Quick note: This museum came to life basically be cause of a single man. He had spent his entire life building up the largest private collection of WWI uniforms and trench art. When he died, he gave his entire collection to the city of Meaux which ended up with an entire warehouse full of his collection. And they decided to build a museum to display this collection, and then added more stuffs and it became the museum you see today. One of the best I've seen on WWI.
As a lover of museums, I'm so grateful when JD gives us tours of museums I'll probably never get to see. Even if it's an abbreviated tour, I thoroughly enjoy these walk-throughs and JD's commentary.
Norm Christie is doing a tour of Canadian WW1 memorials, battlefields and cemeteries in May 2024 for $3500 Cdn I'm considering joining. So never count yourself out from Seeing some of these places.
Don't ever stop making videos! Your "pure heart" of wanting to present history with all its features (whether good, bad, or ugly) is very much appreciated by me. History is never as pretty as we want it to be, but that doesn't mean that we should ignore it or change it. Keep up the awesome work!
Hey JD, when you showed that "French 75" I was kind of surprised that you did not expand on it. It was perhaps the most successful artillery piece of the war and set the standard for modern field guns. It was the first to use a hydraulic-pneumatic piston recoil buffer and did not move hardly at all during repeated firing, unlike those big Krupp guns that would "roll recoil" back 10 yards every shot. It also has full "counter-recoil" mechanism to place the gun back into firing position after every shot. It also had the "Nordenfeldt" type breech mechanism, which uses a rotating block with a notch cut into one side. When rotated, the notch exposes the chamber so a round could be inserted, then the block was rotated back and closed. All these features made these amazing guns super quick and accurate to fire and a good crew could get 25-30 rounds per minute from these 3 inch cannons! Pretty amazing for a cannon designed in 1897! During development, the French military kept these guns a highly guarded secret especially how the recoil system worked. The French Army loaned several hundred of them to the USMC when they entered the battle on the Allied side late in the war. The USMC also loved their "French 75's". I think you could possibly do an episode covering these guns all by themselves! Jerry
I love the museum trips. They’re a great place to learn history in one spot and this one didn’t disappoint. Hope you’re feeling better. Keep taking it easy and thank you for putting out another great video.👍😊
Fun fact: most of the taxis used during the battle of the Marne were taxis owned by a company called G7. The G7 was founded and owned by the count André Walewski, great grandson of Napoléon... André fought during WWI, was wounded and received the Croix de Guerre medal.
Meaux is pronounced "Mo," as in what you do to your lawn. The letter combinations -eau and -eaux simply produce the sound "oh" like the letter o. Great work on this series. Very well done and appreciated!
As a Frenchman, I'm so glad I didn't actually have to "learn" french, just grew up in it. Our language makes no sense whatsoever, you have to memorise everything because there's no logic. This is also the reason French people will often correct you if you make a mistake while speaking french. It's not because we're arrogant pricks, it's because it's how we learned, our parents and teachers correcting us all the time until it is hammered in our head, because you cannot GUESS French, you have to KNOW it.
Trench clubs were used in trench raids not official/traditional combat. A trench raid was undertaken in secret at night when a small group would slip into an opposing trench and silently kill and butcher the enemy. There was a large psychological element to the practise.
That French light machine gun the might of had its faults but it was a huge step forward in mobile firepower. Check out Ian from Forgotten weapons shooting the thing. Love the series by the way!
Did you notice on the side of the vehicle the word "Colombophile"? I looked that up, and apparently, that is the French word for a pigeon keeper, or pigeon fancier.
@@lighthousebaptistchurchbir4648 Came here to say Pigeon fancier in the UK. Term has always amused me. My old primary school was right next to some allotments and a lot of the guys kept pigeons.
Thanks very much for this excellent video. You paid tribute to the ones who fought during WW I. My grandfather did on the Austro-Hungarian side, then moved to Mexico and here I am. Greetings from Mexico City.
Hey JD, I'm a Canadian and been watching all videos from when you first started this channel. You going to be doing more WW1 videos outside of Verdun? Like the Somme, or Pachendale, or Vimy Ridge. You should do more on ww was just excellent to watch Verdun
They really did a nice job showing the deeper history leading up to the war. The Franco-Prussian war was a whole other ballgame. The changes in the weaponry as the war progressed was also interesting. I would have liked to have seen more, but I understand the challenges of filming in a museum when everything is behind glass 😉
I think those blue flowers we can see at the beginning, are cornflowers and this plant is symbolic for a number of reasons. It was adopted as the French symbol of war as was the poppy by the British Empire. It is known as the bleuet de France and represented the first conscripted soldiers who arrived on the front line and has been used in remembrance since the war.
I visited this place with my aunt 11 years ago. Glad you got a chance to go in! Meaux has some significance in the 1918 fighting that involved the American Expeditionary force. I liked how they commemorated the war and its legacy. Definitely take the time to check out the Musee d'Armee in Paris if you ever get the chance! It's right up your alley and includes multiple eras of french history (as well as the tomb of Napoleon).
Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing your journey through France during WW1. I have learned and re-learned much about WW1 from your journeys. Keep up the good work.
That museum looks fantastic. Well thought out and put together. As a long-time sub to your channel, I can't tell you how many new entries you've been responsible for in populating my life's "bucket-list".
Thanks J.D. for showing us this museum. I really appreciate this because I know that I will never make it to Europe. If I could, I would visit all these places.
JD, I thoroughly enjoy your coverage of WW1. If you are ever in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, please visit the Museum of World War I (Bavarian Army Museum). So often we only look at one side of the conflict only, but this museum will show you the other side (without choosing sides). I can really recommend it.
Hi JD just wanted to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas 🎅 when it comes round,and thank you for all that you do,I’ve watched you for a long time now and have learned so much,thanks again JD stay safe
Nice job, very well presented. Left me wanting more, much more. You really do present history such a way that it is relatable, not at all dry and makes the life of an ordinary soldier come to life. Thank you so much. I always await your next video with lots of anticipation.
Hello, i'm french and live near Paris. i went to this museum a few weeks ago, ignoring it was purposely the biggest of its kind in Europe. Very nice collection of uniforms and diverse artifacts, some nicely rehabilitated vehicles. The little problem is that's its mainly focused on german / french front with only a few mentions or exemples from other fronts (turquey / Dardanelles, Eastfront, or arabian front). Anyway it's a nice spot if you're going to Paris for a few moment and if you've got time... and are found of WWI history of course. Good alternative to a visit of the landbattles, much farther. Notice that the museum is almost at the maximum point of advance of the german army in 1914. Thanks for this very good video (and yes, you pronounce just "MO" but with an "O" in the french style !).
What great displays this museum has. Of course, we have your excellent narration as well (really, really good), but, for example, displaying the uniforms in those narrow cases, at roughly your height, so that you are “marching” with them, tells you significantly more than just the uniforms identified in a case along a wall.
This museum is amazing- I've been to the French Army museum and the Tomb of Napoleon, which is fantastic but It has nowhere near as much WW I artifacts. Thanks very much for that- I'll be seeing this museum on my return to France.
What a treat to see this one , they have alot , the different uniforms were amazing , imagine what this collection is worth , as an only child , I grew up with a special friend who collected artifacts from all wars , he used to let me play with the different coats and caps , I have a special place in my heart for this kind of stuff
The infantrymans shovel or spade with a serrated edge was usually carried by combat engineers od Sappers. Serrated edges were useless in trench combat, infantrymen on both sides would sharpen all ends so they can slash and cut their opponents in close quarters. Serrated spades were used as saws to make cuts into beams to make joints, during an assault in breaching operations this would have been used to saw down poles that supported barbed wire. Both sides knew this and started using metal stakes to hold barbed wire obstacles in place. Saw tooth bayonets and spades became obsolete for combat engineers but made it general issue for infantry since it was a useful tool constructing in trenches in newly acquired enemy trench positions.
a little correction on the rifles you pointed out at 19:51 it is not the K98 as that would come later in 1933 but this one is the G98 which entered service in 1898
There was a K98AZ in service during the Great War. The later K98k was developed from it. If it had a side sling and bent bolt in WW1 Germany terms, it was a Karbiner.
19:11 The Germans were not the first to use gas, actually the French were. They deployed the first gas attack in August of 1914, less than a month after the war began.
You’re gonna have to give me a bit more than that because every resource that I can find points to April 22nd, 1915 as being the first time that gas was used in warfare.
The German gaz attack in Ypres in April 1915 was the first large scale use of gas in warfare, but technically, there were indeed attempts as early as a year before that, in August 1914, when the French used tear gas grenades against the Germans. The Second Battle of Ypres, though, (on April 22nd, 1915) was the first time chlorine gas was used (by the Germans after their chemists had "invented" the thing). @@TheHistoryUnderground
I think you and the original commenter you've answered to are both correct! Indeed, gas was used as early as August 1914, but April 22nd, 1915 was the first use of a *deadly gas* ; which, to be fair, is what really matters! @@TheHistoryUnderground
(Attempt 3 at posting the text...) (Edit: it worked! I had to amputate the internet address for the site.) Bellow is the text that turned me into a last-minute armchair expert about gas in WWI. It's relatively lengthy and not a primary source, but in the unlikely case you find some of it useful, here it is (from as site called remembrance trails - northern france): *Gas- Remembrance Trails of the Great War in Northern France* (Author: Edouard ROOSE) The war of position and attrition that was the trench warfare of the Great War soon encouraged the belligerent armies to develop new weapons, such as aeroplanes and tanks, in order to gain a better knowledge of the enemy's defensive organization and weaken or eradicate its forces. Poison gas was the epitome of this process. In August 1914 the French started using tear gas grenades against the German troops. In turn, in Neuve-Chapelle in October 1914, the Germans used shells containing a chemical which caused violent sneezing fits amongst the French soldiers. Used on a small scale, the effects of these incapacitating gases were very short-lived. Aware of the military potential of chemical substances, it did not take long for German chemists to isolate a very harmful gas which was produced during dye manufacturing: chlorine gas. Chlorine burns the mucous membranes of the lung walls and is therefore ultimately fatal. On 22 April 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, the German Army used chlorine gas for the first time. This first ever use of a deadly gas was unanimously condemned, both by enemy belligerent states and neutral nations such as the United States of America. Nevertheless, this attack opened the way for this new breed of weapon to be used regularly by both sides. Chlorine gas had two major drawbacks: it had a strong smell and its green colour was easily recognizable. It therefore alerted its intended victims to the imminence of an attack. Furthermore it was extremely tricky to handle because not only was it contained in heavy cylinders, which had to be carried to the front line by hand, once in position, soldiers could only use it if the weather conditions were right. For example, during the Battle of Loos in September 1915, the British Army was the first victim of its own gas attack when a fickle wind changed direction. This consideration forced the belligerents to seek new ways of delivering the gas and they soon started adding it to their shells and mortars. The advantage of gas mortars was, like shells, they could be fired in any weather and over distances extending well beyond the front lines. In 1915 the French discovered that if they mixed chlorine gas, which is very light, with a heavier gas it spread out better. They chose phosgene, a colourless gas whose strong odour resembles that of rotting hay. It was less of an irritant than chlorine gas and as a result victims inhaled it more deeply and over a longer period, making it all the more effective. The dangers of chlorine gas and phosgene were very real and both camps soon developed the means of protecting their soldiers from the gases' effects. For chlorine gas, soldiers were issued with a piece of gauze which they soaked in a solution made from bicarbonate of soda, or failing that urine, which they held in front of their noses and mouths. The first chlorine gas attack was made in April 1915 and by June of the same year the entire British Army was equipped with Balaclava-like hoods, the fabric of which was impregnated with agents to neutralize the effects of the gas. From January 1916 this hood was replaced by the first "gas mask" which very soon equipped all the Allied and German troops. It was to be kept in a metal box always at the soldier's side and comprised a mask with eyeholes connected by a tube to a cartridge containing an active carbon filter. Special gas masks were also created for animals working on the front, such as horses and dogs. Numerous gas alert procedures were developed and bells (sometimes pieces of shell) were installed in all the trenches to be used as alarms. However, these gas masks were of limited effectiveness against the notorious "mustard gas" used by the Germans during the Third Battle of Ypres in July 1917 and thereafter. The French called the gas, which was colourless but had a very light mustardy smell, "yperite" in reference to the place where it was first used. Mustard gas is a vesicant, since, as well as attacking the eyes and lungs, it burns the skin, causing extensive blistering. Soldiers exposed to strong doses of mustard gas died of asphyxia within four to five weeks. However the use of chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas in preparation for an assault was not intended to cause the death of enemy soldiers, indeed the concentration of these gases was rarely strong enough to have lethal effects, but merely incapacitate them. The gases caused blindness, which was usually temporary, as well as respiratory problems which were harder to cure. In addition to their physical effects, gases also proved to be a powerful psychological weapon. Despite the rapid spread of gas masks making gas-induced deaths rare from May 1915 onwards (according to estimates, only 3% of gas poisonings proved to be fatal), the stories told about the suffering endured by gas attack victims spread fear among the soldiers. At the end of the war, the horror of gas warfare led to the signature in 1925 of the Geneva Protocol prohibiting the "use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of bacteriological methods of warfare". This did not however prevent European armies from stockpiling large reserves of poison gas as a preventive measure; although none were used during the fighting in the Second World War in Europe. Adolf Hitler, who was himself gassed at Wervicq-Sud in October 1918, was opposed to their use on the battlefield. His own use of gas, in particular Zyklon B, in the implementation of the Final Solution is however common knowledge. @@TheHistoryUnderground
Wonder if the enemy had "pigeon snipers" to mess with communications! Thanks for putting this out while being sick! Very much appreciated! Feel better soon!
So pleased to find there is another WW1 museum besides the one in my neck of America. Maybe someday, should I ever go to Europe, I will visit it. Thank you for the video, man.
Addendum at 7.16 minutes in the video. Although the Triple Alliance was a defensive military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, when the war started Italy declared neutrality; in 1915 it switched and joined the Triple Entente (Allies).
I’m so dumb, started watching without really looking at the title and thought it was WW2 and was confused when yo talked about the assassination of the Archduke. Love the content as always man, stay safe!
I don't really want to put down the words "My Favorite War" because you know, wars can and do come at a tremendous cost of human life, but if I really did have to name my favorite war, it would be WW1. It is the conflict that fascinates me the most. Thanks for sharing T.H.U.!!
One thing we found out reenacting the First World War about the French "sky blue" uniforms the trousers and overcoats was that they at night especially moonlit nights it was very difficult "to see" the French soldiers/reenactors during any night time raid or attack so it was like a night time camouflage for the French side
JD. The Meaux is pronounced "MOW" you never cease to amaze me at the content of what you bring us, I could spend days in a museum not to mention meandering around all those battle fields. While you are over there I hope you get the chance to brings the battle of Belleau Wood.
Thanks JD for this visit. Those shells are pretty nasty looking. Worse are the trench clubs…can you imagine the thing of actually man to man combat where you either kill or are killed…speechless
I'm sorry, but being born and living in Ypres, at 10:10 seeing that top arrow go straight through my beloved city... the truth is the Germans never got passed Ypres, due to the heroic defense mounted by hundreds of thousands of soldiers. To see it depicted here like wasn't even a pushback makes me sick. The French museums need to understand that Ypres was AS big as Verdun, if not bigger. The destruction even to this day scars our lands, and every year (I'm not kidding) people die due to unexploded shells getting dug up during plowing.
looks like a great museum to visit...learning stuff about WWI that i never knew in school except for the basis of why the war happened..thanks for filling in some gaps
No doubt someone else mentioned this, but your camera's "anti- flicker" will be set for North America's 60Hz electricity frequency. In much of the rest of the world, you need to select 50Hz in the menus...
20:58 “french were Late adopters of camouflage“… WTF, we litteraly invented it, and you use a French word to describe it. (From the parler Picard « camucher »
This is a great video! As a civil war lover I’m starting to really enjoy a lot of WW1 content now too… also I had to chuckle when you said “pigeon wrangler” lol!
You called the Mauser a k98, that rifle is called a Gewer 98, the longer version of of the Gewer 98 AZ, which was predecessor to the K98K. Great video though!
You should visit Overloon (Holland) sometime. You also have Milletracks for German vehicles in Mai and one for allied vehicles in June around the museum.
Apparently museums do that with lighting on purpose to reduce quality of video photography. I could be wrong but I feel like I've heard it mentioned by others. Thanks again for the great content. Hope to run into you again at the Gettysburg museum.
I see a few others have mentioned Vimy Ridge - the museum there is very well done, worth the trip to see. As I understand it Hitler appreciated the monument at Vimy and ordered that it not be damaged....I don't know if that is true or not, but it is amazing to see in person.
Great video, your camera frame rate may need to be changed to either 25 frames or 50 frames per second to compensate for the flickering in Europe. Shutter speed could also be adjusted.
I was never notified about this latest video from JD. I found it by scrolling. I've been a subscriber for some time, this is poor service from TH-cam. Thankfully I'm here now, but no thanks to TH-cam! Great stuff as ever from JD.
Thanks so much, I reenact French WW1 with a twist. Being of Polish heritage I portray the small contingent of Polish troops who were foreign legion in 1914 15 and fought well but the the battle of Artois almost wiped them out. So they were disbanded. But when Joseoh Haller and any Poles in the KUK defected to the French, France decided to crown the eagle of their battle standard and equiped and uniformed them in 1917/18 typical late war issue gear. The 1st Polish army independent under the Polish crown and the original troops who survived the western front, plus US Canadian Polish x pats signed up and joined the French Polish army. Typically all French issue equipment uniform etc. I believe 10 Divisions were created and made a small contribution to France late war. After hostilities ceased this army were transported to Poland to defend the newly reinstated country to fight off the Soviet forces. It is Polands1st state army since Partition. Thanks Verdun what a horror. Thank you for filming the forts and fields today of Verdun. The French know how to hold on and fight!
@@alioshax7797You are correct but there for observation and advisory, supply of arms ammunition equipment and armoured cars etc. Poland had only been reinstated as a country that yr so they needed a big hand until they could tool up and produce gear. De Gaulle was there that is correct. Now France was very interested in making sure the Bolsheviks didn't punch through to Germany, no European country wanted to see this because if they did well we are looking imo another war nobody wanted or had the strength to fight even if it was going to be small compared to WW1. Deffinetly not beneficial at all to Europe. Anyway we knocked them back home but it was a horrific war reading some accounts of the Haller legion troops. There was no quarter given and hardly any food.
@@alioshax7797 The Poles who served for Germany France and any left of the Austrian and Czarist legions were the best troops and are responsible for stopping Bolshevik troops. No doubt, these men were WW1 vets. France did get upset at the Poles invading the Ukraine in French gear, but the Ukraine and Poland did end up being allies once the Bolshevik threat became very real.
JD, I'm sure you didn't have occasion to mention it to the French museum leadership, but Ike never served in Europe during WWI. He remained stateside, having graduated from West Point in 1915 (with Omar Bradley as a classmate). Oh well, excellent presentation nonetheless from you and the museum!
As for the chauchat, the modified American version of if was garbage. THe french version worked as it was designed. It was a cheap, easily manufactured, automatic gun for rapide mass production. The soldier were trained to be careful with the magazine.
Now ihave seen this video i have to vistit this museum! A few years ago i was at Ypres (Belgium) and saw the endless rows of headstones of the fallen. seeing al those young lives lost is like being kicked by a mule in te guts. A good friend of me who has British ancentry broke down and cried when he found a missing family member named at the Menengate. We must never forget
C'est JF Coppé qui est à l'origine de ce musée, car une énorme collection privé menaçais d'être dispersé et donc la ville de Meaux à solutionné ce soucis en créant ce superbe musée que je recommande à tous.
Quick note: This museum came to life basically be cause of a single man. He had spent his entire life building up the largest private collection of WWI uniforms and trench art. When he died, he gave his entire collection to the city of Meaux which ended up with an entire warehouse full of his collection. And they decided to build a museum to display this collection, and then added more stuffs and it became the museum you see today.
One of the best I've seen on WWI.
As a lover of museums, I'm so grateful when JD gives us tours of museums I'll probably never get to see. Even if it's an abbreviated tour, I thoroughly enjoy these walk-throughs and JD's commentary.
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100%
The first name was meaux pronounce MO@@TheHistoryUnderground
@@TheHistoryUnderground No History is in there for a start. ALL Wars are Fake.
Norm Christie is doing a tour of Canadian WW1 memorials, battlefields and cemeteries in May 2024 for $3500 Cdn I'm considering joining. So never count yourself out from Seeing some of these places.
Don't ever stop making videos! Your "pure heart" of wanting to present history with all its features (whether good, bad, or ugly) is very much appreciated by me. History is never as pretty as we want it to be, but that doesn't mean that we should ignore it or change it. Keep up the awesome work!
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Hey JD, when you showed that "French 75" I was kind of surprised that you did not expand on it. It was perhaps the most successful artillery piece of the war and set the standard for modern field guns. It was the first to use a hydraulic-pneumatic piston recoil buffer and did not move hardly at all during repeated firing, unlike those big Krupp guns that would "roll recoil" back 10 yards every shot. It also has full "counter-recoil" mechanism to place the gun back into firing position after every shot. It also had the "Nordenfeldt" type breech mechanism, which uses a rotating block with a notch cut into one side. When rotated, the notch exposes the chamber so a round could be inserted, then the block was rotated back and closed. All these features made these amazing guns super quick and accurate to fire and a good crew could get 25-30 rounds per minute from these 3 inch cannons! Pretty amazing for a cannon designed in 1897! During development, the French military kept these guns a highly guarded secret especially how the recoil system worked. The French Army loaned several hundred of them to the USMC when they entered the battle on the Allied side late in the war. The USMC also loved their "French 75's". I think you could possibly do an episode covering these guns all by themselves! Jerry
What a brilliant display of all the different soldiers "marching to war"!! My favorite part!!
I love the museum trips. They’re a great place to learn history in one spot and this one didn’t disappoint. Hope you’re feeling better. Keep taking it easy and thank you for putting out another great video.👍😊
Fun fact: most of the taxis used during the battle of the Marne were taxis owned by a company called G7. The G7 was founded and owned by the count André Walewski, great grandson of Napoléon...
André fought during WWI, was wounded and received the Croix de Guerre medal.
Wow!
Meaux is pronounced "Mo," as in what you do to your lawn. The letter combinations -eau and -eaux simply produce the sound "oh" like the letter o. Great work on this series. Very well done and appreciated!
Thanks!
As a Frenchman, I'm so glad I didn't actually have to "learn" french, just grew up in it. Our language makes no sense whatsoever, you have to memorise everything because there's no logic. This is also the reason French people will often correct you if you make a mistake while speaking french. It's not because we're arrogant pricks, it's because it's how we learned, our parents and teachers correcting us all the time until it is hammered in our head, because you cannot GUESS French, you have to KNOW it.
Trench clubs were used in trench raids not official/traditional combat. A trench raid was undertaken in secret at night when a small group would slip into an opposing trench and silently kill and butcher the enemy. There was a large psychological element to the practise.
That French light machine gun the might of had its faults but it was a huge step forward in mobile firepower. Check out Ian from Forgotten weapons shooting the thing.
Love the series by the way!
Welcome back JD. Glad you came out of your recent illness for another great post. Sorry it ruined your Thanksgiving...
Pigeon wrangler was a term I didn't know that I needed in my life until now. Thanks for that! 😆 Thank you for this series. Its been amazing.
Did you notice on the side of the vehicle the word "Colombophile"? I looked that up, and apparently, that is the French word for a pigeon keeper, or pigeon fancier.
@@lighthousebaptistchurchbir4648 Came here to say Pigeon fancier in the UK. Term has always amused me. My old primary school was right next to some allotments and a lot of the guys kept pigeons.
I would have thought they would have been part of a signal corps as they were sending messages via pigeon
Thanks very much for this excellent video. You paid tribute to the ones who fought during WW I. My grandfather did on the Austro-Hungarian side, then moved to Mexico and here I am. Greetings from Mexico City.
so much incredible history in one place, awesome video JD
Love the museum visits JD, this series continues to be very good!
Hey JD, I'm a Canadian and been watching all videos from when you first started this channel. You going to be doing more WW1 videos outside of Verdun? Like the Somme, or Pachendale, or Vimy Ridge. You should do more on ww was just excellent to watch Verdun
This video randomly came up in my auto-play, but man did I enjoy it. You're truly a gifted teacher/storyteller
They really did a nice job showing the deeper history leading up to the war. The Franco-Prussian war was a whole other ballgame. The changes in the weaponry as the war progressed was also interesting. I would have liked to have seen more, but I understand the challenges of filming in a museum when everything is behind glass 😉
I think those blue flowers we can see at the beginning, are cornflowers and this plant is symbolic for a number of reasons. It was adopted as the French symbol of war as was the poppy by the British Empire. It is known as the bleuet de France and represented the first conscripted soldiers who arrived on the front line and has been used in remembrance since the war.
I visited this place with my aunt 11 years ago. Glad you got a chance to go in! Meaux has some significance in the 1918 fighting that involved the American Expeditionary force. I liked how they commemorated the war and its legacy. Definitely take the time to check out the Musee d'Armee in Paris if you ever get the chance! It's right up your alley and includes multiple eras of french history (as well as the tomb of Napoleon).
Well... jk you went there!
Wow! Thank you for sharing this.
Really enjoyed the video mate can't wait for the next video
This should be a Netflix series. Quality content.
Thanks!
Hope it never goes to Netflix.. The woke Netflix, overpriced 💩 doesn't merit the quality of this channel..
@@newbeginnings8566 I’m sure you’ll sleep fine with the woke.
I visited this museum a couple of times whilst living in France, I am so happy to see it again here. I highly recommend going to all those who can
Nice video JD. I hope you are feeling better 👍🏼😎
Wonderful video. Thanks for sharing your journey through France during WW1. I have learned and re-learned much about WW1 from your journeys. Keep up the good work.
That museum looks fantastic. Well thought out and put together. As a long-time sub to your channel, I can't tell you how many new entries you've been responsible for in populating my life's "bucket-list".
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The Australian slouch hat made so the men would not knock the hat off when shouldering arms
Thanks J.D. for showing us this museum. I really appreciate this because I know that I will never make it to Europe. If I could, I would visit all these places.
JD, I thoroughly enjoy your coverage of WW1. If you are ever in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, please visit the Museum of World War I (Bavarian Army Museum). So often we only look at one side of the conflict only, but this museum will show you the other side (without choosing sides). I can really recommend it.
So glad you're well again!
Hi JD just wanted to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas 🎅 when it comes round,and thank you for all that you do,I’ve watched you for a long time now and have learned so much,thanks again JD stay safe
Ian McCollum is not gonna be happy with the Chauchat description I’m thinking.
Always a pleasure to watch. Thank you for all you do
Nice job, very well presented. Left me wanting more, much more. You really do present history such a way that it is relatable, not at all dry and makes the life of an ordinary soldier come to life. Thank you so much. I always await your next video with lots of anticipation.
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Hello, i'm french and live near Paris. i went to this museum a few weeks ago, ignoring it was purposely the biggest of its kind in Europe. Very nice collection of uniforms and diverse artifacts, some nicely rehabilitated vehicles. The little problem is that's its mainly focused on german / french front with only a few mentions or exemples from other fronts (turquey / Dardanelles, Eastfront, or arabian front). Anyway it's a nice spot if you're going to Paris for a few moment and if you've got time... and are found of WWI history of course. Good alternative to a visit of the landbattles, much farther. Notice that the museum is almost at the maximum point of advance of the german army in 1914. Thanks for this very good video (and yes, you pronounce just "MO" but with an "O" in the french style !).
What great displays this museum has. Of course, we have your excellent narration as well (really, really good), but, for example, displaying the uniforms in those narrow cases, at roughly your height, so that you are “marching” with them, tells you significantly more than just the uniforms identified in a case along a wall.
Hope you’re feeling better! Great video! The museums are always interesting!
This museum is amazing- I've been to the French Army museum and the Tomb of Napoleon, which is fantastic but It has nowhere near as much WW I artifacts. Thanks very much for that- I'll be seeing this museum on my return to France.
Excellent summation of the WWI museum. Can never get enough of WWI!
Such a great video you did there ! Thank you
There’s just about every example of German ww1 artillery, as war memorials in towns across Australia. 🦘🇦🇺
What a treat to see this one , they have alot , the different uniforms were amazing , imagine what this collection is worth , as an only child , I grew up with a special friend who collected artifacts from all wars , he used to let me play with the different coats and caps , I have a special place in my heart for this kind of stuff
Thank you for you visit and your vidéo ! See you soon
Another interesting video JD!
I'm glad that I found this video, for whatever reason it was not on my feed...
Great video 👏 I need to get to that museum at some point in the future!
Definitely worth your time.
Thank you for bringing back memories of my visit to the museum in 2018.
The infantrymans shovel or spade with a serrated edge was usually carried by combat engineers od Sappers. Serrated edges were useless in trench combat, infantrymen on both sides would sharpen all ends so they can slash and cut their opponents in close quarters. Serrated spades were used as saws to make cuts into beams to make joints, during an assault in breaching operations this would have been used to saw down poles that supported barbed wire. Both sides knew this and started using metal stakes to hold barbed wire obstacles in place. Saw tooth bayonets and spades became obsolete for combat engineers but made it general issue for infantry since it was a useful tool constructing in trenches in newly acquired enemy trench positions.
What a fascinating museum seems to have a little of everything, and very well put together
Your museum narration is really enjoyable, it almost like I'm standing there with you....
Yet ANOTHER Top Quality Video JD! You know, your getting pretty good at these things!
a little correction on the rifles you pointed out at 19:51 it is not the K98 as that would come later in 1933 but this one is the G98 which entered service in 1898
There was a K98AZ in service during the Great War. The later K98k was developed from it.
If it had a side sling and bent bolt in WW1 Germany terms, it was a Karbiner.
19:11 The Germans were not the first to use gas, actually the French were. They deployed the first gas attack in August of 1914, less than a month after the war began.
You’re gonna have to give me a bit more than that because every resource that I can find points to April 22nd, 1915 as being the first time that gas was used in warfare.
You are correct!
The German gaz attack in Ypres in April 1915 was the first large scale use of gas in warfare, but technically, there were indeed attempts as early as a year before that, in August 1914, when the French used tear gas grenades against the Germans.
The Second Battle of Ypres, though, (on April 22nd, 1915) was the first time chlorine gas was used (by the Germans after their chemists had "invented" the thing).
@@TheHistoryUnderground
I think you and the original commenter you've answered to are both correct!
Indeed, gas was used as early as August 1914, but April 22nd, 1915 was the first use of a *deadly gas* ; which, to be fair, is what really matters!
@@TheHistoryUnderground
(Attempt 3 at posting the text...)
(Edit: it worked! I had to amputate the internet address for the site.)
Bellow is the text that turned me into a last-minute armchair expert about gas in WWI. It's relatively lengthy and not a primary source, but in the unlikely case you find some of it useful, here it is (from as site called remembrance trails - northern france):
*Gas- Remembrance Trails of the Great War in Northern France*
(Author: Edouard ROOSE)
The war of position and attrition that was the trench warfare of the Great War soon encouraged the belligerent armies to develop new weapons, such as aeroplanes and tanks, in order to gain a better knowledge of the enemy's defensive organization and weaken or eradicate its forces. Poison gas was the epitome of this process.
In August 1914 the French started using tear gas grenades against the German troops. In turn, in Neuve-Chapelle in October 1914, the Germans used shells containing a chemical which caused violent sneezing fits amongst the French soldiers. Used on a small scale, the effects of these incapacitating gases were very short-lived.
Aware of the military potential of chemical substances, it did not take long for German chemists to isolate a very harmful gas which was produced during dye manufacturing: chlorine gas. Chlorine burns the mucous membranes of the lung walls and is therefore ultimately fatal. On 22 April 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, the German Army used chlorine gas for the first time. This first ever use of a deadly gas was unanimously condemned, both by enemy belligerent states and neutral nations such as the United States of America. Nevertheless, this attack opened the way for this new breed of weapon to be used regularly by both sides.
Chlorine gas had two major drawbacks: it had a strong smell and its green colour was easily recognizable. It therefore alerted its intended victims to the imminence of an attack. Furthermore it was extremely tricky to handle because not only was it contained in heavy cylinders, which had to be carried to the front line by hand, once in position, soldiers could only use it if the weather conditions were right. For example, during the Battle of Loos in September 1915, the British Army was the first victim of its own gas attack when a fickle wind changed direction. This consideration forced the belligerents to seek new ways of delivering the gas and they soon started adding it to their shells and mortars. The advantage of gas mortars was, like shells, they could be fired in any weather and over distances extending well beyond the front lines.
In 1915 the French discovered that if they mixed chlorine gas, which is very light, with a heavier gas it spread out better. They chose phosgene, a colourless gas whose strong odour resembles that of rotting hay. It was less of an irritant than chlorine gas and as a result victims inhaled it more deeply and over a longer period, making it all the more effective.
The dangers of chlorine gas and phosgene were very real and both camps soon developed the means of protecting their soldiers from the gases' effects. For chlorine gas, soldiers were issued with a piece of gauze which they soaked in a solution made from bicarbonate of soda, or failing that urine, which they held in front of their noses and mouths. The first chlorine gas attack was made in April 1915 and by June of the same year the entire British Army was equipped with Balaclava-like hoods, the fabric of which was impregnated with agents to neutralize the effects of the gas. From January 1916 this hood was replaced by the first "gas mask" which very soon equipped all the Allied and German troops. It was to be kept in a metal box always at the soldier's side and comprised a mask with eyeholes connected by a tube to a cartridge containing an active carbon filter. Special gas masks were also created for animals working on the front, such as horses and dogs. Numerous gas alert procedures were developed and bells (sometimes pieces of shell) were installed in all the trenches to be used as alarms.
However, these gas masks were of limited effectiveness against the notorious "mustard gas" used by the Germans during the Third Battle of Ypres in July 1917 and thereafter. The French called the gas, which was colourless but had a very light mustardy smell, "yperite" in reference to the place where it was first used. Mustard gas is a vesicant, since, as well as attacking the eyes and lungs, it burns the skin, causing extensive blistering. Soldiers exposed to strong doses of mustard gas died of asphyxia within four to five weeks.
However the use of chlorine, phosgene and mustard gas in preparation for an assault was not intended to cause the death of enemy soldiers, indeed the concentration of these gases was rarely strong enough to have lethal effects, but merely incapacitate them. The gases caused blindness, which was usually temporary, as well as respiratory problems which were harder to cure.
In addition to their physical effects, gases also proved to be a powerful psychological weapon. Despite the rapid spread of gas masks making gas-induced deaths rare from May 1915 onwards (according to estimates, only 3% of gas poisonings proved to be fatal), the stories told about the suffering endured by gas attack victims spread fear among the soldiers.
At the end of the war, the horror of gas warfare led to the signature in 1925 of the Geneva Protocol prohibiting the "use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and of bacteriological methods of warfare". This did not however prevent European armies from stockpiling large reserves of poison gas as a preventive measure; although none were used during the fighting in the Second World War in Europe. Adolf Hitler, who was himself gassed at Wervicq-Sud in October 1918, was opposed to their use on the battlefield. His own use of gas, in particular Zyklon B, in the implementation of the Final Solution is however common knowledge.
@@TheHistoryUnderground
Just discovered you, instant subscriber. Thanks
Awesome, thank you!
Wonder if the enemy had "pigeon snipers" to mess with communications!
Thanks for putting this out while being sick! Very much appreciated! Feel better soon!
So pleased to find there is another WW1 museum besides the one in my neck of America. Maybe someday, should I ever go to Europe, I will visit it. Thank you for the video, man.
I mean there’s plenty in pretty much every European country.
Addendum at 7.16 minutes in the video.
Although the Triple Alliance was a defensive military alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, when the war started Italy declared neutrality; in 1915 it switched and joined the Triple Entente (Allies).
I’m so dumb, started watching without really looking at the title and thought it was WW2 and was confused when yo talked about the assassination of the Archduke.
Love the content as always man, stay safe!
You have done an excellent job explaining things.
Great video JD thanks for showing the museum very cool
I don't really want to put down the words "My Favorite War" because you know, wars can and do come at a tremendous cost of human life, but if I really did have to name my favorite war, it would be WW1. It is the conflict that fascinates me the most. Thanks for sharing T.H.U.!!
Howdy JD hope you are well sir
One thing we found out reenacting the First World War about the French "sky blue" uniforms the trousers and overcoats was that they at night especially moonlit nights it was very difficult "to see" the French soldiers/reenactors during any night time raid or attack so it was like a night time camouflage for the French side
Thank you so much, JD! What an awesome museum. Appreciate everything on WWI videos. I had two great uncles who fought in France in WWI.
27:08 Eisenhower was a Tank Corp Leader in WW1.
But never saw combat.
JD. The Meaux is pronounced "MOW" you never cease to amaze me at the content of what you bring us, I could spend days in a museum not to mention meandering around all those battle fields. While you are over there I hope you get the chance to brings the battle of Belleau Wood.
But how is "MOW" pronounced? 🤔
It's pronounced Mo
Thanks JD for this visit. Those shells are pretty nasty looking. Worse are the trench clubs…can you imagine the thing of actually man to man combat where you either kill or are killed…speechless
Informative video. How much time would you estimate if I wanted to see all exhibits?
At a leisurely pace, 4 hours.
I'm sorry, but being born and living in Ypres, at 10:10 seeing that top arrow go straight through my beloved city... the truth is the Germans never got passed Ypres, due to the heroic defense mounted by hundreds of thousands of soldiers. To see it depicted here like wasn't even a pushback makes me sick. The French museums need to understand that Ypres was AS big as Verdun, if not bigger. The destruction even to this day scars our lands, and every year (I'm not kidding) people die due to unexploded shells getting dug up during plowing.
Ypres is less than 200,000 killed.
Verdun is more than 305,000 dead.
Give me a MASSIVE BREAK, right now.
SHAMEFUL COMMENT !!!
Maybe you should get a clue before spewing such revolting nonsense.
Welcome back my bearded brutha.
looks like a great museum to visit...learning stuff about WWI that i never knew in school except for the basis of why the war happened..thanks for filling in some gaps
No doubt someone else mentioned this, but your camera's "anti- flicker" will be set for North America's 60Hz electricity frequency. In much of the rest of the world, you need to select 50Hz in the menus...
Très intéressant merci pour la belle visite.
Thank you very much for the tour sir !!!
*DUNCE*
20:58 “french were Late adopters of camouflage“… WTF, we litteraly invented it, and you use a French word to describe it. (From the parler Picard « camucher »
Just because you invented it doesn't mean you thought about using it in warfare. It's okay
@@scottbivins4758 we were the first Military to create a whole section dedicated to creating Camouflage in WWI.
This is a great video! As a civil war lover I’m starting to really enjoy a lot of WW1 content now too… also I had to chuckle when you said “pigeon wrangler” lol!
You called the Mauser a k98, that rifle is called a Gewer 98, the longer version of of the Gewer 98 AZ, which was predecessor to the K98K. Great video though!
You should visit Overloon (Holland) sometime. You also have Milletracks for German vehicles in Mai and one for allied vehicles in June around the museum.
Apparently museums do that with lighting on purpose to reduce quality of video photography. I could be wrong but I feel like I've heard it mentioned by others. Thanks again for the great content. Hope to run into you again at the Gettysburg museum.
thanks you for the cool tour. i would love to visit it myself!
A brilliant museum! More unusual than most but definitely worth a visit!
Excellent and most interesting video. Thanks for posting.
J. D., is this museum larger than the National Workd War One Museum in Kansas City? In your opinion, is this one better than the one in Kansas City?
They’re both great in their own ways. Personally, I prefer the one in Kansas City but I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well.
I see a few others have mentioned Vimy Ridge - the museum there is very well done, worth the trip to see. As I understand it Hitler appreciated the monument at Vimy and ordered that it not be damaged....I don't know if that is true or not, but it is amazing to see in person.
Where, as humans, would we be if that truly was the War to END ALL WARS? Thank you Teach! Great video as always!
Like the jazzy intro music, JD!
At 7’15 it is worth mentioning that Italy remained neutral at first, before declaring war on Austria in may 1915.
Great video, your camera frame rate may need to be changed to either 25 frames or 50 frames per second to compensate for the flickering in Europe. Shutter speed could also be adjusted.
Have you been to the Pacific War Museum in Fredericksburg, TX. It's amazing. Also the birth place of Chester Nimitz.
Not yet.
Nice tour.... thanks.
I was never notified about this latest video from JD. I found it by scrolling. I've been a subscriber for some time, this is poor service from TH-cam. Thankfully I'm here now, but no thanks to TH-cam!
Great stuff as ever from JD.
Thanks so much, I reenact French WW1 with a twist.
Being of Polish heritage I portray the small contingent of Polish troops who were foreign legion in 1914 15 and fought well but the the battle of Artois almost wiped them out. So they were disbanded.
But when Joseoh Haller and any Poles in the KUK defected to the French,
France decided to crown the eagle of their battle standard and equiped and uniformed them in 1917/18 typical late war issue gear.
The 1st Polish army independent under the Polish crown and the original troops who survived the western front, plus US Canadian Polish x pats signed up and joined the French Polish army.
Typically all French issue equipment uniform etc.
I believe 10 Divisions were created and made a small contribution to France late war. After hostilities ceased this army were transported to Poland to defend the newly reinstated country to fight off the Soviet forces.
It is Polands1st state army since Partition.
Thanks Verdun what a horror.
Thank you for filming the forts and fields today of Verdun.
The French know how to hold on and fight!
The French fought in Poland as well after the war, no ? I remember something about De Gaulle fighting the Soviets in in youth.
@@alioshax7797You are correct but there for observation and advisory, supply of arms ammunition equipment and armoured cars etc. Poland had only been reinstated as a country that yr so they needed a big hand until they could tool up and produce gear.
De Gaulle was there that is correct.
Now France was very interested in making sure the Bolsheviks didn't punch through to Germany, no European country wanted to see this because if they did well we are looking imo another war nobody wanted or had the strength to fight even if it was going to be small compared to WW1.
Deffinetly not beneficial at all to Europe.
Anyway we knocked them back home but it was a horrific war reading some accounts of the Haller legion troops.
There was no quarter given and hardly any food.
@@alioshax7797 The Poles who served for Germany France and any left of the Austrian and Czarist legions were the best troops and are responsible for stopping Bolshevik troops.
No doubt, these men were WW1 vets.
France did get upset at the Poles invading the Ukraine in French gear, but the Ukraine and Poland did end up being allies once the Bolshevik threat became very real.
Great music soundtrack.
JD, I'm sure you didn't have occasion to mention it to the French museum leadership, but Ike never served in Europe during WWI. He remained stateside, having graduated from West Point in 1915 (with Omar Bradley as a classmate). Oh well, excellent presentation nonetheless from you and the museum!
Outstanding!!!! 👍
Glad you liked it!
As for the chauchat, the modified American version of if was garbage. THe french version worked as it was designed. It was a cheap, easily manufactured, automatic gun for rapide mass production. The soldier were trained to be careful with the magazine.
I gotta check this one out.
Have a good week
Now ihave seen this video i have to vistit this museum!
A few years ago i was at Ypres (Belgium) and saw the endless rows of headstones of the fallen.
seeing al those young lives lost is like being kicked by a mule in te guts.
A good friend of me who has British ancentry broke down and cried when he found a missing family member named at the Menengate.
We must never forget
C'est JF Coppé qui est à l'origine de ce musée, car une énorme collection privé menaçais d'être dispersé et donc la ville de Meaux à solutionné ce soucis en créant ce superbe musée que je recommande à tous.