The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-02-28
WITH THE ARMY OF OCCUPATION

written from Hunsdorf Germany:
AS near as l know We will leave
this place some time next month. In
December we were to leave this
month but it is always the same.
You asked me to write and tell you
some of the things that happened on
the front, but | will have 10 wait
until / come home, as | cannot write
OF that Not but that the censor
would let it pass, but if one has been
in real battle and not S. o. S. he does
not feel like telling about It, or writ
ing about it. However here is an in
stance. One time we pulled into IA
hollow off the road, near midnight, set
up our guns and made up our hunks
which consisted of iouc blankets and
two shelter halves under us anG four
blankets over us. We laid down and
slept soundly until about 4 o'clock In
the morning, when our chief of sec
ton called us to lay the pieces. as we
were to fire barrage at &. | got up,
slipped on my shoes and gave him
hand. Just as | reached tie trail of
the piece a gas shell came IN and ex.
ploded about ten feet from where I
had slept A good friend had been
sleeping with me. At The time the
shell came in he was putting on his
Shoes and it knocked off his helmet
and filled his hair with mustard gas.
Several more shells camc in and we
left the valley. as the gas was too
heavy and there was no Wind. AT
I'VE came back and comm, anced firing
without breakfast, as one cannot cook
n gas We fired until after dinner.
Just before dinner one gun crew went
10 the hospital. One was killed out
Fight one died in the hospital. Hobbs
by bunkie the night before went over
10 the medical station at dinner time
10 see about his head. The doctor
old him to go to the hospital. lie
lame back to bid US boodbye and
vent over to the kitchen to get cup
II coffee before he started. He had
ust reache dthe kitchen when shell
anne over killing three cooks, Hobbs
nd the water wagon driver, also a
cam. Three others died in the hos
>ital one of them being our chief
llICe CltIh. ne was q lulu AIA6IAOA-
nan and a fine fellow we'll liked. We
hoved closer to the line and on, or
lst behind a ridge, a much better
lace and out of sight of the balloons
III this happened while the papers
lated that the division was In rest
amps. The infantry was, but we
Fere in the trenches for over eight
honths, or eles on the way to one.
all this time we were in billets for
bly, cne week, and they were rotten.
Where we are now is paradise as
impaired to those days. We have re"
bntiy changed billets on account OF
bom, for we were rather crowded,
ne men in a room about 16x1S. Now
y have plenty of room, but the roof
3 very leaky.
We are becoming quite handy with
zz & rifle. as we have lots of rifle drill.
~ have had our rifles for about four
pnths. Formerly we had only the
|lt's pistol.
We are now entirely motorized, but
Il r horses have not gone yet. was
& hshing one of the tractors this
prning. First we started cleaning
lth a stick, then used hose. then
bucket and rag. Say; talk about
Gaming a cream separator. tractor
as bad as hundred of them. 1t
as raining and l lost my slicker. so
BIT pretty we'll soaked The 7th Field
rtillery is going to take our horses.
hat sure will be great relief to us.
Some of the boys have Just come
ack from the hospital. In fact all
he coming back that are able, and
lose who are not will be sent to the
hates. We sure have a big battery
ow with all of the drafted men that
We received as replacements.
am going to clean my rifle this
fternoon as did not have time this
a norning, on account of washing trac-
r 3ors. We are polishing up something
a most of the time clothes, shoes
Streets, billets, rifles, trucks, tractors.
We are kept busy, but it is good that
We are or else we would sour. 1
know | would, longing to get DacK
Into civilian clothes again
MI You mentioned my enjoying The
watch on de Rhine" Well it is bet.
Ter than mud dugouts, lodging shells,
5digging gun pits, etc, but 1t is
2mighty bum place at that. would
*almost as soon be on the Sahara des-
ert. As It now looks we will be her"
some time yet, as the allies gave the
square heads an extension OF the
armistice. / certainly would like to
finish up this job and go home, but
tho Dutch are as slow as ever and
will hold off as long as possible
You ask what the French and Ger
man girls look like. Well. some OF
them are good to look at, but that Is
all. They are mostly bar maids and
the rest are farm hands and driving
oxen on a plow The French are as
bad as the Dutch girls, or worse.
We wear an o. D. shield and a red
one on our left shoulder. We soon
will have another service stripe. That
will make three, also worn on the
left sleeve.
This is the way our days are taken
up: We get up at $50 stand reveiiie
and eat breakfast. Then we police
and eat breakfast. Then we polish
ND our billet, sweep out and make up
our hunks, lay our equipment out with
our mess kit clean and open on our
q hunks. Our hunks are made up on
"a the floor We have general inspec-
u ton tomorrow. We always do on
n Saturday, but Sunday we have for oar
81 own, with nothing to do. Wei. to get
n on with the subject we go up to
Sal h0