River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-12-19


with puffs of black smoke where
Fritz's shells lad bursted too late
for US and too soon for those coming
up behind I laughed and showed
it to the fellows. About 5 or 10
minutes later | looked back and saw
our men coming over the hill where
all of this smoke had been. Fritz
had misjudged it A tank ran by
me and of course l thought it was
whiz bang and ducked. He ran up
to tree and stuck his machine gun
in the front end up in the air and
Pip-pip-pip pip faster than any one
could think of counting and down
came a fritz sniper through the
branches The Heinies are not all
towards believe me and some of
them are heroes. When a man will
stay behind in a tree and snipe after
his whole army has retreated and no
one around but Americans he has
nerve believe me, but he also has
poor judgment.
You wouldn't exaggerate it at all
if you said going over the top means
walking through bullets almost like
rain. In one patch Of the woods 60
machine guns can sure riddle the
air full of holes. So far | haven't
stopped any lead My Sho Sho or
Chau Chef as it is spelled in French
has wound chevrons coming be-
cause poor thing was wounded three
times in this last drive. The shells
were coming over so fast / had to
neglect going over to the 1st air
station to get a shot in the stomach
for it.
Guess I'd better explain what
Chau Chef is to you uneducated
Americans folks. Well, it's French
gun. or it takes the place of one.
Automatically shoots s cartridges. 1t
weighs about Fl lbs. at the break Of
dawn and on hike after marching
all day. it gains at least 1000 lbs.
Say, Bob, | read in a American
paper that came from U. S A. about
how cheerfully the American boys
were carrying our 30-lb. packs.
Lawdy sakes and little fishes, now |
am wiser than | was. 1t must be
additional so lbs. added to the 80
that make US (crab) after we've gone
rs kilometers or SO. Well, It's a
great life and the fellows forget all
the aches and pains when the Y M.
c. A., Red Cross or K. C.'s yell Hot
Cocoa or Chocolate or when the
chow call blows. The Y. M. C. A.
is sure life saver because yum
yum chocolate and cigarettes
sure are treat when you are nearly
dead from hunger, thirst and hiking.
The Salvation Army is o. k. al
though our division has been in
only one place where they were.
Too much cannot be said of the K.
C's and last and best of all is the
American Red Cross. It's great and
no needs to worry about giving their
nickles in that direction.
Haven't mentioned the second
drive we were in which we started
about Sept. 20 or 80. My birthday
Oct. End was spent in hole [ made
so Fritz could not blow me home in
pieces. I've enjoyed myself smore
on my birthday and was we'll able to
stand the JOY too.
| must close now and may find
time soon to describe our drive and
by then may have third to tell Of
as our Reg't are whirl winds at the
game and are kept quite busy.
Don't worry about me, I'm Mig and
am happy as drunken sailor. In
form the young ladies that there is
no immediate cause for alarm or
worry on their part about the fell
lows-very few killed, few will re-
main here and fewer will bring home
French wives. AS for myself, Bob,
| am very strong for Hudson, Wis.
Brother Mig,
Pvt. Frank L. Moser,
10th Co. 6 Reg't.,
US. M. C,