Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-06-29
POINT BREEZE CYCLTT
IN FIERCE TRENCH FIGHT
Henri st. Yves's Letter Tells
of Hand-to-Hand
Battle
CoRPsEs ALL AROUND
Airman, With Body Full of Bullets,
One Of Only Two
Survivors

hair-raising description OF the kind
o. war being fought In France today was
given in a letter received by Bert Stetser,
manaeer OF the Point Breeze Motordrome,
from Henri st. Yves.
Z The latter will be remembered as the
daring French aviator, motor-cyclist and
..rnarathoner." whose feats kept the Point
Breeze audiences on the edges Of their
chairs most Of the time. A year ago. after
receiving word that eleven Of his relatives
had been killed by the Boche. st. Yves
abandoned racing here and went to the
front
From Military Hospital ti5 at Cartigny
he wrote to Mr.. Stetser wounded IN the
back and the left leg and with seven cuts
m his body ST. Yves recounts with graphic
brevity a fierce hand-to-hand tight in
which he and Ave Of his companions were
engaged when ordered by their Lieutenant
20 hold an observation post but h@.teen @
yards from the enemy trenches. 81. yves
and a comrade were seriously wounded the
other four we're killed.
last January" the letter. dated May II,
begins IL wrote you few postcards ana ana
letter hope you received them WIN
In this present letter give you some IN.
formation about my situation III Fr""'e "'
the front
TERRIBLE SIGHT
ZIP to the 9th Of March everything
vent fairly good but on the lOth was
fighting IN the ranks Of the Sixty-htth
Regiment Of Infantry to take the Fort de
Vaux. FIVE miles from Nerdun. IL was
terrible thing to see. Germans ana FrehCn
were everywheIe--slain by the thousahus
without mercy all around the fort. IL is
wonder a man can survive after seeing
such a slaughter.
"a few days later the regiment was
ordered TO retire from this position and
take another. But we had nearly month
Of forced march before we could learn
where we were going. Everything was Kept
q secret
''In the night OF April 16 I was under
tarrible bombardment The ground shook
like a leaf as though a terrific thunder
storm or earthquake was In progress. In
the same day learned that the regiment
was going to fight in the district OF era
enne. At that time we we're about hVe
miles from the FIRST line Of trenches.
''UntiI May we stayed about one mile
behind the frst line in reserve, but the
shooting was going on day and night and
the regiment was losing good many men
On the morning Of May 1 we received the
order to go ahead--"en avant.' Shells
were falling from everywhere. Men all
around me we're shot down, cut or torn
10 pieces by explosives and shrapnel.
But wo succeeded and captured a few
new lines of trenches and re-enforced
them.
1T was at O'Clock in the morning that
my lieutenant ordered me to go with hve
Of my comrades TO inspect new advanced
post and 70 protect the same from any
Invasion. From this new position could
see the movements OF the German army.
FOE FIFTEEN YARDS AWAY
ITO keep this position was very impor
eAnt but the place was an extremely dan
Rerous one. for the distance between this
post and the enemy was only fifteen yards.
II had hardly taken the position Of this
advanced fort when the Germans attacked
US with hand grenades. Then terrible
hand-to-hand fight followed. My comrades
and were fighting like lions, for we didn't
want TO give up the place, but II was ter
rlble, and one by one we fell to the ground
until the last one was pierced by machine
gun bullets or pieces Of grenade and shrap-
mel.
But our resistance permitted our COM
rades left in the rear to come to the rescue
and saved the position, which was nearly
IN the hands OF the enemy.
In this fight. among the dead ones, but
two men remained alve-myself and an~
other. Both of us were seriously wounded
Ny back and my left leg were pierced and
i was badly cut in seven places by bullets
and grenade pieces.
II am today in Military Hospital 115 at
Cartigny, but even though / am very
seriously wounded my life is not in danger
'"rhe racing season is very duh in Paris
and no rider can cross the Atlantic. /
have heard that the United States has de-
elared war on Germany. l hope this won't
affect your racing season.
There is good bit of talk OF peace in
Europe now. l hope this horrible war will
end soon 20 l can come back to America
Let me hear from you and how the racing
season Is Very sincerely yours
"HENRI ST. YVES"