Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-04-17
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This Paper VIII Be Glad TO Print Short Letters Items OF
= News From the Sank County Young Men in the
: Army Write Shot Extract From
Letters and Send to This Office


who were always on the alert for Ger
man .U-boats, as we were then in the
danger zone of the subs. / forgot to
say that Paul Conley, Fat Smith and
Earl Harry, all from Reedsburg were
on the same ship. Well, Saturday
morning, September II, we sighted
land and it was sure welcome sight,
as influenza had broken out ON the
ship and there were several hundred
cases in the hospital on board. About
10 o'clock we landed in Southampton,
England, and the next morning we
hiked to rest camp about three miles
from the docks, where we were in
quarantine for few days, while they
picked out those who were suffering
from the flu. There we got boat and
crossed the English channel to Cher
bourg, France, and then went to an
other rest camp and waited till they
got a train made up. Then we started
on our four-day train ride across
France to San Loba, small town six
miles from Bordeaux. Here the infan-
try and machine gun companies OF the
used for replacement in the divisions
that had suffered heavy losses on the
front. Paul Conley, John CrOal and
myself were in the same car while we
were on our '72-hour ride to the front
lines: We detrained about Is miles
from the front lines and the first greet
ting we had was an air raid by two
German bombing planes. No one was
hurt, however, and John CrOal laugh
ingly remarked, II just begin TO think
that there is q war over here" At
casual camp we were assigned to diff
ferent units of the 8Oth division, which
was just ready to go into the front
lines. We were told if this drive was
successful it would end the war at
once Well, the middle of October
they loaded us down with ammunition
and we went into the lines on the
Muese -Argonne sector. Here the Ger
mans were slowly but surely driven
back with heavy losses, day by day.
| am not going to tell of what hap
pened in the front lines, as our letters
are still censored, you know. But /
will say | saw some sights that | will
not forget very soon. Also saw a great
aerial battle in which 225 allied planes
were engaged. | saw German planes
take fire and fall thousands Of feet to
the round, where they were hit by the
guns of the allied planes. Our infan-
try smashed a strong German point
where the marines and the nth divi-
sion Ca national army division of New
York city) were held up, so we got
more praise. OF course we had our
casualties also, but not so bad consid-
ering where we were and what we had
to do. We were on German soil when
the armistice was signed and could
hardly believe it to be true, but knew
it was so when we started to the rear.
On our way back we camped for a
week on the old Hindenburg line where
the French repealed the German inva-
sion at the beginning of the war. This
line was broken by the Yanks last
summer, as it was here and at Chateau
Thierry that the Americans showed
the Huns what kind Of fighters they
are. Well, about the middle of Novem-
Der we started on our two-hundred-
mile hike, which we finished the day
after Thanksgiving 1t took us to
Amieres, small place 1875 miles south
west of Paris. Now all we want to
know is, when do we go home?"
Well, this will give you a faint idea
of my trip. When I get back | will go
into detail and tell you all about this
old forsaken country. Goodbye,
AS always,
PRIV. JOSEPH F. CLOSSEY.
Co. D, 31S Infantry.
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