Men, Women And Guns (ePub)

When asked to explain what it feels like to be shelled, the author attempts to give his aunt a realistic image but realizes that he can never really capture the agony of the situation. He transports his audience to Ypres, where he compares the sound of an exploding howitzer shell to that of a train coming to an abrupt halt amid a thunderous clap of thunder. He then discusses shrapnel, pointing out that the conventional statement "the Germans were searching the road with 'whizz-bangs'" is far from accurate in describing the scene. A military police corporal is seen standing gloomily at a crossroads as the author leads his readers on a stroll in the twilight through a ruinous and dismal environment. They pass poplar trees, puddles, a demolished cottage, and two guys relaxing and smoking as they go by. A shell explodes on one of the last surviving buildings with a loud zipping sound, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air. The sky is covered with substantial white smoke clouds as more shells arrive and explode over or on the homes. Even if there are many things that are worse than shelling, the author claims that it is hard to fully explain it and that those who haven't experienced it can only picture it depending on their standard of comparison.