This podcast episode explores the practices of disposing of dead bodies after battles throughout history. The hosts discuss how ancient civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans treated their fallen soldiers with respect and buried them according to their customs. However, this respect for the dead declined over time, and during the Middle Ages, the bodies of soldiers were often looted and left to rot.
The hosts also discuss how during the Napoleonic Wars, the bodies of soldiers were often stripped of their valuables, and the severely wounded were not spared from being robbed. The dead were often buried in mass graves, sometimes with bodies from both sides.
The hosts also touch on the American Civil War, where teams of soldiers were tasked with burying the dead of both sides in simple mass graves. They also discuss World War I and World War II, where individual units were responsible for the disposal of their own dead, with both Axis and Allied forces having their own rules for how this should be handled.
The hosts note that archaeologists have had difficulty finding the bodies of soldiers from medieval battles, despite their efforts. They also mention that the remains of soldiers were sometimes collected and used as fertilizer or made into souvenirs.
The episode ends with a promotion for the game "War Thunder," a free-to-play vehicle combat game that features historically accurate vehicles from the 1930s onwards.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Ancient Greeks made an effort to respect the usual burial customs of the dead after a battle.
2. Collecting the bodies of the fallen was not uncommon in ancient Greece.
3. Following the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, both sides buried their dead in accordance with the religious customs of the period.
4. The Spartans often buried fallen soldiers on the battlefield where they were killed.
5. Fallen Spartans were buried with their weapons and armor, and their final resting place was marked with a simple tombstone.
6. The Romans made a conscious effort to recover the bodies of those who died and bury or cremate them individually.
7. If time didn't allow for individual burials, the Romans would collect the bodies of soldiers killed in battle and give them a mass cremation or burial.
8. In the event that bodies couldn't be recovered, a cenotaph would be erected to serve as a monument to the individual.
9. Looting of the dead was common during the Napoleonic Wars.
10. Soldiers and locals alike would pilfer valuables from the dead and dying after battles.
11. The bodies of the dead were often stripped of their valuables, including teeth, which were used to make dentures.
12. The remains of soldiers were sometimes collected and pulverized into fertilizer, which was sold across Europe.
13. During the American Civil War, teams of soldiers were tasked with burying the dead of both sides in simple mass graves.
14. In World War I and World War II, individual units were largely responsible for the disposal of their own dead.
15. The United States' Quartermaster Graves Registration Service was tasked with finding and burying every fallen American soldier during World War II.
16. Graves Registration units were committed to their tasks and undertook their duties with a solemn sense of duty and determination.
17. GRS units would bury civilian bodies and access casualties they came across, making sure to bury them in well-marked graves.
18. War Thunder is a realistic free-to-play vehicle combat game with over 1200 historically accurate vehicles.