Arizona republican., 1919-02-16

Havre France, next morning. La Havre is a beautiful old town. There are some beautiful old homes there. We stayed there two days and, then entrained for Rmscourt France, where we arrived some 36 or 40 hours later. It is nothing more or less than a dirty little French town but one Of Napoleon's famous hunting parks was located there and it was sure worth while going through it. At Andelot. about three miles from Rimacourt, went to church in a church built S7 years E. C.
 Our training started at Rimacourt. Squads right and left, bayonet drill. offensive tactics, gas mask drill and instruction and rifle range work. We stayed there until the latter part of July and then loaded. into trucks and started for the front After a two days trip We arrived in Manonvlle. which is about six miles from the front. It is another town about like Rima- court but there were some very old buildings there. We were there until August 4th I believe and then moved up to the support just back of the front line. We were located there seven days. and then moved onto the front ! That was quiet sector but we thought we were really holding down real front. lt was the St. Mihiel section. They shelled us some and gassed us several times and one morn { ing layed down a barrage and tried to come over" on us but they were out 'of luck We drove them back with several killed and wounded. We only 1 had one man injured. We held down the front for fourteen days and then moved back to Manonville. Just be- fore we moved to the front they sent me to Bri. Hqtrs.-"Battalion Hglos. and put me in charge of the Bn. Bombers and Sappers as acting cor poral and th0re l remained until after the armistice was signed. We stayed ! in Manonville for two days and then moved back into the woods about five llilometers q kilometer s mile-in- formation to readers) from there. We stayed there two days living in pup tents and it was raining like blue blazes and then moved out about 6 p. m. September 11th We hiked through mud water and rain until 1:S0 a. m. : and then arriving at the front we stood ' knee deep in water until 4:30 a. m. and ! then "over the top and give them hell" Our artillery. behind us. throw ing over heavy barrase. American flares and varilights. German flares and shells bursting in the air and red hot fragments scattering in all dlrec- tions. the whiz of airplanes overhead, the cracking Of the machine guns and the sharp crack Of the ordinary rifle all combined to make a scene the equal of which l never expected to see. ft was one wild glorious morning. We . soon got them on the run and started taking prisoners Of which We sure got our share. but we kept running into nasty rifle and machine gun fire all day We drove until daylight next morning and then dug in and held our position. We had the Germans back Co the old famous Non HindenburE line On that drive our outfit took the towns of Bonanville Benay and Narmmes. When We stopped we were located at the latter We held our position for seven days and were shelled constantly. losing more men than We did in the drive. They couldn't keep the boys out of tho town We lost in killed and wounded by shells in town in one day 22 men. They would go after water, German grub etc. l was in three buildings in the ! town Wnicn were nll Wltn SnellS. nul I never got scratched. one day they dropped shell right onto the parapet of my hole which rained dirt on mo for it seemed like five minutes but nc shrapnel touched me. While there
 sure learned to dodge the tG-S cans or IT. Els in other words high explo. sive shells. The only explanation
 can give for tG.-I. cans) IS this. Geo l can duck or Gee l can run and be. lieve me they make us do it. You SC, you can hear them coming. Firs there is a low whistle steadily grow ing louder and then just before i bursts it changes Co a moan or scream | can't describe it but Ctell the world | know what it means It's only sec onds but sometimes it seemed lk' hours until it either bursted or passed over and how it tickled us when it wa, a (dud) dead shell.
 From Nammes we moved. back [, Bouianville. had bath and change O