The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-12-04
FORMER EMPLOYE WRITES
LETTERS OF BIG DRIVE
(Continued From Page One.)

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should happen to think Of something
exciting.
You probably will be surprised to
learn that i am still in the hospital
and l am quite surprised myself but
some of these fine days I'll be leaving
this place. ! am not quite as strong
as | was but that will come back
slowly. Each ward has large tent
for an annex except these last few
wards and they haven't put ours up
vet but when they do get it up, / ex-
pect to be put in it, so the chances
are may be here for a week yet. By
that time I'll be rested up in good
shape.
/ lust finished reading yesterdays
New York Herald and Chicago Tri-
bune and the allies are still driving
them back. I'll be glad when they
are driven out of France and Belgium
and then perhaps they will want to
settle things up in hurry.
Gee, but it is a great feeling that
comes over US when we see many
groups of German prisoners come
marching in with Americans as es-
corts. The only wounded American
saw on the morning of the drive
was carried in by two German pris-
oners. They seem to be glad they
are captured but you can't take their
word for anything. We crossed
many hill and valley that afternoon
carrying our heavy loads and when
we got to the top of another hill we
had to stop there for the night as the
Boches were right in front of us with
their machine guns and when it got
dark we could see the flash from their
large guns just across the valley. We
could also hear them moving their
large guns by the sound of horses
and wagons on the road. We kept on
going the next morning though:
Say, but l saw some sight day or
SO after while we were holding our
positions. The allied planes were
lowering over us and along comes a
plane with a black cross on it. Well
one Of the allied planes fires at it
about four times with the tracer bull
lets and then the other one comes
along and gives him as many more
and the poor German plane starts to
burn and before he struck the ground
the plane was one mass of red. 1t
really looked beautiful. The tanks
and armored cars came and helped US
out that same night and believe me
after having as hard q day as we had
it sure looked good to see these i'm
plements of war come creeping up and
go ahead of US. We did get into an
awful bad fix one afternoon when we
were right on the top Of hill and all
at once z or 8 German planes popped
into sight and they circled over us for
10 or Is minutes and some Of them
came pretty low too. We fired our
machine guns at them and also made
use of our automatic pistols but all
we did was chase them away. 1t is a
wonder that they didn't drop some
bombs or turn their machine guns on
us. This was not all that happened
while I was up to the front for the
second time and will be glad when
get back so / can tell you the rest.
Gee, but / hope never get into such
positions again. 1t seems funny that
all the time was up there there was
no gas at all and then when / go up
the third time get gassed. wasn't
the only one though and / can't see
how it could be helped. ] am always
careful about that stuff and keep my
mask on as long as necessary but
guess it came too quick for me. 1t
Ola make me Ieei mlseTdDle IOI u lew
days.
This is the worst country for rain
ever heard of. 1t is raining all the
time. Oh, now and then the sun
comes out for a few minutes. / hate
to knock a country / am living in but
the French train service is far worse
than any railroad in my country. II
took us nearly SO hours to make the
/ trim hara uyb;1a ouop tho ID M could
make it in six or seven hours. Oh,
we'll, after they get used to seeing
Uncle Sans engines and cars they
will probably wake up.
Well, folks. / guess / am nearly run
down so will have to close for this
time. Give my love and best wishes
to those in Bedding. Your loving
brother and uncle,
Eratncia