In August 1914 many French people were proud to fight for Freedom, against autocracy and pangermanism. Germans and French were confident of victory, the former would soon see themselves in Paris and the latter in Berlin, all of them knew the price of duty.

The vast majority of soldiers mobilized in August 1914 thought that the conflict would be swift and that they would return home for the harvest at the latest. It was with fervor and conviction that all of them took the "flower with the gun" to the battlefield. During the battles of the borders and the Marne, the losses amounted to more than 1,128,000 men of all nationalities, with about 293,000 killed.