RecordHunter

front line trenches—the towns where the Brigade was billeted, etc. (Just had dinner. Am "full-up" as Louis Lozier used to say. We had jelly-roll and a bottle of 1911 Rhine wine donated by August's (Lt. Arens')landlady in honor of the occasion).

        We pulled out of Baccarat area around the 18th of June—on that day I went ahead in side cars to Romont via Baccarat, Rambervillers to billet for Battalion and Brigade headquarters. On the 19th I went on to Moriville to billet.

        On the night of the 21-22 I went back to Merviller by truck to pick up a number of non-combatants we had left with the 77th division (New York's own) who had relieved us, as instructors in automatic weapons, and returned the night of the 22nd.

        On the 23rd we marched to Chatel sur Moselle where we entrained Hq. C and D on one train. San. Det. A and B on the other. After this all train movements were by sections Headquarters A and B on one San. Depart­ment C and D on the other. We went by rail to Champagne, detrained June 24 at a place called Coolus (near Chalons) marched via Mairy to Togny aux Boeufs. Here it was planned to drill and have maneuvers but we marched on the night of the 28-29 to a camp in the big maneuver ground "Camp de Chalons" known as "Camp Tombeau des Sarrazins" (Camp of the Sarecens Tomb). Via Mary sur Marne, Sarry-Chalons, St. Etienne au Temple and St. Hillaire au Temple. This latter place we will never forget. We got to know it better later. Camp Tombeau is where we had the photos taken and saw our first tanks (in demonstration).

        It was originally planned to use the division in a huge raid on Fritz south­west of Rheims going from the Chalons area to that place by Camion but Foch got wind of the Hun plan for the offensive of July 15th and the Battalion was marched to Ferme Suippes on the night of the 3rd of July via Vadenay and Vadenay Farms. Battalion Headquarters and Brigade Headquarters stayed at this point while the companies were again attached to the Infantry Battalions. (Company A to the 2nd Battalion 165th. Company B to 3rd Battalion 165th. Company C to 2nd Battalion 166th. Company D to 3rd Battalion 166th.) On the night of the 13th we received a false alarm that the Hun attack was on and Machine Gun Headquarters moved to a splinter proof about ½ kilometer from the Ferme. Nothing happened and we went back to the Ferme in the A.M.

        The night of the 14th (Bastile day) the word came at about 11:30 that the ball would begin at midnight, our artillery opened up and at midnight exactly, Fritz opened fire. We dug back to our hole in the ground but in the morning I went back to the dugout Brigade occupied and slept there the 16th and 17th. Here is where Companies A and B received their baptism of fire. C and D being with reserve battalions.

        The night of the 18th the troops were relieved and moved back, Battalion and Brigade Headquarters going to St. Hilaire au Temple where Headquarters A and B entrained the night of the 21st. Fritz was aware of something going on and came over, and bombed us—hitting the depot and setting it afire and smashing up two cars—causing several casualties, both men and mules. Like Kipling's skunk everything that has ever been said about bombing planes is true. Deliver me from them hereafter.

        We went by train to Esbly (between Paris and Meaux) on the 22nd and on the morning of the 23rd arrived and billeted at Conde, the prettiest town I saw in France. In the afternoon of the 23rd we marched to Veux through Meaux and La Ferte cous Jouarre, the companies rejoining their

CONTENTS
INDEX