The Oskaloosa herald., 1918-04-11

IINWAA try on the battle
Dugout Third Platoon. Dear Dad!
After nine months of military life
have at last reached the goal OF all
Imy training, for / am writing to you
|now while in a real dugout with the ar
ltiIlery shells whistling overhead now
and then This dugout was build by
1.-The Boche. In fact, our entire area here
twas formerly held by the enemy, but
as to Just where it is, what It is, or
lany other such details, must MOI tell
flor the rules OF censorship are rather
strict in regard to such information
jleaking out think that ] can state
ltne only token of hate that the Boche
can send to us here is artillery shells,
! but at an early hour this morning l
Thought that it was sufficient sample
of their regards, for suddenly few
brilliant flares lit up the hills and then
| their shells began to arrive in large
Quantities and continued to do so for
nearly an hour. | have never heard
| such an internal hell of sound or ex-
perienced such an odd sensation as |
experienced during the bornbardment
When the earth shook and the air
seemed alive with the concussion and
each of us thought that surely our
careers as warriors were to meet a
sudden end Had our dugouts been To-
Gated as most good dugouts are, we
would have had absolutely nothing to
fear for nearly all are very deep and
safe, but situated as we are-well, it
is different. At the end of an hour or
more the noise and vibration ceased
and We found that our total damage
was that our gas curtain blanket had
been blown down and that dugOut
nearby had been hit with shrapnel,
but that noG man was hurt over the
whole sector, but several had very mar
row escapes. The men of the machine
gun company were leading a couple of
mules when a shell burst. The result
was two dead mules and two unhurt
men And so it goes, for this morning
the Boches sent four shells on a road
way anu hlllCu one VI Odl anu
hitch" is over and the battalion is
back in the reserve, and quite safe
but for aeroplanes that hum overhead
these moonlight nights and drop a
bomb here and there.
Eager for Real Thing
But now, to return to the beginning
Of il all when We were first told to
prepare for a change from our snug
billets TO our present peace in this
war. After having anticipated the
trenches from the day signed up for
Plattsburg the fact that was soon TO
do a bit Of the real thing brought me
merely a feeling of excitement, antici.
patton and curiosity. AT last the night
of departure arrived, and after the
usual work and worry, the loading of
horses, wagons, supplies and men on
the train was completed and we pulled
out of the quaint town in which we
had made our home for four months.
| The train ride was an uneyentful one
and the next afternoon found us dis
embarking at a station well to the
rear of the lines in a little town occu-
pied solely by French soldiers. Just at
dusk the unloading was completed and
the battalion marched and for dis
lance of about five miles toward the
front and then put up for the night.
| We were all alert for signs of war,
| but faint rumble, flash reflected
on the sky or a rocket here and there
was all that told us that we were APP
preaching the scene of the greatest of
wars. When we finally fell asleep the
might was SO quiet and peaceful that we
wondered if we really were but six
miles from thefront.
The Glaze or Battle.
AT exactly six the next morning our
doubt was dispelled. FOL suddenly our
entire system of batteries seemed to
sound off in one mighty roar and kept
II up for an hour only to cease as sud
denly as it had begun and once more
the air of peace broodei over the hills.
but this time we knew that it was
merely breathing spell and the inno-
/ CtnL ioOhiuS Illio SOhbdihSu f" VII VI
hell for the Boches. That afternoon
we set off for our final march to the
front and soon passed through ruins of
a town formerly held by the enemy.
You have often seen pictures Of ruined
towns over here, and so | need hardly
describe the utter ruin and desolation
of its ALL for what was formerly a
thriving little manufacturing town is
now an empty. shell-eaten mass Of
stones. AS all OF these French towns
are constructed entirely of stone, they
can stand great deal OF Smelling. and
Iyet l have seen several villages with
hardly a well standing. Continuing our
march we arrived at dusk within
range OF shells, as large holes by the