Norwich bulletin., 1918-03-25

Issued to Motorists - Red Cross to
 Outfit Men for Dsvens-FuneraI of !,
 Mrs. William EIdridse.
 The first letter to be received from | any one of DonielSon's soldiers who | participated in the first onslaught of | American forces against the enemy l lines on the Chemin des Danes, in France. where New England infantry and artillery, as the first of the na- tion's national guard forces to figure actively in the front line, made a new record of glory for American arms late in February, has come to J. Harold Horton of the Attawaugan hotel from his brother, John Horton, of Battery sC, 10Sd field artillery.
 The letter brings home the fact that the young men of this town are now playing historic parts on the far flung battle lines of northern France and breathes the spirit of confidence that will eventually make the side for which the United States fights victor in the worlds greatest war.
 February 22, 1918. Dear Harold:
 We are now at our place on the front and although we have only been here a short while, things have been pretty | would be surprised to know how inn portant a part this camouflage busi- ness plays as regards the field artil- iery. The only way a battery can be located is by means of airplanes, and, believe me, when battery is located by the Boches it is knocked for field goal.
 Don't think for a minute that the Boches don't get pictures of us, be- cause they do; and not from a very great height, either. The other day a Boche plane swooped down so near our place that we could hit it with a stone, almost
 The Boches have two black crosses painted on their machines and their 1 motors run very unevenly, just like I the old Buick back home when you start her up on a cold morning. They say the gasoline the Germans are using l is very poor-probably diluted because of scarcity of the commodity. An enemy plane fell ten miles back of our lines, near our echelon, the other day. and one of our horseshoers got the camera off it. Can you imagine the enemy using a Premier American made camera? They have them on their aeroplanes; also some of 1 their anti-aircraft trucks, mounted, are
 made in the United States. The Ger mans Americanize all they can in their military ideas and supplies and, be- I lieve me, they'll know us better before long.
 I have picked up all kinds of relics mostly in captured German trenches
 Practically all of the ground now oc-
 cupied by the American forces on the front where we are located was for merly held by the Boches, so you car imagine the condition of the country We are in.
 We see air fights every day. Some tsport! The Boches occasionally shel the locality of our battery witt
 shrapnel, but if the shells don't lan6
 within twenty feet or so of where WI
 happen to be, we sit and watch then
 burst. You see, it is like this: If tht first shot lands on us, why it counts
 otherwise, we can get under cover il a minute.
 II The company to which Sergeant Car Anderson (also of Danielson) is at
 tached is near here, but I can't ge
 away to see him or any of the othe Danielson boys who are in the sam' regiment.
 'I My section was the first nationa guard heavy artillery organization tt
 fire a shell at the enemy on this sec tor. In fact, our battery was the frs
 to get into action, of all the batteries
 in the regiment This is the bes
 honor that can be bestowed upon ;
 battery. My position in our gun crev lis No. 4, and I rammed home the shel
 first to go over the lines of the en emy.
 Now it seems that there is no meet of my letter being deleted by the cen sor, because you read practically tn same things in magazines at home. } This is considered tres bon papie } Francais; anyway, it's the best the. } offer us over here. Will tell you nor r in my next letter.
 Love to mamma and you all. q As ever, JOHN. -l The arrival of Private Horton's let ter indicates that more such will fol
 low almost immediately from Daniel son Se9diers who figured in the fight } ing on the Chernin des Danes secto l about a month ago. Relatives an g friends here have been without direc messages from them since they frs . went to the front line, but that tn g men have escaped injuries is indicate I by the casualty lists that appeared u : ] to GafyirdaV