Heroic Visions from World War I

I’ve always been fascinated with World War I. The conflict completely changed how the world—and the men within it—saw war. It was the convergence of the age of heroes with the age of modern warfare. Up to this point, men yearned for war as an event that would allow them to show their heroism and defend their country. Men marched into WWI after greatness, power, and glory. 

Their sentiment is still around, but to lesser degrees. We know WWI for what it was: a wide scale slaughter of perhaps are last generation of great men. Armies went into this war holding idealisms that had to die if they were to win—and they didn’t realize this until much later. 

The sheer devastation imposed upon men would push them to their limits and beyond. It was caused shell shock and it was punishable by death because the officers of that time saw it as cowardice. These men were cowards to them. The science on PTSD wasn’t there yet, it was only developed because of what happened during WWI. Keep this in mind as I now tell you about the generals. 

The generals—on both sides—believed during the first years that the way to win the war was to just throw more men at the enemy. There are days—yes, days—where a single country would report tens of thousands dead. This meat grinder didn’t stop when the trenches were dug either. Men would have to watch advance after advance get mowed down by machine guns, dozens of times, then be expected to go out over the top themselves when their name was called. 

How many men would you send over the trench to be slaughtered before you said enough, we have to figure something else out? Would you do your duty—to die pointlessly—after watching hundreds die before you, all for nothing? There was no heroism in this, but the men of WWI did their duty because they didn’t know any better. As I said, this was the convergence of the age of heroes with modern warfare.

The French wore the same uniforms they did when we’re led by Napoleon a hundred years before. The men on all sides were made of something we can’t even fathom today. Their constitution was strong. Think strength, courage, honor, and loyalty on steroids and you might get close to the character of these men. But the Great War even broke many of them. Hell, I’d best most of the men who were executed for cowardice were more man then any of us living today. 

Heroic Visions!

Modern history puts so much interest into the Second World War and the evil Nazis we’ve turned into boogeymen because of the Holocaust. It’s my opinion that we should be honoring the men of WWI far more than we speak about the Holocaust. The immortalization of the Holocaust is a product of psychological indoctrination. The aftermath left men embracing weakness and blaming themselves for something someone else did. 

The men of WWI were heroes of the highest order. They walked into hell. Imagine Mordor from Lord of the Rings, this is what WWI soldiers saw. Tolkien himself fought in WWI, so it’s not hard to see how some of what he wrote was based on his experiences there. Imagine taking cover in a shell hole as the land is blown to kingdom come with artillery. Around you are bodies of soldiers. Some your own, others so badly decomposed you have no idea who they are. 

There was no picking up your dead. In the trenches, you would live with the corpses of soldiers who died before you—sometimes years before you. In Paschendale, soldiers would fall into mud pits and drown because no one could pull them out. Others were caught unaware from their trenches as plumes of smoke billowed into them. These men would be the first to die from poison gas. 

Despite this, WWI soldiers showed absolute valor and devotion to country. There are stories of men going over the top to save wounded men who cried out. Going over the top was entering what was called No Man’s Land. There was no cover and you became easy pickings for the other side. The Germans, even though they surrendered, were never pushed back behind their borders. 

How it must have felt to lose the war despite never being pushed back into Germany. To make it worst, they were utterly condemned and humiliated for the war. This treatment of Germany after WWI was the reason for Hitler’s rise before WWII. 

The Constitution of WWI Men

The soldiers of WWI held strong constitutions that were reinforced by the knowledge of natural law. When they volunteered for service, they sought adventure and to protect their country. But beyond this, they were after greatness, power, and glory. They were men of strength, courage, honor, and loyalty. 

Every account I’ve read from WWI veterans depicted men who cared about honor. They didn’t hate their enemies, by contrast they had great respect for them. This is something like inconceivable to a generation raised to despise the evil Nazis. The men of WWI existed on a different level. They admired the valor of their enemies.

I speak of this because in the current climate, the psychological conditioning makes us hate our enemies with the ultimate ire. Leftists want the right wiped from the earth, their monuments broken, and their institutions destroyed. There is no respect, only hatred. This can only exist in a culture not raised by natural law. 

I encourage you to read about WWI. Dan Carlin has an amazing 6 part podcast on the Great War. Of course, don’t forget about Ernst Junger’s Storm of Steel. Also, read Alan Seeger’s poem I Have a Rendezvous With Death which he wrote just before he died in WWI. 

You must absorb the character and constitution of these men, recreate it in this degenerate age. You too must have heroic visions and embark on the solar path.