South High School - Tiger Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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Vicifdilg Wow However, it was not at all like a Christmas at home. A year ago Christmas out Company was on M. P. duty in the city of Bordeaux. Our Regiment has been decorated twice for bravery, courage, and endurance. Once for the battle of Soissons, where it captured two thousand prisoners, twelve cannon, four hundred machine guns, and also advanced a number of kilometers. It was decorated again a few days ago for the fighting at Chateau-Thierry. Our brigade colors have been decorated with the Croix de Guerre with Palm for the Hghting at Chateau-Thierry. Enclosed you will find one of the orders that are read to us every now and then. With love to all, Your son, VICTOR E. JOHNSON, Co. K 3rd Batt., 5 Regt. U. S. M. C., A. E. F. France. THE FIRST COMMAND School-France, July 15, 1918. Dear Dad: Well, I've got a lot to tell in this letter, as I haven't written for nearly two weeks. I suppose I had better send a telegram to let you know I am back from the front and was disappointed in what little I saw. However, I had some great experiences. I left to go up there on July 5. I spent a day in Paris, which I had to go through, and then took a train as far as possible and made the rest of the trip in motor trucks. I can't tell you what part of the line I went to, but it was not far behind where Carl Wallace's marines and Bustor's outfit showed up so well. Well, I got there in the afternoon and was assigned to a machine gun outfit, supposedly for observation. I went over with the captain to his headquarters and had just got nicely started on our mess when call to arms was sounded. Then up came a runner and gave the captain orders to move out immediately. In less than five minutes all the carts were packed and on the road ready to move off. The captain, noticing me there, said: You're in charge of the second platoon, move off. It was all so sudden that it sort of took my breath away. To find myself in command of a machine gun platoon of about forty-five men and five guns was a little more than I expected, especially as I was only to be there for observation work. Well, I found my platoon, and off we started. We must have marched for about three hours when we finally halted. It was beginning to get dark. I had no idea of the lay of the land, not having a map, and knew nothing of the scheme of defense. One of the other lieutenants had been up to the position that morning to look over the gun position and had taken a ser- geant with him. He gave me this sergeant and said he would show me my gun positions. Well it was dark by this time, and he looked for about an hour or longer 21 ! 65i5'i.'.z.f Q-Qajgg 'A Ku ' .325 :ew N- Zi. I'1'- C-IL - ' 715' ' E-4 . 5 V 0 SEM

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,- I+-at J M' fffia ' I WS 5 .jlxxx ai . 119329 fflfie Vficciiinvfg ftfijgenv WATCH ON THE RHINE Luxembourg, Nov. 28,1918 THE A i Dear Mother and Father: I have received letters from all members of the fam- ily during the last month, but have been unable to answer any until now. As you undoubtedly notice by the headlines, I am spending this Thanksgiving Day in the Duchy of Lux- embourg. I for one certainly have a good deal to be thankful for. I have come thru all the drives, alive, and what's more-untouched. Our division was one of the first to start this last drive, which had so much to do with the Germans' calling for peace. At one time during the advance our division left the divisions on its right and left eight kilometers behind. By the time the Americans reached the Meuse 2 river, the Germans begged for an armistice. By the way, you know the friend of mine whose slip I sent home for a Christmas package? Good old Powell made the supreme sacrifice in this last drive. He was killed by a machine gun bullet. We got the machine guns afterward. There were seven of them. My pal Hollis Empey was killed the night before the armistice. It was while we were trying to cross the Meuse river on a pantoon of bridges that a piece of shell hit him. He certainly was a fine fellow. A truer friend I never expect to have. After the armistice, we had the job of following up the retreat of the Germans, taking over the evacuated territory as soon as they left it. We passed thru a portion of Belgium. They sure did welcome us. All along the streets of the villages were lined up evergreen trees decorated with bright colors, tinsel and flags of the Allies. Here and there were archways with inscriptions like this, To The Sons of The True Freedom, which was the first one I saw on crossing the boundary from France into Belgium. Others had writings to this effect, Honneur aux Allies, Honneur au Liberateurf' In one village that I was billeted in, they gave us their sitting-room and brought down feather mattresses and pillows to sleep on. Bremchiel, Germany, January 11, 1919. When I last wrote our company was in Luxembourg. Now, however, we are ten kilometers the other side of the Rhine, in Germany. Our regiment crossed the border into Germany December 1. From where we started in France, which was on the Meuse river, to where we are now is over 300 kilometers. I spent Christmas in the village of Stopperich. Four of us fellows were billeted in a bakery. We decorated it up as best we could with Christmas houghs and holly. 20

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,- J ., J W A it fhllx ai L It i Q H9519 Qffnde Vimidgcg Wen and couldn't locate them. So finally got his lieutenant and had him go over the ground with me. Well, we finally located them and then sent each corporal back for his squad and gun and finally got them in place by about two-thirty A. M. I put on a guard at each gun and a sentry and then let the rest of the men go to sleep after they had gotten the guns up and had brought up their ammunition. When I pulled out of the old place, I hadn't had time to take even a blanket with me. However, I did take my raincoat, and so when I came to lie down myself, I didnit even have a blanket. All of the men had blankets in their packs, and so one of my sergeants loaned me his blanket, and he crawled in with two other sergeants, which was pretty decent of him. The next morning we began to improve our posi- tion, and I had the men start dugouts for each gun and one for myself, which was to be platoon headquarters. Then I started to make a map of the land we were covering, and commenced to get myself oriented with my men. At first I had a little trouble with my men not wanting to keep their gas masks with them all the time and not wanting to wash their mess kits. I soon broke them of this. When they came up for mess, if they didn't have their mess kits clean and their gas masks with them. they got no mess. After this they were more careful. Another thing I had a little trouble with was the men exposing themselves. They wouldn't keep back out of sight in the woods, especially when a Boche plane came over. This was the hardest thing to remedy. They would insist on coming out to watch the barrage which would be put up to stop the plane. I was afraid they would give not only their own presence away but would give away the gun positions, in which case they would be put out of action immediately in case of an attack. In front of us were the in- fantry who were working like beavers to get their trenches completed. We were there to protect these men and enfilade the wire and trenches in case the Boche did get in. Well, anyway, I was king for a week. The captain would not come around sometimes for two or three days. It was surely quite an experience. At the end of the week my orders relieved me. The captain and lieutenants wanted me to get an assignment to their company, if possible. . We came back by the way of Paris and were there for the fourteenth of July, which is their holiday. They had a big parade, etc. In the afternoon I went to an opera and got a train back to the school at eight that night. I got back here this morning at about seven-thirty. I reported and found that I would be allowed to take the advanced course in machine guns. Might say that I was eighth highest in the class last course with an average of ninety-four, which is good, considering that all the others were experienced men with troops. The next course doesn't start for a week yetg so it looks as though I would have a week of leisure. When I finish that course I will feel ready to tackle almost any machine gun job. Lots of love from ' JAMES BALLENTINE. 22