The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-10-30
PIE. WIENEKE
TELLS HOW HELL
BROKE LOOSE"

How the war situation appears to
the men in the front Is well told in
letters written by. Private Herbert
Wieneke TO his mother. These letters
were forwarded to the soldiers faith
er, Henry WienelSe, who spends sew
eral months each year buying pota-
toes in Moorhead. The letters afro
tell of the absent ones love for the
'old home town. Pie. Wieneke en-
listed at Edwardsville, Ill, in Octo-
Der. 1917. He went overseas in May
and into the trenches in June.
In his letter OF Sept. % he states
that he received a letter from the
Red Cross inquiring about me in your
behalf so you surely have not receiv-
ed all my letters"
The letter continues:
7 write as often as possible hut it
is sometimes three or four weeks be-
tween so please. don't worry about me.
"Suppost you have heard Of the
big offensive, started on the 18th.
Well, was, in 1t and sure had come
experience. Am not permitted to
write much about it but can safely
say that Germany is doomed ma
ton. An opening bombardment
threw them into absolute disorder
and our doughboys could scarcely
keep up with them. The first days
objective was reached in few
hours. It must have been terrible on
| the Germans for they never answer-
ed until the next day.
II thought / had told you of hard
hikes but the one that night was a
world heater. During the two prev
ious days we had been camped in a
forest and 1t rained continually. The
night we left was no exception and
you can imagine the condition Of the
roads. 1t was so dark we had to hold
| fast to the man in front. We went
three hours in this fashion, with mud
generally to our knees, without a
rest.
"Just as we emerged from the
| forest, at 1 a. m, it opened up and
we surely thought that hell had
broken loose. We stopped for the
rest of the night right behind the
lines and actually slept while a bat
terry of six-inch guns banged away,
shaking the earth at every shot. We
moved up again after the Huns. had
beat it and laid in shell holes "a
hours waiting for the word to go over
the top. After all we did not go for
we were relieved and are now back in
rest camp. We got through with
with our kitchen that gets lost or
breaks down every time we move. We
got along two days on our reserve
rations for two days at the front and
that's where those bullion cubes come
in handy. They certainly are help
with bully beer and tack.
II wish you could see some of the
prisoners we took. They are certain
ly a starved lot. / saw a German
woman, captured while firing a. ma
chine gun; also many 60year old
men and 16-year old boys.
81 received the money you sent,
thanks very much but don't send any
more We get socks, sent through
the Red Cross, for the asking. Church
call is sounding and l will go over
we have a splendid chaplain"
In the next letter he tells of the
trip back.
days. One day we made IA K, about
% miles. That may not seem so far
but challenge any soldier in the
states to make it with a, heavy pack.
On Sept. 26 Pie. Wieneke writes:
"This is the first time have had a
chance to write two letters from the
same place, so you can judge how
hard it is to find time to write. We
are still in the rest camp but hable
to move at any time. We can be on
the march on 80 minutes notice. and
that's all the time we get too. That
would not be possible unless every
cog in this great army was working
together; and, believe me, the ma
chine is working wonderfully.
Things never looked brighter to me
in regard to the war than right at
this minute. The crisis Is passed and
it's only q matter Of time until we
will all be back. Germany is beaten
but they don't know 1t yet. II folks
at home could only see the type OF
prisoners taken they would wonder
how it has lasted so long. It isn't
their man power but their wonderful
machine that keeps them going. That
machine, though, is going to pieces
now like O. Ford That, is the way
have it figured out and you can look
for us all home again within another
year.
II wonder if you have moved from
Edwardsville, / hope not. have been
pretty much Of a. wanderer, but never
again. If / get back again will never
leave the old home town.