South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-09-05
CHARLIE REEVE
GOES OVER TOP
Former NOtre Dame Student
is in Thick of Big
Battle.

Lieut. Charles b. Reeves. graduate
or the Notre Dame law school il
June. 1917. where he was known as
Charlie. and one of the first OFF,
GERS graduated from the training
camp at TT. Benjamin Harrison 70
see service abroad. has written his
parents. Mr.. and Mrs. g.. n. Reeve,
Plymouth. Ind. an interesting letter
of a night i'm which his platoon tooN
part. Lieut.. Reeve attended the
Howe Military academy before IA
tering Notre Dame and his previous
military training enabled him TO 90
overseas almost within three months
after ne graduated from the oth-
GERS school.
Until June Of this year he was "A
provost marshal in France with the
American eXpeditionary force. but
was later transferred TO active serv-
ice when he applied for service with
the tank corps. His letter which
relates his experience the first time
over the TOP, follows
ION Active Service with
American EXpeditionary Force
France. July %. 1918.
Dear Folks.
II have been on the move con-
stan.ly for the past six weeks. and
have only been able 10 write TO YOU
once or twice during that time. We
are just like "a travelling circus. we
play one and two night stands and
then pun out and strike i'm another
place where are least expected.
Something new all the time, ami
we never get old or 'fed-up' ON the
job.
40 doubt YOU have seen in the
papers what we have, done. l viii
tell YOU about a three-day show w
put on last week. I-had been on
three patrols before and battalion
raids, but nothing like this. II is
seldom one has the chance of being
i'm an affair like that.
Late one evening we were hu:-
RED To another front. No N knew
what was up. My company finally
found itself on the edge of a biz
woods. Day was just breaking. We
were given our objective and the
! compass bearing. Then cur artillery
| opened and the command was given
over. the top and rush Ny Oh
%jective was out of the woods, down
q hin. across / loco yards of lowland,
and up another hill TO the boche
positions. ] had 5S men in my
: platoon. most Of them had been on
the front for four months.
Boches Are yellow"
. WAS ! afraid and did my hear.
leave its physiological position?
/ frankly admit / turned yellow for
the present as the boche rs were
falling 100 yards directly in front.
: Then ] pulled myself together, lef'
the woods on the double and called
10 my men 10 follow. We got across
without a casualty. but Just how,
don't know. After that all fear was
I gone and my only desire was 20 get
to the Huns. We had taken them
by surprise and my blood-thirsty
devils made quick work of them
with pistol and bayonet. Fritz is all
right at long range but he willis
when he is cornered. We took no
prisoners. He had started breakfast
ard We calmly drank his hot coffee
and ate his black bread.
Two hours later We went over
again. and kept it up for two nights
and a day. The advance was so fast
that We had TO live of the land and
what we captured of the dead ones.
II was all open warfare. no trenches
Just now and then a dugOut. The
German officers live well and in
some Of them we found some very
good food. We wear the same
clothes as the enlisted men and
carry no pack. no insignia or mark
OF distinction. / have stored all my
things at the Grande hotel in Pari,
and live like a camel-just what
have on my back.
Fight Hand-to-Hand.
The second day we took a towr
and had some great hand-to-hanC
lighting. After YOU once get the
smell Of blood YOU forget about your
I personal security and your only de-
sire is TO kill our men are great
They are just like bulldogs-you
have TO pull them of The boche
are dirty, yellow towards. and
would put my platoon mp against q
company o. them. If it wasn't fo'
their shell fire and machine guns ",
could ran them all over the map o.
Europe i'm a week. But we have
whiz-banks and pill boxes. too
and give them two for every on,
they send over.
Things are rather quiet now. anC
] don't know when we viii have
another show. Il is terrible wheI
you think it over. but al the tim
you love il. the best way is not Z,
think about il. Ny regiment ha.
been cited three times and that VII
entitled me 20 wear a decoration.
"T received mothers letter OF Jun,
10. and viii get more now that W,
are settled again. I am writing Til
w "a barn. which is my house for tn
present. Hope Bee ISN'T growing 81
fast thai She viii Zoe too Dig 10 81