Special Thanks

Now, about the soldier who’s being judged in a classroom... are his hands tied?
No, no, the verdict hasn’t been handed down yet. He’s standing at attention, flanked by two armed soldiers... You can draw him bareheaded or with a cap, or with his helmet under his arm, or his helmet on his head.

He’s wearing his greatcoat?
...Or his tunic... belted, but without the cartridge belt.

By the way, this tunic, does it have any buttons on the back? A half belt?
No, nothing; seven buttons down the front, buttoned up in the middle, and a high collar.

Okay, so, the tribunal...
Well... You might have a colonel, a commander, a captain, two lieutenants. The lieutenants might have come from the front, you can draw them in their greatcoats, their helmets on the table in front of them; the others, in formal dress with their decorations. All sitting behind a long table.

When he’s being shot, is the soldier tied to a stake, blindfolded?
Not necessarily, only the ones who request it... Sometimes they place a white piece of cardboard over his heart... There is only one blank in the firing squad.

Twelve soldiers?
Or eight, it depends... You could have the officer addressing the soldiers, saying, “Don’t shoot over his head, or we’ll have to do it all over again!”

Uh, no, I can’t fit that in... Too bad, that’s a bit I could use, I’ll revisit it at a later date.

All of this over the telephone... I’m speaking with Jean-Pierre Verney, he knows everything about 1914-1918, down to the smallest detail. I use his services on a daily basis. Each and every panel of this book required one or more long telephone conversations. I’ve lost count of how many documents and objects he put at my disposal, I thank him for his expertise, his congeniality, and his patience in helping me.

TARDI

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