Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

 

 

 

Chapter Fifteen

Crossing the River Meuse Under Shell Fire

Carrying wounded up to a station at Beaufort I saw another awful sight. Again the grim and terrible price ofwar. In a room lay the bodies of nine of our boys - blown to pieces. A shot had come in through a small window, exploding in their midst. The legs and arms of two lay dangling on a shelf and nearby lay their heads, one practically cut in half and covered with debris.

It was living amid blood and death - sufficient to move the coldest heart, to baffle the bravest spirits.

We soon moved up close by the old French prison camp Treme de Petite Candron. On these moves we were under shell fire, where no place is safe; in fact, we were under shell fire continually on the front.

Orders were received to fall back near a trench close by, while our Engineers were trying to put a bridge across a stream. The Huns were making a terrible resistance, having blown up the original and were now shelling us heavily. Daylight was fading into dusk when orders came to advance.

Through a cold drizzling rain we reached the river front where over three thousand had lost their lives. Shells were dropping all around us. The Huns had the exact range and location of our crossing and it was hell to move under this rain of enemy machine gun and artillery fire. I remember falling flat as a shell fell close, its stinging steel getting three of our men. Yet, he who had shown bravery in the beginning could not now yield one inch of ground. Half soaked, hungry and exhausted we piled into a couple of large steel pontoon boats, fastened side by side, and were quickly pulled over the narrow river while shells were exploding all around us. Our wounded were left behind, our dead lying as they fell! Landing on the opposite side we marched along with loaded rifles, stepping here and there over dimly outlined forms of hundreds of our dead boys. I wondered why some were the most fortunate! Rich and poor alike, lay side by side, regardless of rank. We were now in complete enemy territory, separated from our own men and other reinforcements by the river Meuse behind us. We were, in reality, a patrolling party out for an all-night drive. Our only hope of success in the drive lay in the absolute darkness ahead of us. In the cold rains of the night lining up on both sides of a narrow stream, in single file, we proceeded further up when just ahead of us could be heard the voices of several Germans advancing our way, little thinking Americans were near. In perfect silence we fell back, every man with his hand on his gun. As soon as they crossed our lines a few shots from our 45's pierced the silent night and with cries of "Kamerad" and a jumble of German words, they were our first prisoners. We continued along through mud and swamps, half soaked up to our knees, marching the prisoners ahead of us; we soon halted along the side of a deep valley in which a bunch of Huns were hidden. Losing no time, we called to them to surrender! Prepared for a desperate resistance, they "let loose", but soon finding we were equal to the task, threw up their hands and surrendered.

 

 

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