Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-12-21
HISTORY CT REGIMENT IN WAR
WILL q. THRILLING
CHAPTER.
MOVED FScN ONE
FRONT TO ANOTHER
Regiment placed on Many Of Most
Difficult Positions-Member Of Com.
pany Permitted TO Write Briefly
Of Strenuous History Of Iowa Unit
With Rainbow Division.

Des Mo!nes. Dec 2l.--Censorship
regulations have been lessened, and
now We are allowed TO tel! where we
have been" writes a member Of Com
pany q. l6sth infantry, TO friends in
DeS Moiues.
=, would ne simpler 10 send you a
map q Frame. II GEMS to ME l have
been IN every village in the country
from Switzerland 10 Nesle. Every
pace except IN 4 >.
We sailed from camp Mills you re
member and did our arst hshung in
the Lorraine sector near Peronne. The
trenches We held and fought IN were
= fen hundred meters in front Of Ba-
donyll4ler, q town once famous for its
glassware, now a huddle Of smashed
masonry.
When We we're relieved in Lorraine
Nc Travelled oy foot and by rail, with
4 few days stop for training N as
sault formation. 10 the Champagne
front. We spent July 4 in SuippeS'
no; far from Chalons, and marched
that night to reserve positions.
Stand or Die" at Champagne.
There We we're a part OF Genera
Goura I'D 5 French army, which crushed
the last offensive between Rheims and
Verdun and made possible Foch 5
offensive near scissors. Our
order in Champagne Vas stand or
die
The German efforts were hardly
over there when We were rushed .!
foot. train and motor trucks TO the
Marine front. Ne were thrown IN
ncrth of Chateau Thierry and pushed
the enemy back thru Sergy and Nesle'
our oitteres; fighting so far, was
at Ser-y and the Ourq river.
When We were relieved we marched
10 La Ferte cntrained there and wound
I'D in Lorraine again. We thought
surely we would have a rset again,
but sudden orders sent Us marching
on and on. thru Toul and mo Ihe
trenches in from. of Mont-Sec.
We took part in the drive there IN
the ST. Mihiel sector-it was a walk
away-held the line COR two or three
weeks. then climbed on trucks.
Experiences at verdun Frshtfut
We unloaded near Verdun. stayed
in reserve a few days, then were OUT
in the front line and sent over again
and again. That really was awful
The resistance was terrific and the
weather imposed hardships that no one
who has not been thru them can
unders tand.
-on our way from Champagne to the
Marine We encamped beside the NOD
Iette river, where centuries ago CLOVIS
turned back Att!la, the other Hun
The ighting in the Arsonne was,
SUPPOSE as hard as anything the war
saw. I never have seen in America
am woods as dense as that forest
T-nderhrush made il an almost i'm
passaDle jungle. even if there mad peeh
no PrusSian guards in it.
The older American units made up
n continuous hard fighting FOR our
!a,encss IN getting into the war. l
fancy the American First army IN SIX
months did more fighting than many
divisions Of our allies did in TOUR
years.
Until this summer / vas altogether
a matter Of holding line Of trenches
There IS seldom any fighting and Nv
ing conditions are comfortable, com
pared TO driving.
Besides. those quiet sectors were
aston:shingly quiet, used by both sides
TO rest tired troops in-unul the
Americans go- N and stirred the Ger
mans up.
1t is not correct TO say that America
won the war But l am sure II would
no, have been won If we had not
come. And we arrived just in time.
We went in as a pinch hitter ana
delivered