The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-01-02

qulTe too much time to write about, so
will wait until l get home to give you
the details. But will say here | heard
or rather experienced even longer and
worse barrages than before. The Ameri-
cans and French put over a barrage one
morning which would make you think
the world was being torn apart, some
thing terrific, firing all sizes of shells.
The day before, making the relief and
| my regiment taking over this sector,
! our bunch were laying on the side of
| hill watching the battle which was TAX
ing place about two miles or SO away.
We could see the shells land and
watched the aeroplanes cooperating
with the infantry and keeping back the
Hun planes. We had 107 planes on the
front that day.
And the tanks attacking, that is an
other wonderful sight 1t was at this
front, though, that / had my misfor-
tune. Our kitchens were in the rear
and as | had not had much to eat for
a few hours I was beginning to crave
something to stop the annoyance at
about midways of my person SO l
went back to get something to eat. /
had reached the kitchen wagon and just
cut Ou d SlICt Vi DTcdu anu was SOiHS
to get some jam when the shells began
coming. One landed too close to me
for my own good; killed three of the
horses, and what happened to my
bread don't ever ask me, for l don 7
know. Well, / was. sent to the hos
pital and the rest you know. Since then
my division has continued in action and
is now part of the army of occupation
understand they have had pretty
hard time, too, staying on one front
90 days.
To give you some idea of what shells
can do I win say that holes made by
shells vary in size from two feet IL
width and about the same in depth tC
II and Is feet wide and just as deep
You could put our car in great many
} of them. Grounds on which battle:
! have been fought are nothing but shell
hoIes-so close you could not drive
across with wagon-and strewn Will
Iron from exploded shells. The woods
look like so many big logs standing
Instead of trees. And the villages, o.
which there are hundreds where boil
) sides have made their stand, are merely
piles of tumbled stone. In one place
/ saw only one standing wall remaining
as evidence that it was once a part o
building.
] Before / close ] want to say wore
! for the American soldier, and don
think it is a boast when l say non
! can be compared with him and tina
] the American has been absolutely TIL
[ winning factor in this war. One reason
a is that he is full of pep and
quick thinker. which has put him abov
e the German for a great deal has de
:. pended upon the individual soldier. H
. had to use his own head and the taste
e actor was the winner.
| think this will give you some ide
of what we have done, though it S onl.
!, small part of my experiences. How
+ ever, | am hoping soon to have tn
Y pleasure of telling you more IN detai
n about the beating we gave the Hun.
: Hoping this Christmas will be mos
d merry and happy one for you, L al
5 your affectionate son,
h WYCKOFF.
e P. S.-Am enclosing a piece of
c lPrussian guard soldier strap. You ma
/. l.also be interested to know that thi
! hospital with which / am connecte
| is just outside the city of Toul. Fin
!, that and you will know what pal
of France | am In at present.