The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-09-12
Bud Davis Tells
Of Experiences in
the Fighting Zone

Mr.. Davis has, probaly been in the
lighting zone longer than any other
Canon City hoy, having been mem
Der of the first American contingent
to be sent to the Western front after
the United States declared war on
Germany in April. 1917 The letters
of Mr.. Davis aer always entertaining
and hold the attention of the reader
into them. In the course of his COM
munication to Mr.. Rundahl he says:
August 10. 1918.
Dear Mr.. Rundahl:
81 must apologize for not writing for
n long time, but l have sure been Il
busy man l had that long-looked-for
furlough that told you about in my
other letters. spent week at Aux Les
Baines, very pretty little town in
the French Alps, that is the official
place for the American troops to go
for rest and recreation. The govern
ment pays our hotel bill for the week
and the Y. NJ. c. A. furnishes various
derful week that one spends here. and
every one hates to leave. | had a
fine time on the lake and sure did en-
joy the hotels and civilians again. My
leave came after e hard months work
in the German offensives, and was
doubly appreciated for that reason
ha
sights this summer. when the German
offensive broke out we were rushed
to the lines and our division fought
like demons to stop them. ! wrote
you about our work in the forest. Just
as soon as we come out 10 build up
the division again we got orders 10 go
right back. so with two days rest We
went right back to the lines 10 join
in a big offensive, and sure run the
Germans ragged. That is the best
work and most exciting We have ever
been in don't think / will ever
forget some of the sights | saw out
there on the battlefields. The Ger
mans were retreating and we would
follow up the gains. You canot pos
sibly imagine the sights after big
battle. There were wrecked tanks.
aeroplanes, guns. wagons, bicycles,
etc. The dead and wounded lying in
every ppssibie place. THIS Is the
first time in our experience that an
American division was right on one
side of us, and my, how they did fight.
They went over so fast the French
men had hard time keeping up with
Them There were several other ma
there, too, and in the grand
melee they We're all mixed together.
1t was TOO much for the Boche. They
fought well, but had 10 retreat. They
kept going for "a hours with the Allies
right on their track. You should have
seen those roads. just one continual
line of traffic; men, cars, horses.
trucks, guns. " seemed as though
the whole world was moving along.
We hauled several thousand wounded
back of the lines to temporary hos
pitfalls, and do not believe there as any
form of mutilation or suffering we
did not witness. II was horrible to
see the dead lying on the field. In
some places we saw them after they
had been there for seven or eight days
and believe me it was an unpleasant
sight
At several places we would see
where Americans and French had
fallen side by side. The lombard
ment on both sides was something ter
rife. Whole towns were absolutely
destroyed, not a house being left
standing. The roads were shelled
continually. but were repaired by the
engineers as rapidly as possible. We
drove through shell holes by the hun
dreds, or around them. any way to
tinual line of traffic. Out of our 20
cars l don't think over two or three
got away without being hit by shell
pieces. Some of them have Is or 20
holes in thief. One car had all the
tires punctured by eclat.
Funny thing about my car. 1t has
one bullet and two eclat holes holes.
and they are all in the back OF the
car. Looks bad for me, hut in this
war with iron flying in every direc-
tion, it is no disgrace to get hit in
the back. had several close shaves.
but so far / have got through un-
touched. Had a close call when
shell hit tree close TO me and