädiglichDer Kriegsnot Schrecken ende!J.B.S.The crucifix on the battlefield near Saarburg.Miraculously unharmedOne sees in mute complaintIn the middle of the horrorThe Savior rise.As if to beg his father,To avert his fate,Graciously in his omnipotence,To end the horrors of war!J.B.S.
"In the corner of the village square we noticed a peasant with long hair and a graying beard, standing immobile as if at attention, holding his cap out to us in a broad gesture of salute.He had a look for each of us, a look of sad farewell. This sincere salute, full of sympathy for the men being led to sacrifice, moved us profoundly.In another village, there was a group of children marching in formation with a leader at their head, like soldiers, and they made quite a disharmonious racket with their rattles. That's how we learned it was Good Friday; the bell towers were silent, and the children were calling the faithful to church services."
Excerpt from the notebooks of French Infantry Corporal Louis Barthas whose regiment was marching to the front to play a role in the Nivelle Offensive.
Poilu: The World War I Notebooks of Corporal Louis Barthas, Barrelmaker, 1914-1918 by Louis Barthas, page 308, copyright © 2014 by Yale University, publisher: Yale University Press, publication date: 2014
1917-04-06, 1917, April, Good Friday, Saarburg Christ
