The U.S. Army Ambulance Service with the French Army was
recruited at the request of the French Government soon
after war was declared, to take the place of the different
volunteer organizations which had been doing the work prior to
our entry in to the war. It was made up for the most part of
various College units. It appealed, for the reason that immediate
service overseas was promised.
I enlisted the 22nd of June, 1917, and reported at Allentown,
Pa., July 1st. Was there three weeks when the first
contingent was ordered across and immediately transferred
to one of these units which happened to be from the University
of Virginia; Section 517.
We sailed on the 7th of August on the San Jacinto. It was
the first trip across for the transport. Before the Government
took it over, it had transported bananas up and down the
coast. When I say we felt much as the bananas must have felt,
it's enough to describe the comfort of the trip. Our crossing
was uneventful until the last day. We then ran into a perfect
school of Subs, and between the guns of five transports and seven
destroyers we had quite a battle that lasted an hour and fifty
minutes. We were given official credit for sinking two Subs and
crippling another.
Landed that afternoon at St. Nazaire. Spent two weeks at
the camp there, putting our Fords together, helping the Negro
labor battalions and German prisoners unload grain transports
and spending our money.
We were the first section to leave for "Somewhere in
France." By that I mean we led the parade of four Sections
that
started the same time. Drove up to Paris; beautiful trip
and fine weather. Had an inspection at Versailles and were then
ordered to do the "Battle of Paris." We did the evacuation
work of all the blessés arriving at Paris from the front
to the various hospitals around the city. Our headquarters were
at Neuilly, just outside Paris, which was the center of the American
volunteer work before our entrance into the war. It later became
the American Hospital No. 1.
The last of October we were ordered to the front, about thirty-two
men, one American Officer, one French Officer, and
six other Frenchmen, interpreters, clerks, etc. We had twenty
Ford Ambulances, a Packard truck, a Ford touring car and a trailer
kitchen, so we made quite a parade.
Took us four days to make the trip from Paris to Belfort.
We then were assigned to the 31st Division of the 16th French
Army Corps. Our sector was to the east of Thann on the Alsace
front, in front of Mulhouse. We were there until the first of
April. Very quiet, but gave us a chance to learn the ways of
the service with the French and also to learn something of the
language which was quite necessary in our work. The French made
one attack there in February. Six of our boys were decorated
with the Croix de Guerre for work done during the period.
The third of April we started on the road to get to the other
end of the line where the Boche was making his drive. We
drove, skirting the whole battle line, stopping a day or
so at points where there was a possibility of the Boche breaking
through, and when the lines held we would move on. The roads
were literally filled with traffic; everything going to make
war, going to the front. By the last of April we had gotten as
far as Belgium and there went in to relieve the British at Kemmel
Hill. Our Division had 80% casualties there in eleven days, but
the Boche was stopped.
We were given two weeks rest and sent in with a fresh division,
the 71st on the Locre sector. The work there was very
heavy for two weeks and then settled down into ordinary work;
forty-eight hours on duty and twenty-four hours off. We had a
chance to see the territory gone over by Fritz in his advance,
as he had been driven back at this point. On the 4th of July
eight more men were decorated for work done at Kemmel Hill.
The 6th of July we loaded our Henrys on flat cars and started
back for France. Arrived at Chalons-sur-Marne on the
12th, unloaded and got to the front southeast of Rheims early
the morning the Boche started his last drive, the Champaigne
Offensive. The work was very heavy there for about a week, then
we moved camp further up and the infantry settled down to trench
warfare.
On August 18th I went to Paris and then on to Aix-Les Bains,
for my leave. We were supposed to get ten days every
four months, I think. I had one leave in nineteen months,
and there were three of our men who never received their leaves.
Too much red tape with the A.E.F.
When returned to the Section, found them about twelve miles
farther west on the sector, where we remained until
September 26th, when the Argonne Offensive started. For the
work done during the Champaigne Defensive four more men were
decorated.
Our division during the Argonne Offensive was the Liason
division between the French Army of General Gouraud and
the American Army on our right. The work there was he most
difficult of all. We did not have as many wounded, but due to
the fact that it was an advance, we had a very long haul back
to the Evacuation Hospital. About fifty miles round trip. It
took about four hours during the day and sometimes twelve hours
at night. No lights at the front, and in the rear we couldn't
use any because by this time, they were all broken and no new
ones to be had. Our men worked for the first ten days with no
rest and in a continual rain. We were in, following up the infantry
until the 18th of October. Was all very interesting of course,
for it was the first time we had really been in German territory.
We had four days rest and the Division was ordered in again.
We remained in this time until November 8th. We were
just outside Chalons when the Armistice was signed, on our
way to Alsace for the next offensive.
After November 11th we trailed around the country, following
our Division finally up as far as Colmar, Alsace, where we
held down a sector on the Rhine for about ten days. We then
started back and were stationed at Darney, France, until we were
ordered home on March 6th.
We had two days in Paris, four days at the Ambulance concentration
camp and five days at Brest. We sailed on the
President Grant, March 20th. Just before sailing we received
eight more decorations, among them mine, for work done in the
Argonne.
Thirteen days on transport coming home and when we landed
I think we all felt more like strangers in a strange land than
we had when we landed in France. It had been nearly two years
since we had heard English spoken by little children, in fact
English had been a secondary language, so to speak, with us during
our sojourn in France.
Have heard so much knocking of the French people since returning
that would like to say something of them. We lived
right among them for eight months, during that time never
seeing a woman except those dressed in native garb and most of
that time no other Americans near us. I had the chance to know
them very well; slept in their homes, bought supplies from the
civilians and worked with the soldiers, and in nearly all cases
received the best of treatment. Prices were high but not
as high as here and over there the supply was very low. I do
not regret my experience with the French Army and French people.