The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1923-03-29
INDIAN TRAIL.
Part W

After the Ainse-Marne offens-
i've came the great St. .Mihiel
drive, a sector which the Germans
held for over four years, and which
the French and British failed to
capture. But the American army
drove the Germans out of this
sector in about two days. When
Marshal Foch. the General of all
Allied armies. called for crack Dl
visions, be was sent the Second
Division Marines and the First
Division Regulars as shock troops,
as these two divisions were called,
After leaving the SCISSORS offens-
i've we marched for about seventy.
two kilomets without stopping, SO
you can imagine such a hike with
about forty eight pound pack OF
our backs. We finally landed in
a little town. on entering this vii
lage there was a sign which read,
Welcome to Belcourt," SO all my
buddies said to me, you ought to
have good time here, it being
that this pot hole. is named after
you. We had a good time here,
yes, after drilling for a few days
we hiked to some French barracks
for the purpose of target practice.
after the Marines shot all the tar
gets off the face of the earth for
the French we started on our way
for the great St. Mihiel drive. All
the men in my squad we're new to
the game, ''bone heads" they are
sometimes called. We were hiking
up to the front in rain, mud and
storms. Some of the boys in my
plottoon says to me. II wonder
where all the noise is we read
about in the papers," said, "vever
mind, you will soon hear all the
noise" 1t was then about 10 p.
M. and thegreat American 'barrage
was to begin at 1 a, m. We went
along singing, talking and laugh
ing, but all of a sudden the big
guns began to crack all around Us,
about four or five hundred of
them, and that many more on the
German side. Then l tried to
talk to my buddies, but I could
not get any answer from them.
They dried up, as it is called in
the service, and ! didn't blame
them We finally entered trench
which led straight for the front
lines, we stayed in this trench
from 1 p. m. until day break. We
hiked through this trench, which
was full Of icy water and mud up
to our belts, but that was much
better than on the ground where
the shells were flying We went
over the top at daybreak. The
German lines for about seven
miles deep we're nothing but
trenches ard wire entanglements.
Our tanks went ahead aid our
artillery made paths for US to pass
through. We were just passing d
French battery when / spied an
airplane coming towards US over
head, it was an American plan
with two Germans in it.. Just
above US saw one of them empty
what looked like q basket that va:
full of bombs. I says to my bud
dies, hit the ground" and 1 dove
for a little knoll. After the at
tack l rose to mv feet, and as !
turned to loob for my best friend
saw .him sitting 10 a hole looking
at me. His arm, shoulder and
side were torn away, l could see
his heart and kidneys laying or
the ground beside him. And still
he sat there rolling his eyes at me
/ covered him up with his owr
blanket Of the eight men in m,
squad three were killed and fou,
wounded.
| Again if it wasn't for the Indiar
part of me, hiding behind every
thing ! could find, j may have