At the start of the First World War, in the summer and early fall of 1914, German troops poured across neutral Belgium and into France behind the thunder of artillery, the lightning of explosions, a rain of shells and a hail of shrapnel. The effects were both immediate and long term and they encompassed all aspects of life in Northeastern France. Certain environmental effects of the war on the French countryside and cities were immediate and attributable to the destruction that is normally associated with war. Some of the consequences were temporary, lasting some 1-year to 2 decades. Others were of medium term consequence, enduring for about half a century. And a few of the repercussions have import, which affect the area even today and are expected to continue into the foreseeable future. …
