It is easy to allow the magnitude of tragedy of THE GREAT WAR to wash over in a barrage of statistics. The following graphic shows breaks down the human toll that was exacted over the course of these 4 horrible years in World History.
Joseph Stalin is quoted as saying:
"One death is a tragedy - one million deaths is a statistic"
It is critical that the statistics of WW1 be translated into the real human story. It was hard for soldiers to keep from feeling that they were mere pons in the hands of the generals and world leaders who were planning the war. In a time when communication was difficult and times motives for battles were at times engaged for reasons other than the toll they might exact on the boys and young men who were forced to go over the top, it was easy to get sceptical. Nonetheless, millions of soldiers sacrificed their lives knowing full well that they were climbing out of their trenches to their sure death.
The final scene of the movie about Gallipoli (the Australian's version of Vimy Ridge) gives a vivid reminder of the fact that real humans lived and died through these battles. For a backstory to this film check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallipoli_%281981_film%29
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