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My Dear Mother and Family;
"Rest, rest for the weary". Just returned from my second hitch on the
lines.
[Editors note: Fismette]
Fourteen days and not one hot meal! This was a long turn and also an
exciting one. Along with two other fellows I was placed in the regimental
observation post. This was on a high hill overlooking many miles of the
front line. Just on the hill opposite from ours were the Boche. In the
valley between lay a ruined town of good size. We were armed with field
glasses, telescopes, etc. & surely saw some great sights. A telephone
connected us with our headquarters and the artillery. Our duty was to
observe all enemy activities, both on land and in the air and report them
promptly to the ones in the rear. We worked in shifts, two hours on and
four off, night and day. Our post consisted of a wooden shanty which had
been the home of these Germans a few weeks ago. In the rear of the shanty
was a dugout which we were forced to use often and at times a million
dollars wouldn't have purchased this hole in the ground. Down in the
valley we could watch the two forces fighting it out and on the hill
beyond one could see the Boche plainly in the glass busy about his daily
tasks. From daylight to dark we were forced to lay low and at night we
were treated to a great pyrotechnic display.
Every time any one of us showed our selves we were treated to a fine
assortment of shells and then it was the dugout, steel hats and gasmasks
for us. For instance, across the road from our home and a little ways down
the slope was a plum orchard. We discovered fruit on fruit on those trees
and one quiet day we drew lots who would take a chance to get a hat full
of the precious things. It fell to me to take this chance and I bravely
started out crawling from one bush to another. I made the orchard O.K. and
filled my hat with big yellow plums. Just as I dropped from the tree to
the ground the first one came over with a loud shriek. I sought the
shelter of the nearest shell hole and it was just a little over an hour
before I got up the hill again. He was probably using a telescope and saw
me at work. Anyway he sent them into that orchard thick and fast and you
can bet your bottom dollar, as one Harry Bryan says, that I was doing some
shaking. The other two observers were in the dugout wondering if they were
going to get any plums. He finally let up and I scarily crept back with
the plums. After that we picked our fruit at night. The next day we evened
up. We were looking his hill over and saw a big truck pull into a hayfield
over there and eight Huns began to load the crop on the truck. How’s that
for nerve? We figured out the location they were in and immediately
transmitted it to the artillery officer. In a few minutes our shells were
beginning to burst around them and they scurried for cover. Directly we
hit right under the truck as it was pulling away and we could see wheels,
body, and all flying to the four winds. We felt greatly satisfied and
called up to say "Good shooting, you got them right". And the air fights!
You should see a real air fight. Every day they were at it. When we saw
that our machines and theirs were going to come together we would crawl
out and get behind a row of bushes to watch the sport. Sometimes they
would be high in the clouds and darting from one cloud to another. Such
diving and twisting as they go through. Two of them coming head on at full
speed shooting their fiery bullets and neither one giving an inch until it
would seem that they must come together. One or the other usually dived
and when a Hun plane started down on fire we would be rooting and yelling
like it was a football game. Sometimes it was one of our planes and then
we were not so exuberant. I have seen as many as twenty machines fighting
at one time. Then when they would come over at night the machine guns,
anti-aircraft guns and searchlights came into their own and the noise
would begin. One night we were lying in our shanty about ten o'clock
talking it over when we heard the drone of a German machine overhead.
Without warning a flare dropped followed close by a bomb, which landed
about twenty yards away. The old shack fairly rocked and one fellow who
was lying on the floor raised up and said "My God, boys I'm hit." I said,
"where". "Right on the head", he replies. We couldn't light a match so we
made a hasty examination in the dark. All we found was a lump on his
cranium. It developed that he had been resting under a shelf on which a
can of corn beef reposed and when the walls shook the same can descended
on his dome. Such things as this seem so funny in a place like that altho
the guy was hurt we laughed ourselves sore. Oh! we had sometime! I was
deprived of sleep for three nights and it wasn't the shells that kept me
awake. It was because to begin with I had the hives, also "cuties", plus
fleas and last of all mosquitos. And the greatest of these are the fleas!
I scratched myself raw. We could find no relief and the only thing to do
was scratch, scratch, scratch. Finally on the third day we were so
irritable from this cause and nervous from the constant shell fire that I
really felt as though I was losing my mind. Then we found a remedy, and do
you know what it was? An oil lamp filled with carbon oil! We anointed our
bodies with this fluid and it worked. Only for a time tho and then they
came back. We were relieved yesterday by another crew and today we went to
a "debugging" station, and had a hot bath, had our clothes steamed and
given new underwear. I was so busy clawing myself that I couldn't even
write to you, mother. Your letters were brought to me up there last night
by runner and in the midst of a two hour gas attack. I crawled into our
dugout and with my mask on I read them by the light of a candle. Some
life! I'm glad you heard from me at last. You'll probably get all my mail
later on. This is the longest I’ve gone without writing to you. The worst
thing I saw while we were on duty at our O.P. was the morning after the
big fight. Our troops were posted in the ruins of this town in the valley
below us. The Boche was in a like position in another town just across a
small river. It had been normal all day and most of that particular night
when about four A.M. things opened up. I never conceived of such noise.
The Hun guns began to open up and soon the din was so great that it
sounded as though the whole world was tumbling down about your head. I was
on watch and another fellow was on the phone. Soon the shells began
whistling too close and the line was cut. Then we crawled in our dugout
and crouched there looking at each other. I know that Hump was down there
in the midst of it and was wondering how he was fairing. In the meantime I
felt much the same as a coon who looks through a canvas and lets you throw
balls at him only worse. This lasted for two hours and finally after sunup
dwindled away and things became quiet. We manned the glasses and then I
saw what I am going to tell you about. It surely made me feel sad. There
about halfway up the opposite hill the Huns were lining up the prisoners
they had taken during the night. They fell in in double file and the
guards marched them up the hill and into that horrible bondage. It was
tough to watch them go! A little later they began to evacuate their
wounded. The stretchers began going up and down the steep road manned by
four German Soldiers each. Our phone was fixed by this time and we
reported this fact. Our guns began to shell this road and the next train
of litters that came down were carried by our own men who had been taken
prisoners. We had to call up quickly and tell them to cease firing on this
point. You can't think of anything these Boche won't do. Well, anyway we
came thru and are back in our billets and eating regular again.
There is a great difference in the town since we left two weeks ago. The
people are coming back to what is left of their homes and the stores are
opening up. They tell me that Chateau-Thierry is quite a city again since
we came thru in spite of its ruined state. We moved from our cellar to a
cottage and today we had a big wood fire in our open fireplace and made
cocoa and toast. In connection with our comfortable quarters is a deep
wine cellar. This is an asset because we are not out of range of the Hun
aircraft and his visits are almost nightly occurances. I am going to look
for Hump tomorrow. Haven't seen him in two weeks. We are out for a rest
now and then back we go for another go at Fritz.
I haven't heard from Ben or Gib or any of that bunch. So Ralph Walker
writes 28 pages. I couldn't do that even if I was back in a quiet town. I
don't know where he finds material for a volume like that. Our letter
writing is all done under poor circumstances and has been since we landed
in this country for we have not been out of sound of the gun since we
landed at Calais. How’s that for soldiering? It is a rumor, tho, that after
our next hitch we go back for a long rest and have our regiment filled up.
Well, mother, it has been six months and more since I bade you goodbye and
I’ve been going some since that day. This job here looks bigger every day
and altho we continue to gain ground I honestly think that this time next
year will find us this side of the pond unless the German people wise up.
I don't want to make things look bad but that is the way I feel after
looking it over. We are feeling fine and have our fun with our work and I
know feel better than you do back there in the U. S. Hope Grace gets her
mail and dad gets steady work soon. You can pass around the kisses and
good word for me and with all my love sent back to you and the rest I'll
snuff my candle and turn in till morning.
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