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Wooden Crosses
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Wooden Crosses is a 1932 French war drama directed by Raymond Bernard. In the fervor and exaltation of the beginning of the war, Demachy, still a student, answers the call to serve in the army. He meets Sulphart, Bréval, Bouffioux, and others, formerly workers, bakers, cooks, now united under the name of "soldier". In the midst of the trenches disfigured by the guns, the soldiers face the cruelty of daily life, the waiting for the mail that tears the hearts, the terror of hidden mines, the comrades who fall. While the wooden crosses bloom on the open graves, Demachy ends up losing his ideals.
An American remake was released in 1936 starring Warner Baxter and Fredric March.
The following weapons were used in the film Wooden Crosses:
Revolvers
Chamelot-Delvigne Mle. 1873
The Chamelot-Delvigne Model 1873 revolver seems to be the standard sidearm for French and German officers.
Rifles
Lebel Mle. 1886
The French Army is armed with Lebel 1886 rifles. Adjudant Gilbert Demachy (Pierre Blanchar), Soldat Fouillard (Raymond Aimos), Soldat Vieublé (Antonin Artaud), Soldat Broucke (Paul Azaïs), Soldat Hamel (René Bergeron) and Soldat Vairon (Raymond Cordy) use Lebel rifles during the battles.
Mauser Gewehr 1898
German infantrymen are seen with Mauser Gewehr 1898 rifles.
Mauser Karabiner 98AZ
At least, the German sniper team in the village is armed with a Karabiner 98AZ.
Machine Guns
Maxim MG 08
Maxim MG08s are used by German soldiers.
Hotchkiss Mle. 1914
The Hotchkiss M1914 is the standard machine gun for the French army.
Hand Grenades
Unknown Grenades
French soldiers use unknown grenades.
Stielhandgranate
German soldiers are seen with stick grenades during the attack on the church.
Other
Chobert Mle. 1917
Canon de 155mm GPF
Canon de 75 mm Mle. 1897
Canon de 155 C, Mle. 1917 Schneider
Trivia
Due to the very intense and realistic fight scenes for that time, scenes were often reused by many movies, countless documentaries, and some video game cutscenes. There are also several allusions to this film in various media.
A few examples:
- The World Moves On, a 1934 movie directed by John Ford that contains many battle scenes.
- The Road to Glory, the already mentioned 1936 American remake.
- Seventh Heaven, the 1937 movie features footage of battle scenes.
- Medal of Honor: Underground, the first clip of the intro sequence of the 2000 video game showing charging French soldiers crossing No Man's Land.
- Valiant Hearts: The Great War, the last chapter mission titled Wooden Crosses.