Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1918-11-28

From John Brinkmeyer.

4 letter from John Brinkmeyer, Of
co. VI. 10 his sister Mrs, w. 70. Van
deventer says he was slightly
wounded and Is in the Base Hospital.
lie says Il Is useless to say why /
am here for you have heard Of Il
long before you get this
1t was on the 10Th OF September
that we participated In herding the
Germans back along a ninety mile
front aud the last heard they are
still on the run. After several hours
OF Smelling the German lines with
the Artillery we started at twenty
minutes past five on our first exper-
fence on the firing line. We mao
pretty ensy going that day and
reached our first days objective IN
three or four hours. We captured a
few prisoners as we went along. II
was quite foggy, | could scarcely see
the second man from me on either
side about sixty feet away. We
went about six miles at least, the
first day, occasionally we would run
into a nest Of machine guns tibet had
10 be cleared away by the aid of
tanks They are about the only
weapon the Germans are using be
sides the Artillery and they are quite
often located in such d position that
you may walk right on to them be
fore you can locate them. We had
but few casualties the first day. On
the second day we had more rests
lance and had some difficulty getting
started and 1t was in the evening
when we first went over the top un-
der an Artillery barrage. We waded
through machine gun fire on all sides
Of us, how they only got the but two
or three of us | can't understand I'm
less the Germans don't use them. We
got the Huns started out of their
holes and | could see them run IN
every direction as far as mile
away. 1t was then that 1 got my
first game. | didn't get to fire my
rifle the first day but got it warm
enough the second day that the sur
plus grease under the wood work ran
off. We went several miles before
we dug i'm for the night, and held the
front line until the next morning
when we were relieved by Il Go. who
took up the drive. II Co. going in tho
rear 1t was the third morning that
got mine. l was sent with a mess
age to headquarters for reinforce
ments After had gone about two
hundred yards through an open
space the machine gun bullets began
singing around me. One refused to
go by my foot but 1t failed to stop me
and still they kept on coming while
| stayed up in the air until could
get under cover in the ditch /
crawled out Of sight after going
about mile went over the hill
where some cavalry boys were wait
ing to have their change. They
dressed my wound and got me to a
first aid station in the meantime an
other regiment of. Infantry came a.
long and l gave my message to an
officer who sent it on while l stayed
at the dressing station. After a
couple hours six or seven German
planes came along, and dropped A
bomb on us. He made a good shot,
for 1t fell between the second and
third man from me lying beside me
on the ground. l was under blan-
ket taken off some OF the cavalry
horses that had been killed by one Of
Fritz's shells few minutes before,
and as the bomb dropped rocks and
/ fragments dropped all over me and
| thought sure I got my second dose
and looked up to see what had hap
pened. 1 saw hole in the ground
j hDOlL SIN ACNb lAOh bAC anu WhU'
had happened. ! took fair warning
and made my getaway as best
could to another dressing station
farther back. l considered myself
lucky to only have got what l did
didn't get to hear much of the com
pany after left them only that they
made another charge that evening
l was told my Captain was wound
ed three times. / saw Willie on the
morning of the fourth day just as
was leaving for the field hospital. He
was stretcher bearer from FL Com
pany during this drive. l am anx-
ious to hear from him and the rest
of the bunch. l travelled over a LOT
,v,I x,-ar In onuD~al hos.