Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-11-07
WRITES AN INTER,
EST!NG LETTER
Dear Folks at Home:

Dear Folks at Home:
l am going to tell you little
}. the battle. 1t is hard to tell 80 tn
r y u can understand it but I'll Try
+ If you are receiving The stars an
: STRIPS you will get it pretty well.
l nave sent you caUIesram whica
, You should have received good wv
! weeks before my letter.
: Two weeks prior to the day of tn
attack, we had been drilling in ma
chine gun school, reviewing the fun
damentals of the application Of ma
lchine guns co modern warfare. We II
} hAarsed with the infantry, problems
) of maneuv-r which we were TO &C
tually face later on. Then one might
there came an order to move. We
moved out at dusk. Orders were
strict about smoking on the highway
and we moved as quietly as possible
Overhead the stars shone bright
and clear. Off to the north an coca
sional rocket OF flare went up some
times from foe. From our right
front we could hear faint throb,
throb, the peculiar purr of a motor
that told us that Fritz was out with
his bombing planes.
Suddenly the sky was pierced with
long white pencils of light as dozens
of searchlights searched for the in
truder. Soon he was spotted and
the anti-aeril guns Opened up a f-u
rious baarrage. Fritz was soon fore
ed to seek other chimes. One by
ono the lights went out. Soon only
the stars and the rockets guided US
forward
We Travelled till after midnight.
Our destination was a wooded hill,
some three kilometers from the enc
my front line. Here we stopped
and rested for few days. 1t was
life in the open, with our pup tents
for a roof. The rainy season had
apparently begun for it rained ev-::
cry day. Soon the roads became an
kle deep in mud.
But the days passed rapidly in
spite OF the weather. We were get
ting our first view of our colleagues
in the coming attack. Hugh tanks
came waddling up the roadway and
then nosed out among the heavy
brush to hide from any inquisitive
Hun flyer. Scores of guns were
being tucked away among the hills
all about. and 10 howitzers, IL
inch naval guns on railway trucks !
for the purpose of bombarding Metz.
Along the road grew wild dew
berries My orderly picked me a
mess pan full and l begged sugar
from the cook What feast
would have had if only 1 had had
some of Betsy's cream and warm
biscuit and butter.
Then one evening We again moved
1ut of our camp. This time we took
Only light packs and we knew the /
zero hour was not far away. Some
.wo kilometers from the jump off, we
oined the battalion which we were
o support There each platoon was
to a company and 1 was
assigned to the right flank COM
,any. Following our respective com
Danies we moved out to take upi
,ur positions and there await the
ero hour.
We started about eight O'Clock. A
teady rain was falling, this
,dded to the already heavy
Dads and made it hard travelling.
he machine gun man carries, in
edition to his pack belt, etc., an
verage of So pounds per man.
Darkness settled down rapidly.
loon it was impossible to see a
oxen feet in any direction. Thine
ain continued steady downpour. w
we're soon wet to the skin. To add
o our trials the connecting files :
vice broke the line and finally
ost the company altogether. But
y good fortune We found another
ompany of the same battalion and
nth their aid succeeded in locating
ur own. Ii
Then to my CONSERVATION 1 found
hat two of my guns had become
eparated in the last ten minutes and
Guild not be located. eve found I
hem the evening of the second day.
But l resolved to go forward with ,
that l had At about one O'Clock 1
he sky in our rear was lit by grea
ash. There came a heavy report e
nd, over our heads went the Pc o
uliar whistling of a big shell in
light Almost instantaneouslyS the ?
ky was aflame as far as the eye P
ould see, while over our heads 1t, e
eemed as though myriads Of giant e
uail were rushing over into German b
arritory Op1 ort fica11y furp cdI