枪声 (Gunfire)
叙述者：想到的第一次世界大战，你就会想到堑壕 NARRATOR: Think of the First World War, and you think of trenches.
战争四处蔓延，直至东方和非洲 There was mobility elsewhere, in the East and Africa,
但在西线却陷入了堑壕战的泥潭 but the war on the Western Front was bogged down .
双方都面临着创造新战法、新武器以及激励士气的挑战 The challenge on both sides was to find new ideas, new weapons, new spirit among the men .
只有这样，他们才能摆脱困境、赢得胜利 Only then could they break out and win .
dolphinwang Email:dolphinwang1976@yahoo.com.cn
1914年9月 ln September 1914,
协约国在马恩河挡住了德军的前进步伐 the Allies had stopped the German drive into France at the Marne.
德军退到地势高处，挖掘堑壕 The Germans pulled back to high ground and dug in.
协约国也是如此 The Allies followed suit.
其结果是：长达500英里的堑壕和工事 The result: 500 miles of trench and fortification,
从海峡绵延至瑞士 stretching from the Channel to Switzerland,
用为数不多的部队就能防守住阵地， 从而能用抽调军队至其他战线 allowing ground to be held with fewer men, freeing troops for other fronts.
要打破僵局，就意味着得采取攻势 Breaking the deadlock meant taking the offensive.
但是，防守比进攻要容易的多 But it was much easier to defend trenches than attack them.
堑壕内遍布着鲜血、泥浆和恐怖，但也挽救着生命 For all their blood and mud and horror, trenches saved lives.
这里充斥着难闻的气味和恐惧 They were places of fear and bad smells,
一些墙壁甚至是由死者的遗体和四肢来垒成和加固 where walls might be shored up with limbs and corpses,
但是在炮火纷飞、机枪横扫的战场上 but they were the safest places to be in a battlefield swept by machine-gun fire,
这里是最安全的地方 devastated by shelling.
当你离开堑壕时，会面临更大的危险 The greater danger came when you left them.
在公众的印象中：一次大战中的士兵们 犹如是一群被驴子们率领着的狮子 The popular image of First World War soldiers is lions led by donkeys.
但是，将军们知道：躲在堑壕内是无法赢得胜利的 But the generals knew that battles couldn't be won from behind a trench wall.
人们早晚得爬上地面、离开堑壕 Sooner or later, the men would have to go over the top,
而这将意味着巨大的人员伤亡 and that meant heavy casualties.
将军们并非象现实中的那么无情 The generals weren't so much callous as realistic.
尽忠职守者远多于庸碌无能之辈 And there were more good generals than bad.
他们并不是坐在远离前线的城堡内 Rather than sitting out the war in chateaux miles behind the lines,
在行动中阵亡的德军将领有71 位 71 German generals were killed in action ,
法国将领有55位 55 French,
英国将领有77位 78 British.
面对僵持的战局，将军们绞尽脑汁 The generals' response to the deadlock was to challenge it...
寻找各种方法来破解 ..to find dynamic ways to beat it.
1916年，双方都在寻找一个突破地点 ln 1916, both sides looked for a place to break through,
那里既方便集结军队又容易提供补给 where an attack could be concentrated and supplied.
德军认为，他们找到了：凡尔登 The Germans thought they had found it at Verdun .
位于突出部的一个城市，也是一个强大的堡垒 A town and mighty fortress on a salient.
犹如一个伸进了德国战线的法国舌头 A tongue of France sticking out into the German lines.
凡尔登看起来很坚固 Verdun looked secure,
既有着厚实的城墙，同时周围还环绕着19个巨大的堡垒 with its huge walls, its giant circle of 19 forts,
防护着它的外围 with their outer ring of defences.
但是，法军已经降低了凡尔登的战略地位 But the French had now downgraded Verdun's status,
从其抽调了许多部队，用于更加迫切的位置 removing many of its guns to needier sites.
对法国驻军来说，这是个轻松的防守要塞 For the French garrison, it was becoming known as a "cushy" sector.
法国士兵：我们几乎是毫不担心 FRENCH SOLDlER: We have almost nothing to worry about
我们经常打牌，时常会不得不丢下扑克而拿起步枪 We often play cards and sometimes we have to drop them and pick up our rifles
但那通常是一场虚惊 But it's usually a false alarm
因此我们回到原位置拿起扑克，继续集中精神于游戏之中 so we go back to our seats and our cards our minds completely on the game again
但是国会议员德利安，此刻也是一位上校 But parliamentary deputy Eile Driant, now a frontline Colonel,
意识到：凡尔登的防守非常薄弱 realised how vulnerable Verdun really was.
他警告法国政府 He warned the French Government.
我们日夜不停的工作，加固战线使其变的不容侵犯 We are doing everything day and night to make our front line inviolable
但是有一点我们无法解决： But there is one thing about which we can do nothing
人手短缺 the shortage of hands
如果我们的第一道防线被敌人的大规模进攻所突破， 那么第二道防线也不可能 If our front line is broken by a massive attack our second line won't hold
依靠为数不多的工人和铁丝网来守住 Lack of workers and also barbed wire
但是德利安的警告被忽视了 But Driant was ignored.
1916年2月21日，星期一 On Monday 21st February 1916,
冬季中晴朗的一天 a clear, still winter's day,
超过10万的德军悄悄进入战位，准备发起进攻 over 100,000 German soldiers drew breath and prepared to go over the top.
他们惊讶的发现 They had surprise on their side.
他们有着空中优势 Above them, they had air superiority.
协约国的飞机没有发现他们的进攻准备 No Allied planes had spotted their preparations.
在他们的后方，德军的炮火掩护开始了 Behind them, their own German artillery opened fire.
在他们的前方，法国的战线中 And in front of them in the French lines,
下士马尔克不敢相信所发生的一切 Corporal Marc Stephane could hardly believe what was happening.
我们被风暴般的炮火所席卷 We were swept by a storm a hurricane
一次比一次的更加猛烈 a tempest growing ever stronger
就象是面对着鹅卵石般的冰雹 with hail like cobblestones
象面对着奔驰而来的特快列车所拥有的毁灭性力量 with the destructive force of an express train
我们在炮火下，你那也是吗？ And we're underneath it do you follow?
在炮火下 Underneath it
那一天德军发射了一百万发炮弹 The Germans fired a million shells that day.
当一颗炮弹在几米开外处爆炸，伴随着可怕的震荡 When a shell bursts a few metres away there 's a terrible jolt
随后是难以形容的混乱，尘土如烟 and then an indescribable chaos of smoke of earth
碎石四溅 of stones of branches
血肉纷飞 and too often alas of limbs flesh and rain of blood
到了下午三点整 By three o'clock in the afternoon
我们防守的那一片森林，曾是被灌木完全覆盖着的森林 the section of the wood which we occupied and which had been completely covered in bushes
此刻看起来就象是个贮木场和锯木厂 looked like the timberyard of a sawmill
不久，我失去了大部分的战友 A little later, l had lost most of my men
德军不断的改进着进攻的战术 The Germans were evolving new solutions to the problems of attack.
他们向明显的目标派遣突击队 They delegated command forward to the men at the sharp end,
训练他们以小分队为单位，或曲折、或匍匐着前进 training them to advance in small groups, zigzagging and crouching,
并配备可怕的新武器：轻型迫击炮，手榴弹和火焰喷射器 equipped with fearsome new weapons: light mortars, grenades and flamethrowers.
他们称这些战术单位为：飓风部队 They called these units ''storm troopers''.
我们从自己的位置向前移动 We moved forward from our position
在那里我看到了， 用现代技术制造的最精致的武器，也是毫无人性的武器 That's where l saw the most refined weapon of modern technology or human bestiality
火焰喷射器 There was a spurt of flame
将燃烧着的汽油喷向敌人 which flooded the attacking enemy with burning oil
凡尔登是20世纪中，具有决定性的战役之一 Verdun was one of the defining battles of the 20th century.
在进攻的德军中有年轻的保卢斯 Among the attacking Germans was a young Lieutenant Paulus
他是二战中的将军（被俘前几小时已晋升为陆军元帅）， 也将是斯大林格勒围困战的指挥官 who, as a general in the Second World War, would command the siege of Stalingrad.
25岁的查尔斯戴高乐也在这里 25-year-old Charles de Gaulle was also there,
他是未来的法国领导人 France's future leader,
在保卫凡尔登的战役中受伤而被俘 wounded and captured defending Verdun .
进攻的第二天，在他的指挥部 On the second day of the attack, at his headquarters,
德利安上校接受了牧师的宽恕，并给妻子留言 Colonel Driant received absolution from his chaplain and wrote a note to his wife.
进攻的时刻即将来临，我感到非常的平静 The hour is near, l feel very calm
森林中我们前方的堑壕将在几分钟内失去 In our wood the front trenches will be taken in a few minutes
我的剩余部队坚守到现在 my poor battalions spared until now
他给上级发了一个信息 He sent a message to his divisional commander.
我们将与德国佬纠缠到底 We shall hold out against the Boche
尽管他们的炮火如地狱般的恐怖 although their bombardment is infernal
德利安下令撤退 Driant ordered a retreat out of the woods.
他的一名部下被击中 Then one of his men was hit.
当德利安给他包扎时，自己也被击中 As Driant started to dress the wound, he too was shot.
我清楚的看到上校举起双手，大叫到：我的上帝啊 l clearly saw the Colonel throw up his arms and shout "Oh My God!"
接着半转着身子，倒下 Then he half -turned and collapsed
当我赶到他身边时，他已经没有生命迹象了 When l got over to him there was no sign of life
鲜血从他的头部伤口和嘴里流出 Blood was flowing from a head wound and from his mouth
呈现死者的颜色 He had the colour of a dead man
三天后，德军攻陷Douaumont--凡尔登的主要堡垒 Three days later, the Germans captured Douaumont, Verdun's key fort.
整个德国兴高采烈，教堂敲钟庆祝，宣布当天为国假日 Germany was Jubilant. Church bells rang out. A national holiday was declared.
在法国，德利安的英勇牺牲激励着爱国烈焰的迸发 ln France, Driant's heroic sacrifice helped spark the flame of national defiance.
凡尔登必需得坚守住，不惜任何代价 Verdun was to be held at any cost.
这关系到 法国的生死存亡 The survival of France herself was at stake.
“他们永远无法通过”凡尔登的 新指挥官菲力谱 贝当将军宣布道 "They shall not pass," declared General Philippe Pedain , Verdun's new commander.
他轮换着防守部队 He rotated his troops.
有四分之三的法国军队交替着保卫凡尔登 Three quarters of the French Army at one time or another defended Verdun,
以全国的努力来确保：在这次战役中， 没有任何一支部队被整建制的彻底毁灭 a national effort that ensured whole units were not totally destroyed in the battle.
贝当是真正的爱惜部下的生命 Petain was genuinely concerned for the lives of his men.
四分之一个世纪后， 他带领着他的国家投降，并与希特勒合作 A quarter of a century later, he led his country into surrender and collaboration with Hitler
而不是重复血腥的凡尔登 rather than repeat the bloodbath of Verdun.
93号国道 Route National 93.
一条普通的法国公路，但它拯救了法国 An ordinary French road, but it saved its country's life.
从Voie Sacr运出的补给品，日夜不停的输往凡尔登 Night and day, supplies for Verdun rolled along the Voie Sacr, the Sacred Way,
这条神圣的公路，如同铁路般优秀 as well as by rail.
另一条战线上的事件也帮助了法国在凡尔登的战斗 Events on another front also helped the French at Verdun .
1915年底 At the end of 1915,
协约国集团---英国、法国、意大利、俄国 the Allies - Britain , France, ltaly and Russia -
通过了一个1916年的计划： had agreed a plan for 1916
从各个方向牵制德军 to pull Germany in different directions.
此刻出现了成效 Now the deal paid off.
一次成功的俄军进攻迫使德军从法国前线 A successful Russian offensive forced Germany
抽调部队到东部战线 to switch troops from France to the Eastern Front.
到了六月，在凡尔登的战争主动权移至了法军 From June, the initiative at Verdun passed to the French.
德国的技术优势也是短暂的 And Germany's technical advantages were short-lived.
在整个战争期间，新想法会被对方迅速吸收而采用 Throughout the war, new ideas were quickly picked up by the other side.
所有我们的新发明就象是邪恶的精灵会 毁灭自身的同时也反噬其主人， All our inventions seem to turn like evil spirits against us like a monster destroying itself
在这些可怕的毁灭景象之中 Amid these terrible scenes of destruction
有着一个幻像：似乎是难以形容的，荣耀回家的幻像 the idea of ever returning home seems indescribably glorious
请照顾好自己和我们的家 Please look after yourself and our home
务必照顾好你的一切 your soul and your body and all that is mine
那天后不久，弗朗滋马克阵亡 Franz Marc was killed later that day.
1916年10月24日 Finally, on 24 October 1916,
法国夺回douaumont炮台 the French recaptured Fort Douaumont.
凡尔登得救了 Verdun was saved.
最终，时机来到了 At last, the time has come,
我们起程去征服敌人 and we set off to conquer the enemy positions
他们没有任何的抵抗 They don't offer any resistance
只有很少的敌人幸存，走出掩蔽所大喊着"投降!" and the few men who are still alive come out of their holes crying "Kamerad!"
凡尔登战场有着一种不同的气氛， 在以往的战场上我从未经历过的 The battlefield of Verdun has a different atmosphere from any other I was ever on
充斥着异常的恐怖 Its horrors are also greater
但这儿也有着一种强烈的满足感 But there 's a feeling of intense satisfaction
在凡尔登，法国人再次找回了自信 It was at Verdun that the French people found themselves again
摆脱了缠绕着他们多年的巨大阴影 and emerged from the clouds which have hung over them
自从在1870年惨败于德军后 since their defeat by the Germans in 1870
法军在在凡尔登学到了一系列的教训： France had learned a string of lessons at Verdun :
包括火炮战术，新式武器，后勤管理以及人力资源配置 about artillery, new weapons, logistics, and manpower.
但也付出了30多万人伤亡的惨痛代价 But at a cost of over a third of a million casualties.
德军的伤亡也要这么高 German casualties were nearly as high,
但是德军不仅在西线独自战斗， 还于自己的同盟国协作战斗在各个战线 but Germany, fighting alone in the West and with weak allies on other fronts,
无法忍受如此巨大的损失 could not endure losses on this scale.
直至1918年，她在西线再也没有发起重大攻势 She would not launch another major offensive on the Western Front until 1918.
用望远镜中搜寻数英里，也见不到一个人影 One can look for miles and see no human beings
但是在这数英里的乡间，潜伏着数千人的军队 But in those miles of country lurk it seems thousands of men
不断的计划着致对方于死地的新方式 planning against each other perpetually some new device of death
无须暴露自己就可以向对方开炮、空投炸弹、发射枪榴弹 Never showing themselves they launch at each other bullet bomb aerial torpedo and shell
不同于以往的战争，西部战线的战斗从未停止 Unlike previous wars, the fighting on the Western Front was unceasing.
在平静的战线某处，随着一声枪响，一个人倒下 Somewhere down the line, there was always a gun firing, a man falling.
但对于双方的部队来说，战争生活并非总是残酷无情 But for the troops of both sides, life was not always unrelenting warfare.
在1916年，平均每个英军士兵驻守前线的时间是一百天 During 1916, the average British soldier spent 100 days at the front.
其他的时间，他在训练、调整、休息或者放假 For the remainder, he was in reserve, on work detail, resting or on leave.
在长达500多英里的前线，有些防区相对很清闲 And over the 500-mile front, some sectors were easier than others.
即使是些很忙碌的人也能得到休息 Even busy ones had their lulls.
一天，英国将军Edward Gleichen勋爵视察前线 One day, British General Lord Edward Gleichen visited the front line.
当来到环行堑壕时，我问一个士兵： 是否向德国人射杀过德军 When going round the trenches I asked a man whether he had had any shots at the Germans
他回答说，那里有一个老绅士，秃顶且长长的胡子 He responded that there was an elderly gentleman with a bald head and long beard
常常将自己暴露在掩体之外 who often showed himself over the parapet
那你为什么不射杀他？ 射杀他？士兵反问道 "Well why didn't you shoot him?" "shoot him?" said the man
为什么上帝会保佑你，先生。他从未曾没有伤害过我 "Why Lord bless you sir he's never done me no harm"
这是一个令人震惊的例子， “活着，允许对方活着” A shocking example of "live and let live"
“活着，允许对方活着”是一个双方都普遍存在的现象 "Live and let live" was a pervasive phenomenon on both sides,
与敌人相邻而居 of accommodation with the enemy.
这种情形出现在平静的时刻与平静的战线上 It arose because, in quiet times and in quiet lines,
人们正努力着去适应战争 men were learning to adapt to war,
也使得战争适应他们 and to adapt war to them.
我们有时离开战壕，来到后面的长草丛中 We sometimes got out of the trench into the tall grass behind
草地被太阳晒的很干 which the sun had dried
带上一本书享受着温暖的赖散 and enjoyed a warm indolence with a book
我想要是没有步兵训练 Not Infantry Training I think
在这和平的防区，我们似乎已经被战争遗忘了 The war seemed to have forgotten us in that placid sector
军官和军士们一样，都过的非常快乐 Im with officers and sergeants who are great fun
这里有大量的杜松子酒和葡萄酒 There 's lots of schnapps and wine
每一天我们都喝的大醉而忘记了 我们是身处于防御阵地之中还是身处于平民街道上 And every day we get so drunk we forget whether we're at war or in civvy street
我所在的战斗单位有一架钢琴，竟然在战壕中、在前线 In my unit there was a piano actually in the trench in the front line
我们经常唱许多好听的歌曲 and we had many a good sing song
(Cheering) （欢呼）
我觉得很棒，从来没有生活的这么愉快， 或许这种生活以后不会再有 l feel great I have never lived so well and probably never will again
我刚加入我们的体育俱乐部 I have just joined our sports club
这个晚上，有人搞到一个足球 This evening someone got a football
现在我们可以玩足球赛和跳远 Now we can play football racing long jump
巧克力是奖品，由我们的排长捐赠 Chocolate is the prize donated by our platoon commander
这个防区的生活，非常懒散 Life in this sector is gloriously lazy
完美的天气，和平的敌人 Weather is perfect the enemy most peaceful
整天无事可做，除了背靠着背吸烟， 或者给家里写些充满想象力的信件 And there's little to do but lie on one's back and smoke or write imaginative letters back home
炮轰敌人战壕后方的道路，将会是一场儿戏 It would be child's play to shell the road behind the enemy's trenches
当那里拥挤着运送口粮与饮水的车辆时 crowded as it was with ration wagons and water carts
就会变成一个血淋淋的旷野 into a bloodstained wilderness
但总体来说，这儿是平静的 But on the whole there is silence
毕竟 After all
如果你不让敌人得到他的给养和药物，那么很简单 if you prevent your enemy from getting his rations his remedy is simple
他也必定会阻止你得到所需的一切 he will prevent you from drawing yours
我们经常看到德国人的蓝灰色炊烟螺旋状升起 We often see the smoke of the Germans' mealime fires ascending in blue-grey spirals
一个基本的礼貌：对方进膳时，不能用仇恨的手榴弹去打扰 It is only common courtesy not to interrupt each other's meals with intermittent missiles of hate
一天，当我们的步兵正在煮饭烧菜时 One day while our infantry was cooking
敌人的战壕中传来一个声音： there was a shout from the enemy trench
我能过来一起吃吗？ Could he come and eat too?
他得到了邀请 He was invited over
这个法国人过来，吃的酣畅淋漓 The Frenchman came and ate and made himself comfortable
从那时起 And from then on
每当那个法国人注意到，德国战壕里的食物准备就绪 whenever the Frenchman noticed that food was ready in the German trenches
他就会过来一起分享 he came and joined in
有时，一个军官尝试着让部下采取些小的行动 Sometimes an officer tried to stir his men into a little action.
安置个狙击手如何？ How about posting a sniper?
或者扔一个手榴弹？ Or lobbing over a grenade?
我们收到一个来自德军战壕的消息，绑在一块投掷过来的石头上 We received the following message tied to a stone from the German trenches opposite
我们将炮轰你们 "We're going to send a 40-pounder."
尽管我们不愿意，但是已经收到了命令 We've been ordered to do this but we don't want to
就在今晚 It'll come this evening
我们会事先吹哨子警告你们，以便尽快躲避 and we'll blow a whistle first to warn you so that you have time to take cover."
接下来所发生的一切，正如他们所说的 All happened as they said it would
狙击手的是一个非常必要的人 The sniper is a very necessary person
他的工作令大家都牢记着：我们正处于战争 He serves to remind us that we are at war
无论在什么情况下 一个脑袋或者是类似一个脑袋的物体出现，他就会开枪 Wherever a head or anything resembling a head shows itself he fires
如果不是他的辛勤工作，双方的士兵都会各自坐在掩体上 Were it not for his enthusiasm both sides would be sitting upon their respective parapets
带着坦诚的好奇心注视对方 regarding each other with frank curiosity
而无所作为 and that would never do
1916年3月，英军指令 British Directive March 1916
随着堑壕战 With trench warfare
这里有一种正在滑向被动的、软弱境地的潜在趋势 there is an insidious tendency to lapse into a passive and lethargic attitude
各级军官都必须严加警惕 against which officers of all ranks have to be on their guard
并且得不断的注重进取精神的培养 and the fostering of the offensive spirit calls for incessant attention
“活着，允许对方活着”依赖于防区和部队的操作 "Live and let live" was dependent on the sector and the troops manning it.
德国人不喜欢面对苏格兰军团 The Germans didn't like facing the Highland Regiments.
英国人也无法和普鲁士人共处 The British couldn't get along with the Prussians.
但是有一些其他的德国人就很不错 But some of the other Germans were fine.
士兵麦克给了我们一些有益的提示 The soldier Mike gave us some useful hints
他说：撒克逊人在这条路的那一边 "It's the saxons that's across the road" he said
所指的敌人战线，静悄悄的 pointing to the enemy lines which were silent
撒克逊人总是很安静 "They're quiet fellows the saxons
他们并不比我们更想打仗 They don't want to fight any more than we do
因此，我们彼此之间有种默契： so there's a kind of understanding between us
你不向我开火，我也不向你射击 Don't fire at us and we'll not fire at you"
“活着，允许对方活着”的现象，并不曾出现在精锐部队 "Live and let live" did not occur where elite regiments were operating.
他们对敌人保留着自己的观点 They had their own ideas about getting at the enemy.
这是南非部队白天袭击的珍贵片段 Rare footage of a daylight raid by South African troops.
这是控制无人区域的计划 The idea was to dominate no-man's-land,
告诉敌人：这里不再是无人区域了，被我们占领了 to say to the enemy, "It's not no-man's-land, it's ours."
袭击经常发生在堑壕中 Raids broke up trench routines,
从俘虏那得到情报，有助于进攻 brought intelligence from prisoners, encouraged aggression.
英军最高指挥官设法杜绝“活着，允许对方活着” This, British High Command thought, was the cure for "live and let live".
在特定区域使用精心设计的模式进行模拟训练 Training sessions were organised using elaborate models of the target area.
所有的团都必须进行突袭，懒散的部队受到训斥 Raiding became compulsory for all regiments and laggards were rooted out.
更高级的军官出现在我们的队伍中 Higher ranks appeared in our midst
陆军准将也如 chief of all the Brigadier General
上尉参谋似的经历同样的危险 followed by an almost equally-menacing staff Captain
我的名字？ What was my name?
我还没有铺设过铁丝网 I had not been round the company's wire?
为什么不呢？ Why not?
我去 I was to go
部队上报各种袭击中的报告 Reports of daring raids were duly submitted.
但有一些提交到总部的， 如给Crozier准将的报告，更象是垃圾 But some at HQ, like Brigadier General Crozier, smelt a rat.
随着时间的推移，从巡逻军官那里得到正确的报告 It became increasingly difficult as time went on
变得越来越困难 to obtain correct reports from officers patrols
我的习惯命令是，剪一些德军的铁丝网样本并带回来 It was my habit to order samples of German wire to be cut and brought back
以此证明，他们到达了德军的防线 Thus one would know that the German line had been visited
至少，有一个厌恶袭击的小分队找到了如何应付的方法 At least one squad of reluctant raiders had an answer to that.
他们在无人区域找到了一大卷德军的带刺铁丝网 They found a large coil of German barbed wire in no-man's-land,
将剪下的一部分与虚假报告一起呈送上级 and Just snipped bits off, sending them in with bogus reports.
每晚如此 That went on every night
那位老人从不知道，我们有着一大卷的德军铁丝网 and the old man never knew we had a coil of Jerry wire on our side
很多部队，得到鼓励 Many, though, entered the spirit,
骄傲的展示他们的战利品 proudly displaying their trophies.
袭击和炮击使得战争又回到了原来的敌对状态 Raiding and shelling helped put the war back into the gaps between battles.
1916年5月的一个夜晚 One night in May 1916,
齐格弗里德沙宣参加了一次去无人地带的袭击 Siegfried Sassoon Joined a raiding party into no-man's-land.
小组的四个成员消失在夜幕中 The raiders vanished into the darkness on all fours
我爬上阵地跟随着他们 I crawled out after them
敌人开始炮击 shells started to fire
奥布赖恩传回来的消息说： 那是死亡地区，他们无法穿过铁丝网 News came back "O'Brien says it's a washout They can't get through the wire"
一颗炸弹爆炸，紧接着引来了敌人的集中火力 A bomb burst then a concentration of angry flashes
伤员们爬回来 Wounded men were crawling back
其中灰色长发的兰斯下士的一条腿被炸飞了 among them a grey-haired lance corporal who had one of his feet almost blown off
“感谢上帝，这正是我18个月来期待的结果， 现在我可以回家了” "Thank God for this I've been waiting 18 months for it and now l can go home"
沙宣的袭击是从这些堑壕中展开的 Sassoon's raid was launched from these trenches.
目标是这些丘陵 The obJective this ridge.
但犯了严重的错误 But it all went badly wrong.
我过去寻找奥布赖恩， 沿着一个弹坑的边缘摸索着前进的道路 I went to look for O'Brien groping my way along the edge of a crater
一些子弹击中了我身边的水 Bullets hit the water near me
在那里，我发现了他 There I discovered him
他呻吟着，已经数次被击中 He moaned he'd been hit several times
担架队弯着腰来救护他 The stretcher-bearer bent over him then straightened
他用一个令人惊讶的姿态脱掉了头盔 In a surprising gesture he took off his helmet
奥布赖恩是我们同伴中最优秀者之一 O'Brien had been one of the best men in our company
炮击是战争期间最大的杀手 Shelling was the biggest killer of the war.
“活着，允许对方活着”的情形时常出现与消失 "Live and let live" continued on and off,
但是，伙伴们的伤亡使得其越来越难以维持 but the loss of comrades made it increasingly difficult to sustain .
要让我和我的伙伴来说 speaking for my companions and myself
我可以明确的告诉大家：我们都没有心情与德国兵和睦相处 I can categorically state that we were in no mood for any joviality with Jerry
我们厌恶他的做法 We hated his guts
我们双方都屈服于他的破坏 不得不随时躲避着对方的袭击 We were bent on his destruction at each and every opportunity
我们最大的愿望是获得一个有价值的靶子-- 值得我们的维氏机枪去扫射 Our greatest wish was to be granted an enemy target worthy of our Vickers machine gun
我们在炮火下待了八个小时 We were under shellfire for eight hours
就象是一场梦 It was like a dream
经历了这次冲锋，有些人看上去相当的疯狂 some of the men looked quite insane after the charge
当我们攻入德国战壕 As we entered the German trenches
大量的敌人放弃抵抗，并乞求宽恕 a great number came out asking for mercy
毫无疑问，他们被就地枪杀 Needless to say they were shot right off
皇家苏格兰团俘获了约300名战俘 The Royal scots took about 300 prisoners
其中的绝大部分被当场枪杀 and immediately shot the whole lot
战斗双方都多次枪杀过已经投降了的战俘 There were many cases on both sides of prisoners being killed after surrender.
这种暴行进一步助长了仇恨 Such atrocities fuelled hatred further.
许许多多的战俘 But many prisoners were captured.
为宣传提供了最好的机会 They provided excellent opportunities for propaganda.
英国新闻短片中的德国战俘 British newsreel film of German POWs
使本土民众相信，英军占于上风 was used to convince audiences back home that Britain was gaining the upper hand.
到战争结束，总共有将近9百万的战俘 By the end of the war, there were nearly nine million prisoners in total
囚禁并不是他们唯一的苦难 and captivity was not their only hardship.
自从你离开后，已经两年了 It's already been two years since you were here last
大自然反复演绎着其自身的迫切需要 and Mother Nature needs to fulfil her urges again
正如你不能来看望我，我将被迫到处去找你 As you can't come and see me I'm forced to go looking elsewhere
别以为我是和你开玩笑，我是真正的 Don't think I'm joking I'm serious
我不在乎你怎么想，但是你别期望我会在这白白浪费我的青春 l don't care what you think of me but you can't expect me to waste my youth like this
毕竟，我不是一段木头 After all I'm not made of wood
每一个人都有人的需求 And what a person needs a person must get
请你以后别生气了，好吗？ Please don't be cross with me will you?
永远爱你的Thelma Your ever-loving Thelma
你的孩子们送你一大堆的爱 Your sweet children send you lots of love
另一位德国妻子非常细心的安慰她远方的丈夫 Another German wife was careful to reassure her absent husband.
我们的屋子里来了一个荡妇，她经常更换新欢 We've got a real slut in our house who's always got someone new with her
那个荡妇并对只拥有一个体面的男子，并不满足 That bitch isn't good enough for such a decent man
The poor thing fights at the front
当她花枝招展的去影院和酒吧，和其他同伴回家的时候 while she swans off to the cinema and the pub with the other fellows back home
亲爱的 Dearest man
请别往坏处想 please don't think evil thoughts
因为这里依然还有许多好女人，忠实于自己的丈夫 because there are also good women who are faithful to their men
家里的来信是战士们的生命寄托 Letters from home were the soldiers' lifeline.
提供给德国部队的这些彩色明信片 German troops were offered these beguiling colour postcards
安慰各自的亲人，他们都舒适、安全和幸福 to reassure loved ones that they were comfortable, happy and safe.
但是，来自前线的消息很少是如此的惬意 But news from the front was rarely so cosy.
一位德国工人，获悉她的丈夫阵亡时 A German factory worker, learning that her husband had been killed,
写辞职信给其老板 wrote to her boss to resign .
我心爱的丈夫在这里工作多年 My beloved husband worked here for years
而我用他的工具做着同样的工作 and I did the same work with his tools
我感到自豪的是：正当他在前线战斗时， 我能在这代替着他 And I was proud that while he was fighting at the front I could represent him here
在这个工厂工作并非总是那么愉快， 但是丈夫的来信给了我勇气 It was not always pleasant in the factory but my husband's letters gave me courage
直到他去世前，这工作对我而言是如此的神圣 And so until his death the job was sacrosanct to me
这也是为什么我不能再继续这工作的原因 That's why l can't do it any more
在德国、英国、法国 越来越多的妇女加入到弹药的生产中 More and more women in Germany, France and Britain were making munitions.
许多男子都面临着：妇女有能力完成他们的工作 Many men were contemptuous of women 's abilities to do their Jobs,
并担心如果他们继续如此，在战后妇女会取代他们的工作 and fearful that if they managed it, the women might not clear off after the war.
简妮赖利写信给她在前线的丈夫 Jeannie Riley wrote to her husband at the front about her new Job.
我们被告知，在三周内所做的大量工作 We were told that the amount of work we do in three weeks
是男人们三年的工作量 would have taken the men three years
杰米，这个男人对我们非常的生气 And Jamie the men are getting quite mad at us
一个与我一起工作的妇女， 在工作中被机器轧掉了一个手指 One woman I work with well she lost her finger in a machine in the works
她是位坚强的人 But she's a tough one
当她从西部疗养院回来时 When she came back from the Western Infirmary
她看起来就象什么都没有发生 she carried on like nothing had happened
（感叹）我每天不得不在四点半起床 (sighs) l have to get up at half past four every morning
所以我也会让你在这时起床的，等战争结束你回家后 so I'll have you up at the same time when you come home
即使上帝宽恕了你 if God spares you
简妮的丈夫杰米安全的回家 Jeannie's husband Jamie did come safely home.
在1916年，简妮和她同事的努力工作 正是为了最重要的战役 The most important battle Jeannie Riley and her colleagues were working towards in 1916
--索姆河战役 was the Somme.
现在，这已成为大规模痛苦和杀戮的代名词 It's now a byword for wholesale suffering and slaughter,
但它的设计者，亨利罗林森将军 but its architect, General Sir Henry Rawlinson,
原本只将其计划为一次有限目标的攻击 conceived it as an offensive with limited obJectives,
更多的依赖于武器，而非人力 more dependent on guns than manpower.
配备着大量的炮火与弹药 With plenty of guns and ammunition
我们应该能够避免重大的人员伤亡 we ought to be able to avoid the heavy losses
--避免以往前线步兵所经常遭受的巨大伤亡 which the infantry have always suffered on previous occasions
法国人应当发挥主导作用 The French were due to play the lead role,
但是由于凡尔登会战的影响，这一次由英军充当主力 but with Verdun dragging on, the British bore the brunt.
巨大的政治压力需要一场胜利 And there was intense political pressure to deliver a victory.
道格拉斯黑格将军是英国远征军的最高指挥官 General Sir Douglas Haig was the British Army's Commander in Chief.
他将罗林森将军的有限进攻计划，修改为一场巨大的攻势 He turned Rawlinson's plan into a maJor offensive.
1916年6月24日，英军在索姆河发起进攻 When the British guns opened up on the Somme on 24 June 1916,
大炮的震动使得160英里以外的伦敦窗户咯咯作响 the windows rattled in London 160 miles away.
但经过了7天的炮火轰击 But after seven days of bombardment,
英国炮兵既没有消灭德军炮兵，也没有摧毁德军的防御 the British artillery had neither silenced the German guns nor destroyed their defences.
7月1日，Tyneside lrish军士作为前锋 A sergeant of the Tyneside lrish went over the top on the 1st of July,
与其他战友排成数列战线，向前进攻 with lines of men on either side of him.
我听到远方机枪的哒哒声 I heard the patter-patter of machine guns in the distance
当我又走了十码远的距离时 By the time I'd gone another ten yards
发现我周围只剩下了一小部分人 there seemed to be only a few men left around me
当我又走了二十码远的距离时 By the time I'd gone another 20 yards
我发现就剩下我一个了 I seemed to be on my own
紧接着，我也被击中 Then I was hit myself
索姆河周围的农民 Farmers around the Somme
仍然能搜罗到未炸的炮弹，交给法军来拆除引信与收集 still gather a harvest of iron for the French army to collect and defuse.
在这场战争中，工厂里所发生的事情 直接影响了战场上的结果 In this war, what happened in the factory directly affected the outcome on the battlefield.
英军在索姆河发射的炮弹中有30%是哑弹 30% of British shells fired on the Somme were duds,
质量控制完全失效 a drastic failure of quality control.
关键在于：英军没有足够的重炮，同时英国炮兵也并不优秀 But the key factor was there weren't enough heavy guns, and British artillery wasn't much good.
在那可怕的第一天攻击中 On that terrible first day,
很明显的，法军知道他们该做什么 it became clear that the French knew what they were doing,
而英军不知道 and the British did not.
在进攻中，法军炮兵 The French artillery in their attacks
并非将目标阵地彻底的轰成碎块 did not shoot the ground to bits before they moved over it
短暂、激烈的炮火后，紧接着的是快速前进的步兵 A short intense followed by a rush of men
前进道路被打扫干净且完整 gave them the position clean and intact
而我们将目标阵地轰成泥潭 We would shoot our ground into a quagmire
然后，由步兵艰难而又缓慢的前进 and then send troops slowly forward over it
并期待他们为自己提供掩护，防止敌人的报复 and expect them to provide their own cover from the enemy's retaliation
在7月1日，法军夺取了所有的攻击目标， 付出了几千人的伤亡 On the 1st of July, the French gained all their objectives at a cost of a few thousand men.
英军一无所得，而伤亡是57,470 Britain achieved virtually nothing, with casualties of 57,470.
这是英军有史以来伤亡最惨重的一天 It was the heaviest loss suffered in a single day by the British Army in its entire history.
自1914年以来，双方都受到了一系列的教训 There had been a host of lessons for both sides since 1914,
英国人变的虚心好学 and the British became avid learners.
前进时，如何卧倒躲避炮火 How to lay down shellfire over the heads of advancing men .
如何寻找敌人的火力点 How to locate enemy guns
通过火光，以及使用三角测量法 using flash-spotting, sound ranging and trigonometry,
如何赶他们出来 and how to knock them out.
更好的炮弹 Better shells,
更好的引信，更好的武器，和更好的炮手 better fuses, better guns and better gunners.
而德国人更多地依靠技术， 步兵们也常常开创自己的新战术、战法 While the Germans came to rely more on skilled infantrymen often acting on their own initiative,
英军全力以赴打着这场技术战争 the British concentrated on fighting a technical war.
对索姆河战役来说，一切都为时已晚 It was all too late for the Somme.
黑格承受着职责而不肯结束杀戮，直到这次突破失败 Haig bears the responsibility for not stopping the slaughter when the breakthrough failed.
1916年11月，战役逐渐进入尾声 The battle petered out in November 1916
双方都付出了50万人员的伤亡 with around half a million casualties on each side.
Cambrai，在法国北部 Cambrai, in Northern France.
1917年11月20日，坦克首次登上了历史舞台 On the 20th November 1917, the site of the first major use of tanks in the world.
在这里，英军将它们用于实战 Here, the British army would put what they had learnt into practice.
英国人发明的坦克破解了一次大战中的一个难题 Britain's invention of the tank cracked a key First World War problem:
如何将火力与机动性结合在一起 how to combine firepower and movement.
坦克需要干硬的地面 Tanks needed dry, hard ground.
他们选择了Cambrai They got it at Cambrai.
由一名将军率领进攻 The attack was led by a general, from the front.
他胳膊下夹着一根浅灰色的手杖 A lithe figure strode up pipe aglow ash stick under his arm
很意外，那是Elles将军 Unexpected it was General Elles
我将坐在这辆坦克里冲锋，他轻排着Hilda宣布到 "I'm going over in this tank" he announced tapping Hilda
我旋开门，他挤了进去 l swung the door open and he squeezed through inside
现在，炮兵知道了不能将前进道路轰的稀烂了 The artillery now knew not to chew up the ground ahead.
短暂而急促的炮火轰击 A short, sharp bombardment,
超过300辆的坦克冲在第一线 and then over 300 tanks rolled into the first light.
炮火掩护在6：30开始，同时我们出发 Just before 6 30am the barrage commenced and we started off
很快就迎来了第一次冲撞 Our first bump came fairly soon
我们爬上一个斜坡突破障碍，重重的落在另一边 We climbed a bank crashed through a hedge and came down heavily on the other side
我们如同许多花生似的，被颠簸的东倒西歪 We were thrown about like so many peanuts
紧抓着一切能固定自己的东西 and we had to clutch on to whatever we could
这些坦克就象是在地平线上出现的巨型蟾蜍 The tanks looking like giant toads became visible against the skyline
一些开道的坦克拖拽着巨大的捆绑好的柴枝 some of the leading tanks carried huge bundles of tightly bound brushwood
用来充填德国人的战壕后继续前进 which they dropped into the wide German trenches then crossed over them
我们穿越宽阔的德军防线，犹入无人之境 It was broad daylight as we crossed no-man's-land and the German front line
我见到很少向后输送的伤员，更多的是一些德军战俘 I saw very few wounded coming back and a few German prisoners
敌人的铁丝网被拖拉成了破窗帘 The enemy wire had been dragged about like old curtains
看来坦克能够有效地突破敌人的防线 The tanks appeared to have busted through
尚处于实验阶段的坦克 The tanks, still experimental,
是战争期间无数创新方案中最具革命性的产物之一 were part of one of the most innovative plans of the war.
为了能以最小的人员伤亡，而突破德军的防线 The aim was to break through the German lines with minimal loss of life.
炮兵将使用他们的新技能和新科技 The artillery would use their new skills and technology
在战前寻找并定位德军的攻击目标 to locate and target the German batteries before the battle.
坦克将会撕开德军的各道防线 The tanks would punch a hole in the German lines,
与紧紧尾随着的步兵，相互掩护 with the infantry tucked up close for mutual protection ,
在坦克行进到战位的过程中 while the cavalry pushed through.
保密是至关重要的 Secrecy was crucial.
各种竖立的遮蔽物隐藏着一切运作 Screens were erected to hide movements.
道路上留下的行进痕迹都覆盖上泥土 Telltale tracks were covered with mud.
我们始终将这个问题放在首位：德国人是否察觉到什么了吗？ The question ever uppermost in all our minds was "Does the Hun suspect anything?"
这是最令人兴奋的 It was most exciting
约上午九时，撤退中的步兵背后出现了一大群坦克 About 9am retreating infantrymen gave us an account of swarms of tanks
这么多，简直不可能阻挡住它们 so many that it was absolutely impossible to stop them
过了一会而，坦克怪兽开始向村南的脊状地形区蠕动 A little later, the tank monsters came creeping to the ridge south of the village
之前我们当中没有一个人见过这种怪物 Not one of us had seen such a beast before
生动的一幕，真实的进行着 Then a dramatic indication that real progress had been made.
我们第一次看到这么壮观的野战炮群 For the first time we saw the magnificent spectacle of our field artillery
被拖拉着，向前进 limbering up and going forward
先是慢跑，接着飞奔 First at a trot then at a gallop
一队接着一队 battery after battery
去占领位于德军防线上，刚刚夺到手的炮位 to take up new positions on the captured German front line
德军仓皇而逃 The Germans were caught on the hop,
退至5英里后的防线 then pushed back five miles,
此次盟军推进取得的成果远远胜于 在索姆河或佛兰德的任何一次进攻 a greater Allied advance than anything achieved on the Somme or in Flanders.
这是艰难的一天 It was a long hard day
但是放眼整个战场，如此微小的伤亡才是最令人兴奋的 but the sight of all the ground that had been taken with so little bloodshed was a real tonic
部队似乎很高兴能与我们的坦克协同进攻 The troops seemed very pleased with our tanks
为能与我们一起分享带着的许多酒而高兴 so pleased we had many drinks with them
真是让人吃惊，英国人带着这么多的威士忌投入战斗 It is astonishing how much whisky the British Army carries into battle
欢呼声和口哨声 (Cheering and whistling)
11月21日 On 21 November,
整个英国的教堂钟声都被敲响， 就象当年德国人在凡尔登初战告捷时所做的那样 church bells rang out across Britain , Just as they had done in Germany for Verdun.
同样的，这次庆祝活动也有些草率 And again, the celebrations were a little hasty.
英国没有达到所有的目标 The British had not achieved all their objectives.
一些cambrai附近的村庄仍然在德军手里，包括Flesquieres Some villages near Cambrai remained in German hands, including Flesquieres.
战区指挥官下令：步兵要和这些新奇的坦克保持距离 The Highlanders in this sector had been ordered to keep well away from the newfangled tanks,
因此，无法得到坦克的火力协助 so they couldn't help them by knocking out machine gun nests and artillery.
在Flesquieres附近，隐藏着一支部队 And lurking near Flesquieres
它是德军为数不多的曾受过反坦克作战训练的部队 was one of the few German batteries trained against tanks.
一辆坦克在村口出现 A tank emerged from the village
“距离275米！，开火！” "Distance 275 metres! Fire!
他妈的！太远了。 Damn too far
开火 Fire!
向右边作了微小的修正，再次瞄准 Very close Aim a little to the right
开火 Fire!
击中了，击中了！ Hit! A hit!
哦，上帝！ Oh Lord!
从那个怪物中窜出一团烈焰 A column of fire was bursting out of the monster
我们的两个坦克手逃了出来 Two of our men ran to the tank
他们回来后，描述了同伴们被烧死的惨状 and when they returned they described the half-burned bodies of the crew
在坦克里，全体成员操控着世界上最先进的武器， 在敌人的炮火下 lnside the tanks, the crews wrestled with the world's latest technology...under fire.
在这关键时刻，向引擎提供汽油的装置失灵了 Just at this critical moment the "auto-vac" supplying petrol to the engine failed
引擎残喘着停机 The engine spluttered and stopped
我们成了一个静止的靶子 We were now a stationary target
突如其来的寂静 In the sudden silence
我们能听到坠落炮弹的“嗖嗖”声 we could hear the thud thud of falling shells
和金属与泥块击打坦克装甲的声音 and metal and earth striking the sides of the tank
与坦克里污浊的空气相伴的是 The atmosphere in the tank was foul
几个惊恐的脸 with tense faces
乘员们看着泰然自若的第二驾驶 the crew watched the imperturbable second-driver
有条不紊的修复着供油装置 as he cooly and methodically put the "auto-vac" right
不理会其他人提出的“给它重重一击”的建议 ignoring all the proffered advice to give it a good hard knock
在Flesquieres，德军击毁了32辆坦克 The Germans knocked out 32 tanks at Flesquieres.
在方丹圣母院狭窄的街道上，更多的坦克被重创 More were crippled by storm troopers in the narrow streets of Fontaine-Notre-Dame.
在方丹，发生了可怕的残败 There was horrible slaughter in Fontaine
在战斗前，我花了三个星期思考各种可能性 I who had spent three weeks before the battle in thinking out its possibilities
而未能解决如何巷战的难题 had never tackled the subject of village fighting
我一边又一边的考虑着这个坦克的不足之处 I could have kicked myself again and again for this lack of foresight
但我认为这决不会出现， 步兵指挥官怎么会愚蠢的将坦克派到这种区域去 but it never occurred to me that our infantry commanders would thrust tanks into such places
德国人有着非常聪明的想法：将高射炮安置在卡车上 The Germans also had the bright idea of mounting anti-aircraft guns on lorries
用穿甲弹来攻击坦克 and attacking the tanks with armour-piercing shells.
九辆坦克向我们冲过来 Nine tanks roll towards us
上尉命令：保持镇静，等待着 The Captain orders "steady men wait for it"
当敌人距离不到100米时 When the enemy is less than 100 metres away
指挥官下令：快速射击 the command rings out "Rapid fire!"
第一辆坦克被打的竖立起来，其余的都停了下来 The first tank rears upwards Those following halt
一辆又一辆的坦克被直接击中 One direct hit after another.
在一个星期里 Within a week,
德军发起了大规模的反击 the Germans launched a massive counterattack,
在飞机的支持下 with storm troopers supported by aircraft.
10天内，他们就收回了所有失地 Within ten days, they had recovered all their lost ground.
然而， cambrai之战对英军是至关重要的 Yet Cambrai was crucial for the British.
他们在坦克与反坦克炮火的战术方面取得了宝贵的经验 They had gained valuable experience with the tanks and cracked their artillery problems.
得出重要的教训：在战场需要各兵种协同作战 Vital lessons were learnt about teamwork on the battlefield.
双方面临的巨大挑战是：如何巩固已经成功突破且获得的阵地 The big challenge for both sides now was how to consolidate the successful breakthrough.
谁能做到这点，谁就能赢得战争 The master of that would win the war.
在下一集的一次大战系列中将介绍 ln the next episode of The First World War:
英德海军在日德兰大战 British and German navies clash at Jutland.
间谍与破坏者的秘密世界 The dark world of spies and saboteurs.
以及美国卷入一次世界大战 And America is pushed into the war.