The Great War      The one-day battle had 60,000 British
casualties—the largest of any battle Britain has been involved
in before or since. Included in a separate booklet is Adam
Hochschild’s narrative essay that places the art in context.
Hochschild gathered lots of fascinating facts and statistics
about the battle. First, rain delayed it for several days.
Before the battle, British soldiers added 55 miles of new train
tracks.  Over 224,000 shells were shot in just one hour.  The
cacophony was so loud that civilians heard it in Hampstead Heath
in London. And before the battle, hospitals in England were
ordered to clear their wards of convalescents so that there
would be room for the injured.  What a magnificent artist Sacco
is. He manages to impart to the opening scenes the excitement
and jollity of new recruits who have no idea about their
destiny. Sacco also gave a sad and melancholic air to the
trenches on the day of the battle itself. The world looked grey
except for the white explosive clouds rising sky