The Franco-Prussian War Quotes

“Prussians were singularly well prepared in other areas as well. They invented the “dog tag” in 1870: an oval disc worn by every soldier bearing his name, regiment, and place of residence.”
― Geoffrey Wawro, The Franco-Prussian War

“In the days after Sedan, Prussian envoys met with the French and demanded a large cash indemnity as well as the cession of Alsace and Lorraine.”
― Geoffrey Wawro, The Franco-Prussian War

“To knit army and nation together, they issued each soldier with twelve stamped postcards so that he could write to his loved ones throughout the campaign.”
― Geoffrey Wawro, The Franco-Prussian War

“French soldiers literally drank the entire day, beginning with wine (un pauvre larme – “a little teardrop”), progressing to spirits (le café le pousse-café), climaxing with a gut-searing brandy (le tord-boyaux – “the gut-wringer”), and ending with la consolation, a sweet liqueur that the French soldier sipped as he lay in his bunk contemplating the next day’s exertions. Far from imbuing the army with an ésprit”
― Geoffrey Wawro, The Franco-Prussian War

“Hôtel de Ville, where French republics were traditionally proclaimed from the balcony.”
― Geoffrey Wawro, The Franco-Prussian War