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[Illustration: PRIVATE EDWARD ALVA TRUEBLOOD]
_Observations of an American Soldier During
His Service With the A. E. F. in France_
In the
Flash Ranging
Service
_by_
_Private Edward Alva Trueblood_
[Illustration]
Press of
THE NEWS PUBLISHING COMPANY
Sacramento, California
1919
[Illustration]
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to
the Republic for which it stands--
one nation, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all."
This book is a record of the personal
observations of a private soldier in the Flash
Ranging Service of the American Expeditionary
Forces in France. It not only relates his
experiences while in France, but also tells of
going over and returning. In brief, it is a
soldier's story from the time he left America to
help crush the autocracy of Germany, until he
returned again after fighting was over.
Contents
Chapter Page
I. Going Over 1
II. Our First Glimpse of France 10
III. From Brest to Langres 18
IV. Nearing the Front 29
V. Preparation for Battle 37
VI. The Great St. Mihiel Drive 42
VII. Gassed 54
VIII. Hospital Experiences 63
IX. Home Again 72
In the Flash Ranging Service
_By Private Edward Alva Trueblood_
Chapter I.
Going Over.
When the sun arose on the 22nd of June, 1918, three great transports
were lying out in the stream of New York harbor. They were filled with
American soldiers for duties overseas. They were well camouflaged and
well convoyed. The previous afternoon they had pulled away from a
Jersey City pier, where they had taken on their human cargoes, and
they were undoubtedly under sealed orders. They had slipped away
quietly from the piers without attracting undue attention, and while
they moved to the location where they anchored for the night, not a
soldier's uniform could have been detected from shore even after the
most scrutinizing search with the best binoculars obtainable. The
departure was made without a word of warning and not a fond good-bye.
It was accomplished with a methodical silence that called for
admiration. It is the way Uncle Sam does things during war times.
Just before 9 o'clock on that beautiful June morning, simultaneously
but without communicating with each other, each of those transports
began to weigh anchor, and except for the click, click, click of the
machinery all was silent. Precisely at 9:05, without the blast of a
whistle, the sound of a gong, or the hoisting of a signal flag on the
mast, but like so many automatic machines, these vessels turned their
prows to the sea and began their long voyage.
Among those who sailed on one of the vessels of this transport fleet
were the members of the Twenty-ninth Engineers, A. E. F., of which I
was a member, being attached to Company C. Our departure was an
occasion never to be forgotten.
As we glided out of the great harbor and saw first the Statue of
Liberty, then all trace of our native land disappear from sight, and
we realized that we were on our way to fight the most savage, inhuman
and despicable foe that has ever drawn a lance, a feeling of solemn
thoughtfulness came over most of the boys. Many of them were so
affected, as they knew a certain percentage of us must inevitably fall
in battle, that they went below to spend a few hours by themselves in
serious thought. I am not ashamed to say that I was one of those who
sought solace for my feelings in thoughtful solitude.
The vessel upon which we sailed was an Italian transport, by name, the
"King of Italy." It was accompanied by a French and a former German
liner and was convoyed by a destroyer and a cruiser. On the second day
out we picked up four more transports, making seven in all in our
fleet.
There were 1,500 American soldiers on our transport and approximately
the same on four of the other transports. Two of them, however,
carried more than 3,500 men, making a total of about 15,000 men on
that one fleet bound for duty overseas. Of the 1,500 men on the King
of Italy, 500 were white and 1,000 colored troops. No trouble was
caused by this mixture of races because of good management. The white
and colored boys were kept on different parts of the boat and all
guard duty was in the hands of the white troops.
For the first few hours after sailing, thoughts of home lingered in
the minds of most of the boys, but these were hastily banished when we
had our first life drill. This took place at 2 o'clock on our first
day out. The drill was a thorough one, and it soon became apparent to
most of the boys that even if we should be torpedoed by a submarine
while going across, our troops would have no difficulty in getting
away from the boat before it took its final plunge toward the bottom
of the sea. In the life drill, every man had his place. He was
assigned to a certain boat and could take no other. The lower decks
were emptied first, and then those above, one at a time. I was bunked
on the fifth deck, hence, as the liner had six decks, would have been
among the last to leave the ship, in case of disaster.
The object of the life drill, of course, was to make it possible to
empty the boat of troops quickly and in military order in the event
that the boat became a submarine victim. Every man was instructed at
the sound of the alarm to go to his bunk and stand there until given
further orders. In the meantime, he was to put on his life belt. The
boys marched out to the life boats only when they received orders from
their superiors to do so. After a few drills, we mastered the
manoeuver and it would have been possible for us to have emptied that
boat of 1,500 soldiers in twelve minutes, if such action had been
necessary.
We had life drills two or three times a day all the way across. The
signal for the drill was four siren blasts, and when we heard those
blasts, there was a lively time on deck for a few minutes, until the
ship, in theory, had been abandoned.
American people, who believe in giving their soldiers the right kind
of treatment, and particularly wholesome food, would have been
righteously indignant, if they could have known how poorly we were fed
while on that transport. Those at home were buying Liberty Bonds and
paying heavy war taxes so that the boys in the fighting forces would
be well fed and clothed, and yet, it is hard to imagine how men could
have been treated worse, so far as food is concerned than were the men
of this boat. I am going to be just as frank as I know how in
describing food conditions with the hope that by calling public
attention to this petty graft, such practices will be stopped, so far
as American fighting men are concerned. To any who have weak stomachs,
I suggest that they skip over the next two or three pages, as the
details may nauseate them.
The kitchens and mess rooms of the transport were on the top deck.
Meal tickets were issued to the men, and when they went to mess, the
tickets were punched. This is the way the Government kept track of the
number of meals served, as these tickets were collected when we left
the boat. The white men were fed first, and the colored troopers
afterwards. This was done so as to keep free of any possibility of
racial trouble, and apparently it worked well.
After the second day out, our "chow," which is the soldier's name for
food of all kinds, was vile. It consisted largely of spoiled beef and
such foods as spoiled rabbits. When I say spoiled, I mean just what
the word implies. These rabbits were positively in a state of decay.
They had been in cold storage for a long time, evidently a very long
time. They had been carried in the ice boxes without being drawn, and
when exposed to the air the odor of decay was so strong that they were
positively nauseating. I saw strong men turn exceedingly sick just
from the stench, and I do not believe it is an exaggeration to say
that there was more upset stomachs on that trip from the decaying
rabbits that were given us to eat than from the action of the sea.
The beef that we were given consisted of only the poorest and toughest
parts. The good cuts went to the mess for the army officers and for
the officers and crew of the ship. The potatoes that we were fed were
the poorest that I have ever seen. They were served about half cooked,
and were small, wet, soggy and unpalatable. It was seldom that a
potato fit to eat was given to the men. We received rice several
times, but it was only about half cooked. During one meal we were
given bologne sausage, and after some of the boys had eaten their
allotment, the discovery was made that the sausage was full of
maggots. The soup was like water with neither flavor nor body. The
bread served was Italian-French bread made with sour dough, and not at
all palatable to an American, who has been accustomed to sweet and
wholesome bread. The coffee was of the poorest quality--probably
mostly chickory--and we were given neither milk nor sugar for it. The
result was that most of the boys did not touch their coffee at all.
The only seasoning given our food was an insufficiency of salt.
Everything served was tasteless, unpalatable and unwholesome.
That there was better food on the boat, we knew, for we could see it
going to the officers' tables. They were served chicken two or three
times a week--the men never. Officers were given fresh fruit at every
meal--the men not at all. Officers were given palatable, sweet bread;
the men only when they would pay for it out of their own pockets and
then at a big price.
It is my opinion that the owners of the boat on which I sailed made an
enormous profit off those meals served to the soldiers. Certainly the
Government would not have given the soldiers such unfit food. The
Government is to blame to this extent, however, in not seeing that the
ship owners lived up to their contract to feed the men properly. There
was a man on board who was supposed to see that the men were given
wholesome and nourishing food, but he failed absolutely to perform his
duty. Whether he was in the company's pay or simply negligent, I
cannot say, for I do not know. But it is a fact that he did not
perform his duty and 1,500 men were fed spoiled and unnourishing food
as a result. Men who indulge in "graft" of this kind are no better
than traitors, and should be treated as such by the Government.
As a part of the uneatable diet we were given, numerous complaints
were made. We were not long in being told that we could purchase
something in the way of wholesome food for ourselves, if we had the
money. This was done on the sly. We could purchase a palatable steak
for $1.50 or $2, or we could get chops for about the same price. A
chicken would cost about $4. All the boys who had money were forced to
buy food this way or go hungry. Many of the boys ate only enough to
keep them alive. Often two would go in together and buy a steak or a
chicken, each putting up half of the money. Even then, we could not
get the food we wanted, as only a limited quantity could be "sneaked"
out.
We could buy sweet bread in the canteen on the boat for 25 cents a
loaf, and a small loaf at that. That was the only way we could get it.
Sweet rolls, the kind that sell four for a nickle at home, cost two
for a nickle. Oranges, apples, bananas and other kinds of fruit cost
25 cents each. Unable to eat the food in the mess room, most of the
boys had to pay the exorbitant prices asked at the canteen or go
hungry.
We had no sugar at all. The Government must have provided a sugar
ration for us, so my conclusion is that it was stolen by someone in
connection with the boat management and used in some form of graft.
Because it was necessary for them to buy so much of their food, all
the boys who had money with which they expected to buy things when
they landed on the other side, were without a penny when the boat
docked.
Every afternoon between 2 and 3 o'clock, the Y. M. C. A. workers who
were on the transport came on deck and held song services. Many
familiar hymns were sung. These meetings were very popular at first,
but gradually the fascination for them wore off, and toward the latter
part of the voyage they were but lightly attended.
The "Y" workers did promote one form of entertainment, however, that
the boys thoroughly enjoyed. This was boxing. Every afternoon several
bouts would be held. Nearly every company had a fighter and he was
matched with the best man of some other company. Lively bouts of about
three or four rounds were fought. The colored soldiers took to this
sport keenly and they furnished some good contests among themselves.
White men, however, were not permitted to box the colored soldiers, as
such a bout might have led to a racial difference. Members of the
ship's crew also wanted to partake in the sport and they furnished
several bouts. The sailors, however, were somewhat awkward at first,
but they were game and they afforded us many a good laugh. Those who
had charge of the boxing never let a bout go to a knockout. When one
man was apparently getting the worst of it or was clearly outboxed,
the bout would be stopped.
Very strict rules were issued on the boat with regard to lights at
night. Every porthole was closed, and every precaution taken so that
not a gleam of light could be seen. The men were warned that anyone
who attempted to make a light would be shot on the spot. The fleet
moved along in the darkness at full speed ahead. That it did not meet
with accident was due to excellent management on the part of the
Government.
All the boats in our fleet were camouflaged. The King of Italy had
great irregular streaks of black and white painted across it. One of
the boats in our fleet had a really remarkable picture of a sinking
ship painted on its side. Another had two ships painted on its side
and was camouflaged to look like two vessels instead of one. While the
camouflaged ships appeared strange at first, we soon were used to the
unusual appearance, and thought nothing of them. A camouflaged vessel
is visible to the naked eye, almost as plain as one that has not been
daubed with paint, but it is through the mirrors of a periscope that
the camouflage is effective. In reflecting the picture on the horizon,
the mirrors lose some of the rays of light, so officers explained to
me, hence the eyes of the periscope are unable to detect the
camouflage.
Our voyage passed pleasantly with smooth seas until the eleventh day,
when the water was a little choppy, and then for the first time some
of the boys were a little sea sick.
It was my fortune to see our first and only brush with a submarine. It
happened about 4 o'clock in the morning on the twelfth day out. The
sea was choppy and the night very dark and cold. I was on guard duty
on the sixth deck of our vessel, and I noticed unusual activity on the
part of the destroyers that were convoying our fleet. Our transport
stopped dead still. In a moment four shots were fired from the
destroyer. I could see the fire from the gun plainly. It was an
exciting moment and the first real guns of war that I had ever heard.
Depth bombs were also dropped, then all was still again. All this
happened without disturbing the men asleep on our boat, and in the
morning they were told that the transport had been attacked by
submarines. It was the belief that the destroyer had sunk one of the
U-boats.
We were given orders on the twelfth day to sleep in our clothes with
our life belts on during the rest of the trip. This was issued so that
there would be no delay in getting off the boat if we were hit by a
torpedo. That night, being unused to sleeping with clothes on, was a
restless one for most of us. The following night, however,
notwithstanding the fact that we were fully dressed, we slept well.
We were also joined on that day by a flotilla of destroyers. The sight
of these boats was hailed with joy, for we knew we were nearing land.
We had not been informed, however, in what country nor at what port we
would land, but we had hoped that it would be France, and we soon
learned that our destination was France.
The torpedo boat flotilla that accompanied us during the last two days
was made up mostly of American and British destroyers, though there
were two French boats among them. They made a lively scene, and surely
gave us great protection. If a speck would appear on the horizon, two
boats would be off to investigate it, and would return later to join
the fleet. We were also accompanied on the last day of the voyage by
two airplanes as a further protection against submarines.
We sighted land on the thirteenth day, and it was a welcome view.
Everybody was happy and eager to disembark. It was quite a contrast
from the feeling that existed just after we left New York harbor. We
were a merry crowd as we entered the harbor of Brest and we were glad
to see a large city again. We disembarked at 3 o'clock in the
afternoon. Before leaving the boat, we were given "leaving rations,"
which consisted of a loaf of sour bread, a can of bully beef and a
small piece of cheese. This was given to us because we had a long
march ahead and our kitchens would not be in place for several hours.
We were taken off the transport on barges built especially for that
purpose. We were then marched to the Napoleon Barracks, built by the
Emperor Napoleon, eight miles from Brest, and were glad to put our
feet on land again, even though the march was a long one after a
thirteen day sea voyage. We had only a passing glimpse of Brest, but
did not mind that as we knew we would have opportunity to visit the
city later.