The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1919-01-10
SONS LETTER FROM THE
FIRING LINE m FRANCE

SONS LETTER FROM THE
FIRING LINE IN FRANCE
J. G. Hahn, the Salmon railroad
man, has letter from a nephew in
France. Engineer Karl Oehler, the
son of an Episcopal clergyman at
Wilmar. Mimi, telling of the last
days of the war in a way to thrill the
reader and giving the outlook as II
appears to the armies of occupation.
FUR work, says the writer. took us
from the forward artillery posi-
tions to the reserve trenches. so you
may imagine that we have seen the
fireworks. especially when / tell you
that We were up for three months
without relief and were through two
drives. When We moved up we went
into positions north of Toul and so
went through the drive that reduced
the famous ST. Mihiel salient. Since
then we have been attached to the
second army which has operated In
the Woever. A drive was in progress
there when the armistice was signed
The past two months we have been
billeted near the town OF Thiacourt
in the province of Meur-et Moselle.
From there we could see Montese
which, next to Verdun, Is the most
| famous point on the eastern part OF
the Front During our barrage 1t was
one complete bed of shell bursts. so
heavy was the concentration of fire
| Montseo. you know, is the position
that cost the French $4,000 men to
hold for fifteen minutes In 1915, and
We took it with loss of very feo
hundreds. When the armstice was
signed we were designated TO go for
ward with the Third army as troops
of occupation. 1t Is to be considered
iii the light of an honor to the sec
ton.
We moved northwest toward Con-
fans, passing through Etain, (by the
way, | read a correspondents report
of the forward movement in which
he said that Etain was not much
ruined. I wonder where he was?
There Is not a house with a roof in
the whole of Etain.) Aumetz. Spir
court very close to Domremy, Jean
dArc's birth place. and we are now
billeted in Dudelarge. Luxembourg.
Our objective is Coblentz, to be
reached probably sometime in the
first week in December. The north
of France lis in pitiable condition Ii
Is succession of trenches, barbed
wire entanglements and ruined
towns. and the havoc done to French
In tnrriIIa 4,
building of any description left Re
gnevile. in French Lorrone is the
worst town I've seen in that respect
There isn't one stone lying upon an
other, and yet, the other day, | saw
an old French woman looking for her
home in IT, A big S-inch shell hole
was the only thing left. Believe me,
il was pitiable. II will take years %
labor and millions of francs 10 res
tore France and Belgium. II Is a
pity that the fighting couldn't taken
place on German soil. Tha- phase
of the horrors of war they '.ayen't
felt. And | thank God. that our be-
loved country was spared such a des-
ecration. One glimpse % northern
France should be enough for the un-
preparedness advocate. over here
we KNOW. The atrocities of the
Huns weren't so numerous or so
glaring on our sector as elsewhere,
but | do know that they deported the
physically fit in their retreats. The
Luxemburgers are very friendly TO
us. Niye FAmerique are the words on
cveryone's lips. They had hard
time here. They couldn't say a word
against the Germans without being
Ideported and there was and Is
great scarcity Of food. as the Ger
mans took everything The inhabi-
mans took everything The inhabi-
steel mills and factories under pain
Of military punishment.
think Germany Is finished as
/ first class power--at least as mill
+ tary power War in the present day
means munitions. and she lost II per
cent Of her iron output when she
gave up Alsace-Lorrai~e | do not
think that We need fear her anv
more but We must still be careful
The occupation is going on in an
orderly fashion. | think though some
OF the Prussian civilians are rather
intractible, but they are promptly
dealt with. | don't expect much trou-
BILE
! Believe me. We were all ready to
/ cry 'finis' TO the whole busihess
though il need be We would gladly
have gone on. The armistice went
into effect the 1lth OF this month
and | was mighty glad 10 hear the
finish OF tka' last barrage. II was
hard to realize that the whole thing
was over. For several DAYS after we
were still straining our ears 10 hear
incoming shells. and | still catch my
self dnino II nnv and Then