Dark5 | 5 Creepiest War Stories @dark5tv | Uploaded 2 years ago | Updated 1 day ago
One of the most unsettling urban legends out of World War 1 involved the real-life horrors that occurred in the hellhole known as No Man's Land, the land that separates the front lines of the opposing armies.
According to lore, men from several armies in the conflict, including Australian, French, German, Austrian, British, Canadian, and Italian, deserted their troops and banded together instead of returning home, living between the trench lines.
It is said that the men, known as the wild deserters, eventually turned delirious due to starvation and became moaning ghoulish creatures that emerged at nighttime to raid fallen soldiers and strip them off their uniforms, valuables, food, and arms.
The deserters were often heard throughout the night emitting inhuman cries. According to a British Cavalry officer, they could also hear loud fights and gunfire from the desolate men fighting amongst themselves.
In addition, an account by Army Captain Sir Osbert Sitwell states that after World War I ended in 1918, the wild deserters were gassed to prevent them from ravaging the countryside.
Although many believe that the accounts were greatly exaggerated to work as a cautionary tale for potential deserters, the story of the feral men still has a significant symbolic meaning.
Even a century after the war ended, these supposed flesh-eating ghouls remind us of the madness, chaos, and plain senselessness of the conflict.
According to folklorist and Smithsonian curator James Deutsch, the story: [QUOTE] "Conveys the horror of war. World War I was a turning point in combat. Never before was human life destroyed on such a massive scale."
One of the most unsettling urban legends out of World War 1 involved the real-life horrors that occurred in the hellhole known as No Man's Land, the land that separates the front lines of the opposing armies.
According to lore, men from several armies in the conflict, including Australian, French, German, Austrian, British, Canadian, and Italian, deserted their troops and banded together instead of returning home, living between the trench lines.
It is said that the men, known as the wild deserters, eventually turned delirious due to starvation and became moaning ghoulish creatures that emerged at nighttime to raid fallen soldiers and strip them off their uniforms, valuables, food, and arms.
The deserters were often heard throughout the night emitting inhuman cries. According to a British Cavalry officer, they could also hear loud fights and gunfire from the desolate men fighting amongst themselves.
In addition, an account by Army Captain Sir Osbert Sitwell states that after World War I ended in 1918, the wild deserters were gassed to prevent them from ravaging the countryside.
Although many believe that the accounts were greatly exaggerated to work as a cautionary tale for potential deserters, the story of the feral men still has a significant symbolic meaning.
Even a century after the war ended, these supposed flesh-eating ghouls remind us of the madness, chaos, and plain senselessness of the conflict.
According to folklorist and Smithsonian curator James Deutsch, the story: [QUOTE] "Conveys the horror of war. World War I was a turning point in combat. Never before was human life destroyed on such a massive scale."
