Putnam patriot., 1918-12-20
vERDuN is HOME OF 18TH
Ccontinued from Page 1-B)

to 20 there and 1 am very glaA u ~.
| am very well but our division as
whole are in terrible shape, physically
and nervously and need long rest
Last night | picked up a magazine
and BY chance read an article, 'The
Spirit Of Verdun" As you know
now. Verdun was our home for many
weeks and it was some place while we
were there. We received the benefit
Of the Huns shells and they were big
boys and when they exploded near our
dugout gave US a SILVER and then our
own guns would boom, the conclusion
rafting the windows to beat the
band. That vince and swish Of shell
coming from Hun-laud is a sound new
er to be forgotten We would listen
to the boom of the gun in Hun-land,
hear the whistle grow louder and
nearer and then a terrific explosion.
They also threw shrapnel over our
heads and that IS the worst Of noises
for when the shell explodes the pieces
and shrapnel balls would come patter-
ing down around US like hail and the
officers and boys had to duck and run
TO cover. We would keep tabs on
the minutes between shells to go to
meals and were careful to keep near
protecting buildings.
''One noon when | went TO dinner
there was no one in the cook shack,
but the dinner was on the stove.
Come to find out a shell had fallen
short and landed on the hill back of
the shack drenching the place with
dirt and iron and you can bet it did
MT take me long to get under cover.
"The French say that the Yankees
are too inquisitive and don't know
enough to stay in safety, and they are
right as our boys were forever after
souvenirs. When | was at the ad-
vanced post at Chemine -des- Danes
saw fellows go out after light shelling
| to dig up the time fuses of the shells.
A crazy thing to do, as many times
| they would go off. One time when
| the Huns retreated the cook started a
stove but the Huns had placed shell
| in the chimney and when the fire
started the shell went off, blowing the
| shack to pieces.
"The Huns would leave helmets in
such a way that when moved nice
| hand grenade would go off, potato
Washers, we called them, but they are
wicked ones We had nicknames for
about everything, trenches were nam
ed after streets back home. One
would be Filth avenue, another Broad
way and so on Even the Guns We're
named and Elsie Janis threw many a
big boy into the land Of the Hun.
"You should have seen the big guns
made in America that smashed the
Hun railways far back of their line.
and from all accounts the enemy hat
no love for our artillery. As for The
doughboys, or infantry, one Hun pris
oner told us he belonged to a cracl
German regiment, THAT they hat
met the Beleians, French. English
Italians and all the rest, but wher
they were put up against the Yankee
it was all of, ," for they met men VIII
were more than their match and whei
who did not know what quit meant
don't know whether he told tn,
truth or not, but do know they coul,
not stop the Yankees when they tool
notion or were ordered to advance
of all the fronts Nerdun was by IA
the worst; there were no days of res
there. always something doing AM
the barrages were awful. One prison
; er said that the American barrag
shook the earth and it was foolhard.
to leave a dueeut With the heav
artillery fire Il haas tWaSs been Won
der to me that there were 50 few casu
alties. l don't know WHEN our Divis
, ion Will start for howe. but do no
r believe It will be naay months befor
/ we are on the w4p"