New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the world war, 1917-1918, Part 19

Author: Wall, John P. (John Patrick), 1867-
Publication date: 1921
Publisher: New Brunswick, N.J. : S. M. Christie Press
Number of Pages: 246


USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > New Brunswick > New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the world war, 1917-1918 > Part 19


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BOUND FOR THE BIG FRONT


Before daybreak, September 18th, the boys were rolling packs and at 6 o'clock the battalion started hiking. The column reached Belfort and after a short rest, the march was continued. All afternoon we kept going, the straps of our packs biting into our shoulders and our stomachs torturing us, for we had nothing to eat but a little sandwich since leaving Magny. The men were tired and a heavy rain which had set in and drenched and chilled us through, made matters even worse. Finally at 7:00 P. M. we arrived at Chenebier and were billeted. We had , covered about 25 miles and that terrible hike of July 17th through Belfort was nothing in comparison with


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this one we had just completed. Rumors were spread about that during our stay here all drilling was to be dispensed with. However our "Rest" consisted of hiking with short packs and a Brigade maneuver which none of us will forget. All day long we tramp- ed in combat group formation up and down hills which would tower over any of the ones we encoun- tered during our training in Alabama. When it wasn't hills, we were wading through swamps or jumping streams, some of which were too wide for some of our short fat men to get over. Consequently these unfortunates were treated to a cold bath, they were "S. O. L." to use the universal expression.


It rained very hard on September 23rd and this was the day we were to move once more. The .88th Division was taking over our old Alsance sectors and the 29th Division was destined to leave for a more active front. The colonel had told the men that they were soon to go into action and this thought cheered them up while they floundered through the muddy roads for a distance of 7 kilometers.


At Bas Evette we were crowded into box cars. 30 or more men to a car which could only comfortably hold about 10. We rode on through Lure, Cham- pagne and Versul, but there was no pleasure in riding as the cars were wet, cold and dirty, in fact old straw and manure still remained in some of them. The low country for miles at a stretch around was flooded as result of the heavy rains and many a road was submerged and houses isolated.


Sleep was practically impossible, it always is when traveling on a troop train, and the boys were happy when at noon of the next day they arrived at Net- tancourt (about 50 kilometers from Verdun) and detrained. A colored regiment of the 92nd Division was in waiting in the fields near by for orders to move and a trainload of 35th Division men were in the railroad yards waiting to be unloaded. We were told that during the last five days, ten divisions had been detrained here and this news gave promise of another of General Foch's strategic drives being launched. Our battallion was not to start hiking until night, so we went to a forest, a kilometer from the station and rested there until darkness came. During the afternoon Sergeant Cooley, Bugler Cole and Privates Mann and Wellman were taken to the hospital, ill with influenza. They proved to be the advance guard of the great numbers that later contracted the disease and had to leave, leaving but a mere skeleton of a company left. At 1 P. M. packs were shouldered and under a bright moonlit sky, we started on a long hard hike. The column passed through a town which once had been ruined but had been rebuilt, but as we entered Louppy Le Chateau, the ravages of war were still very evident. The moon shown down on battered and ruined walls and disclosed great blocks of masonry lying in heaps in the roads.


That night we were billeted in this town and in the morning the men looked over the scenes of destruc- tion. Only a wall or chimney remained of what had at one time been beautiful houses. Hardly a house stood untouched by shell fire, but in the wreckage and at isolated parts could be found a small home still occupied. A large cathedral was badly damaged and one of its huge bells had fallen to the ground, but the inside remained untouched as if by God's own will. The work of rebuilding was in progress, German prisoners of war being engaged in it. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the battalion continued its march. A drizzling rain was falling and the men were still aching from the effects of the previous night's trying hike and everyone was happy when a large forest (about 7 kilometers distant) was reach- ed and shelter tents pitched. All that night-the 26th of September, the opening of the great Ameri- can drive north of Verdun, the terrific thundering roar of the Allied artillery, continued. All the fol- lowing day we stayed in the woods waiting orders for a further move. Each man was checked up in re- gards to having steel helmets and first aid packets and he was given a total of 220 rounds of ammunition preparatory to entering the drive. The next morning the batallion was ordered to roll packs and prepare to move to the trucks which were supposed to carry us to the front. Everything was made ready but the moving didn't commence until that evening.


About 8 P. M. the column started and walked a few hundred yards to the road and there halted and waited eight long dreary hours before starting again. At 4 o'clock the battalion moved on, this time the trucks were reached, much to the joy of the tired and chilled men. For the next few days these trucks were our homes. At this time the Blue and Gray was held in reserve and it depended on how the battle waged whether or not the regiment would be rushed to the front. Each contained nineteen men, many more than one could comfortably hold and in consequence, some pitched shelter tents or slept in the aeroplane hangers near by. Several hundred trucks, each manned by a Chinese driver, were re quired to hold the regiment.


These drivers were probably drafted from the French colonies and it was an odd sight to see these yellow men in France and so close to the battle line.


While the regiment was held here, the men spent many an interesting hour at an aeroplane field, which was close to where the trucks were parked.


It was the first time that a good many of us had a close view of a plane. Not a day went by without a fleet going on some mission in Boche-land, some- times returning minus a few machines. The two weeks which began during our stay here were the worse the men ever experienced, the sun was al- ways hidden and many days the rain came down in torrents. This led to much sickness, influenza


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claiming more victims who were immediately taken to the hospital, among them being Lieutenant Smith.


The battle at the front was evidently progressing in favor of the Allies, for on Sunday, September 29th, we were ordered to leave the trucks and they went off without us. Tents were pitched in a nearby field and the rest of the day was spent there. At 2:30 the next morning (raining as usual) our regiment broke camp and the march to the front began. We hiked for four hours and just after daybreak made camp in the field on the outskirts of Beanzee. That night the regiment again broke camp and for several hours plodded wearily along the road until it finally arrived at a big woods. It proved that this was the wrong woods for the 113th to rest in so at 9 A. M. the following morning we hiked for the other. Here we stayed a few days making final preparations for the last few marches which would lead us some- where on the battle line. Clothing was issued and inspections were held daily to see that everyone was in fit condition.


Finally we left the woods (on the night of October 4th) Co. H. guarding the wagon train. Several hours marching brought us to the end of our journey. We expected to bivouac in the woods again, but here a surprise awaited us. Instead of a woods there was a big camp filled with wooden barracks. Our com- pony was aassigned to one and made good use of it that night.


In the morning the natural curiosity led the men to wander around the camp. It was extremely large, accommodating several regiments. The camp boast- ed of a "Y" hut which was filled with men in O. D. writing their last letters home before entering the fight. Sunday afternoon while a few of the "Y" workers were entertaining us, our brigade command- er, General Upton (a regular army man formerly with the 2nd Division) spoke. He told us that within the next few days the other brigade of our division would go "over the top" and that ours would follow closely. He also encouraged us in telling several incidents of the former battles he took part in point- ing out some of the brave deeds done by the men of this command. His talk was enjoyed by all of the men who gave him a rousing cheer at the close of it.


Monday night found us again on the road. Mile after mile we covered one time a two hour wait in the rain caused considerable dissatisfaction among the men, but when we had arrived at our resting place, a woods near a village called Germanville, we were only a short distance from the front. Ahead of us our big guns were roaring, in the distance we could see the flare sent up from the lines. The men did not get much rest here. Packs were left rolled for the regiment expected to be on the move by day- light. The orders did not arrive until late Tuesday morning. Before leaving, the men had to apply sag


paste on their bodies. The paste issued to us a few days before was used for the protection of the skin against certain gasses which would most likely be encountered during the attack.


As far as the eyes could reach on this daylight march, nothing could be seen but battle scarred fields and woods, broken in some places by long lines of trenches. Our artillery was scattered about but it was so well camouflaged that the pieces could not be seen except when they poured forth smoke and flame. The whole surrounding had a glorious aspect. ยท Civilization seemed to be left far behind and even the things of nature refused to show themselves. By three o'clock in the afternoon we were well ahead of our rear line artillery and quite close to the front. A stop on the slope of a hill protecting us from observation was made about this time, fire started in the kitchen and good meals prepared for the men. Several Y. M. C. A. entertainers, amongst the num- ber being two American girls, braved the danger of enemy shells and sang for us, the thunder of the guns making an odd accompaniment. Prayers were given amid the dini of the battle and it was an inspiring sight to see several thousand men with bowed heads listening to the solemn words. At 9 o'clock the march was resumed. For several miles the column followed a railroad track. Here every- thing was torn to pieces by the big shells. Huge holes yawned ahead of us in the darkness and it was only by careful walking that accidents were avoided.


After crossing the river Meuse on a pontoon bridge the regiment came to the town of Samogueux. This place was completely demolished, nothing being left but a few walls, the name and resemblance of better days. The regiment rested nearby in a valley, wait- ing for daylight to arrive when it would take its place at the front. Packs remained rolled and we patiently waited for night to pass.


With daylight came orders that we would not move on for another 24 hours. The valley in which we were resting was taken from the enemy only the day before our regiment arrived, by the 58th Brigade. German occupation was in evidence. All kinds of equipment, shells, machine guns and instru- ments of war were left behind in their hasty retreat. Large dugouts reinforced with concrete and steel machine gun posts and lines of well built trenches were so located behind the hills as to make them very formidable strongholds, gave proof of the Prussian efficiency and their intention of holding this ground.


FACING THE HUN (The Meuse-Argonne Offensive)


Very early in the morning of October 10th, the regiment began its last lap to the front line. The three battalions separated, the second proceeding up a valley to its designated position. The line now extended through a deep woods (known as the Or-


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mont woods) the battalion's sector being held by part of the 116th infantry. Boche planes maneuver- ed over us as we advanced to the line. Several American boys killed by shrapnel and machine gun bullets, and many dead German soldiers lay along our path. It was a sickening sight to see the mangled and torn bodies, but we were fast becoming accustomed to it. Once the column was shelled, causing a few casualties and if it had not been halted when it was, the battalion would have suffered heavy losses.


By noon we went into position, relieving the 116th without being observed, the woods affording ample protection for this movement. H. Company occupied the support line in combat groups about 200 yards behind Co. E. The lines now lay along the side of a steep hill through the deepest part of the woods. The crest of the hill was considered "No Man's Land" and somewhere on the reverse side of the slope was the enemy. Our left was being held by the remain- ing two companies of the battalion and on our right and a little to our rear were the French. During the afternoon this line was brought up beyond ours, the French having advanced under a heavy artillery and machine gun barrage. The noise was terrific and at the time we did not know what was taking place, but late in the day the shelling ceased except for an occasional big one which was sent over by Fritz and we then learned of the French advance. Most of these shells whistled over our heads and burst some- wheres in the rear. Sleep was practically impossible the first night, the shells screaming with a dreadful sound as they came over which caused the men to do considerable hugging of the ground. Later the men termed these huge projectiles "G. I. Cans," "Barrack Bags," "Freight Cars," etc., because of their size and the noise they made as they went on their deadly way.


On the morning of October 10th, before the Com- pany took up its position, part of the 116th in the Battle of Molleville Farm, had advanced to a point several hundred yards ahead of the line we were now holding. The French on our right supported by part of the Blue and Gray Division had also carried their line beyond ours in the Battle of Malbrouck Farm. As result of this, the Boche, ahead of us retired and the next day the battalion advanced without meeting resistance, thereby straightening the lines. Now our front line lay just above a ravine known as "Ravine De Molleville," while the enemy occupied the hill opposite the ravine. During the company's ad- vance through the woods, the Boche opened up their artillery on the paths we were following. We had to retire several yards for a short time but when we proceeded to the new positions without further inter- ference. Laison work was a problem in these advances, due to the density of the woods in which


we were fighting, but despite this the "Runners" all did excellent work.


With Friday night came the company's first casualties. At intervals during the night, the Ger- mans severely bombarded the front line and support area. Some of the shells fell very close, one of which wounded six men, Sergeant C. Van Tine, Corporals G. Cutter and J. Carroll and Privates Peterson, Eichstad and Burns. Saturday morning found the company well established on the front line. The battalions sector now covered more of the front and the companies in support had to be used to hold it. Co. H. took up a position between Companies E. and F. Immediately the men "dug in" for protec- tion against shrapnel and bullets. For more than six days we held the line here, living in our little holes almost continually. Unnecessary moving about was not permitted on account of observation and with this and the danger of enemy shells, the men got very little exercise. Weather conditions were also against us. Every day of the six that we remained there, the men had to battle against the rain and cold. The weather proved our worst enemy for many more men were taken sick and sent to the hospitals than were killed or wounded. Lieutenants Goode was amongst the number sent away and his going left the company with but two officers, Lieutenants Stover and Lamp, until the return of Lieut. Smith two days later. Some of the men who had to go to the hospital never returned to the company as they contracted pneumonia and succumbed to it. Amongst these brave fellows were Corporals R. S. Tice (who was shell shocked in Alsace, but later was taken with pneumonia), J. Peterman, H. Tettemer, E. Ross, W. Hampton and Privates J. Griffiths, G. Woods, A. Kollar and L. Muskal. All were old men of the former 2nd New Jersey Regiment and their deaths was a hard blow for their many friends who had soldiered side by side with them for over eigh- teen months. ,


Before leaving the front lines the men hailed with joy the return of their commander, Lieutenant Smith, who immediately resumed command of the company. As must be expected the company did not leave this area with all of its men, for somewhere in the Molle- ville Ravine, deep in the Argonne Forests are the graves of five of its best soldiers, Privates J. Boyd, A. Gowan, W. K. Williams and J. Patrak, all of whom made the supreme sacrifice, all of them were killed on their posts by shell fire which burst in their midst. Early on the morning of October 18th the men were finally relieved by another company of the battalion and we went back to a reserve position about a kilometer behind the lines. Here a check was made of the company and it was found that only 50 men and 3 officers remained. Over half the men were lost, through sickness. This gives an idea of the severe weather conditions we were living then


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during the journey to the front and our first ten days there.


The company held this position in reserve for four days, living during this time in German dug- outs. It was no rest camp and the few men left had to carry rations to the front line companies, run messages and do various other kinds of detail.


On the evening of the 21st of October, Lieutenant Smith having reported to Battalion headquarters pursuant to orders, received instructions that Com- pany H. was to participate in a general attack at daybreak the following morning on Etrayes Ridge, a strongly held, strongly fortified German position, abou: 11/2 miles northeast of Consenvoye in the Con- senvoye Woods-upon his return our mission was explained to all but in the meantime the attack was postponed twenty-four hours.


Our instructions for the attack were that H. Company was to be divided into two platoons to act as combat lasion groups, the right group connecting up the right of the 29th Division (113th Infantry) with the left of the 26th Division (101st Infantry) while the left group was to act in the same capacity between the 113th and 116th Infantry, the latter ad- vancing abreast of the 113th Infantry on the left sector. The groups were divided with Lieutenant Smith in command of the right platoon and Lieu- tenant Stover in command of the left platoon. Each platoon consisted only of about 22 men such had been the terrific effect of climatic conditions and losses from enemy fire.


NERBOTEN


SEGT. BASCHONG BRINGS IN THE BACON


At 2 A. M. on the morning of the 23rd of October the company assembled and under command of their respective leaders the platoons moved silently


through the dense woods ir inky blackness to take up their position at the parallel of departure which was a line drawn north and south through Molleville Farm. Each platoon was to have a section of Machine Guns, but the guns for the right group were not found at the appointed place and upon learning they were further up the ravine, Private Brymner was sent to bring them up. He, however, died in the performance of this duty from German shell fire.


The woods through which we passed to arrive at our designated place were in the day time deserted, but the sight that met us as we slowly and silently moved into position will never be forgotten by any that passed to the attack, great gaping holes made by shells, the paths strewn with the dead of both armies, made an indelible impression. The Germans probably assuming something was up, opened up a terrific artillery fire on the entire area, the shelling being continuous and violent during the early hours, nothing could stop the Americans, however, and they came by the thousands pouring out and through the woods in perfect alignment moving without con- fusion, without disorder to their proper stations in the line. The right group commanded by Lieutenant Smith, reached its position in good season arriving there at 4 A. M. or as the order stated "H minus 2 hours" while the left group was gaining its position on the left of the line. We crouched amid the ruins of Molleville farm waiting for our barrage to open- this was to commence at 5:30 and consisted of artil- lery and machine guns-promptly on time the bar- rage opened and for 45 minutes artillery and machine guns tore the German trenches and barb wire de- fenses to pieces-the concussion was terrific, the roar deafening, the machine guns particularly in our immediate rear cracking and sputtering like an end- less pack of giant fire crackers-the earth shook and peering over our breastwork of the farm's ruins, we saw great trees torn up and hurled down, saw holes blasted in the earth large enough to hold a platoon of men. It seemed nothing could survive that terrific barrage. We looked around and the American troops were crouching down smoking, rolling cigarettes and waiting for the order that was to carry them over and which was to mean death to so many. At 6:15 A. M. the rolling barrage started forward, the crouching figures came to life, shrill blasts of the whistle sounded and H. Company start- ed over the top in company with supporting com- panies. Our Division is called "The Blue and Gray" and surely this attack was delivered by splendid rep- resentatives of both the Blue and Gray, the 116th Infantry from Virginia on the left kept close contact with the 113th Infantry from New Jersey on the right and thus did Virginia and New Jersey once again cement the bonds of Blue and Gray so that they will never again be questioned.


Sergeant Nordhaus was wounded soon after the


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attack started and was evacuated to the rear. .. Slowly of the 113th Infantry and this position was held and and surely did the attack move forward behind the barrage over trenches, through barb wire entangle- ments which had been ripped and torn by our artil- lery pressing always forward until the inter-mediate objective had been reached when the following mes- sage was sent back to the Battalion, P. C., by Lieu- tenant Smith:


FROM C. O. CO. H.


AT Intermediate Objective


DATE 23 October, 1918; Hour, 8:50 A. M .; HOW SENT, Runner No. 2.


TO C. O. Battalion B. HERE


Signed, SMITH.


After an hour's rest at the intermediate objective in order to replace those who had fallen, to realign the companies, the advance was once more continued through the dense woods of the Argonne forest. Soon prisoners began to filter back from the com- panies on our right and left and were passed to the rear, the enemy defense also being to stiffen con- siderably and as our barrage lightened their machine guns began to crack and the advance was slower but none the less steady and consistent. The companies ed in the line between the 29th and 26th Divisions and H. Company continued forward to fill it. In the advance Lieutenant Lamp and Private Kuhl took a machine gun nest and three prisoners who were from the 28 Prussian Guard Regiment. .. We occupied the machine gun nest as our company P. C. and as this was our objective, prepared to defend the posi- tion. The action had continued steadily since 6:15 A. M. and the men had been moving since 2:00 A. M. At 13:30 o'clock the following message was sent the Battalion P. C. denoting that we had reached our objective:


FROM C. O. Co. H.


AT 27.0 : 82.3


DATE


23 October, 1918; Hour, 13.20; How Sent, Runner No. 3.


TO C. O. Battalion B.


Arrived at our objective above hour. Am in trenches here and my P. C. is previous German M. G. nest we took. In Liason with 113th Infantry (Co. B.) and 101 Infantry (B. Co.) throughout day. Need chauchaut ammunition for delayed defense.


(Signed) SMITH.


We held this advance position until 9 P. M. that evening, when we were advised that the companies on our left were going to drop back 200 yards to a better position. As this would leave our flank exposed and the entire platoon beyond the front line we too, dropped back taking up our position in a new line of shell holes connecting up with the companies on our left and forming a continuous front line of resis- tance along the entire front. In haste we formed our new line for defense. Machine guns protected our left flank, between us and the other companies




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