PÉTAIN PHILIPPE (1857-1951) MARÉCHAL,CHEF DE L'ÉTAT FRANÇAIS

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PÉTAIN PHILIPPE (1857-1951) MARÉCHAL,CHEF DE L'ÉTAT FRANÇAIS
Typescript signed, Speech given by Marshal Pétain at the inauguration of the Douaumont Ossuary on August 7, 1932; 9 pages and a quarter in-4 typewritten. Original typescript of the inaugural speech of the Douaumont Ossuary, used at the inauguration, in the presence of President Albert Lebrun, of the great monument collecting the remains of some 130,000 unidentified soldiers, of French or German nationality, who perished in the battle of Verdun. The pauses in the speech are marked in red pencil. Pétain extols the virtues of the "Soldier of Verdun": his patriotism, his prodigious resistance to hardship and his spirit of sacrifice. He also pays tribute to the officers and leaders who inspired the troops, and to the resolve and solidarity of the citizens in the rear. Finally, he examines what conduct to adopt in order to remain worthy of the Soldier of Verdun: once the immediate danger has been averted, how can we guarantee the established order and peace, when the defects of our race and the circumstances are opposed to it? "An unprecedented crisis is shaking the world and threatening the very foundations of our civilization. ...] the salvation of our country will require efforts and renunciations from all. These efforts, whether they are aimed at strengthening our national ties, securing our territory, or restoring our economic and financial equilibrium, are not beyond our means: the example of Verdun is there to testify to the capacity for self-sacrifice, tenacity and perseverance of our race. In the moments of anguish or uncertainty that make the firmest plans falter, let us turn our thoughts to this "Soldier of Verdun" whose virtue seemed to have no limits, we will draw from him the notion of duty and the will to accomplish it"...
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