((The Battle
Private Anton Siluk, 1917-18, on his way to The American
AEF (American Expeditionary Forces) in Europe ,
WWI
The General’s headquarters were hidden in the
forest, the
I saw him once, giving directions regarding
operations and deciding
whatever generals decide.
I had fought in the Battle
With the British Fourth, and was sent forward to
fight some more, in
the
battle yet to be in the Forest of Argonne by the River Meuse …
nearby the Lost Battalion!
We
had captured 1600-prisoners and twelve guns.
It was dogged attacks, which are what we called
them, how we won: —we advanced four miles in the face of strong resistance:
Let me explain—resistance: we knew we’d have but
little time,
For recuperation, after The Battle
Selle, for the Battle of Argonne ,
that was to ensue on October, 31,
So our commanders told us, and we did as they
said,
We pushed to attack until we were incapable of
further effort—
Red from the cold, per near pale as death;
Marshal Haig said, we’d earn the lasting esteem
and admiration of
the
British,
Alive or dead, but surely he meant dead.
And surely enough the little time we had between
the two battles,
fourteen-days,
resting in old cold winter dugouts, trenches the
Germans
had left,
Proved we fought without rest, in the face of
resistance.
Anyhow, I fought—like many,
Many, without any thought of alignment, my right
hand swelled like
the
belly of a porcupine,
And once attacking the enemy I had learned,
Never lose contact with the battle ahead, once you
have found it,
that
is,
Lest you get disorientated, and your mind no
longer can concentrate on: life, limb, and killing: and you must kill, willing!
Lest you lose your head by and by; and many did.
I
never looked at disadvantages of position,
Just: attack, attack, and attack, no matter how
severe it was on us
troops:
we were the AEF, and it was calamitous for the enemy, If not for us, surely for
me: and we attacked, and attacked, north
of
Verdun
road, in the cold, October of 1918, under the winter’s Snow.
#3415
(9-4-2012)
Perhaps
interesting notes on WWI: During WWI,
about October 1918, there were
about 250,000 French Soldiers still in uniform; about, 250,000 British also,
they had taken big losses, and, 1.3 Million AEF American soldiers in uniform, along with 1.1-
Million Germans in uniform; perhaps a 35% advantage for the Allies, at this
point in time; in addition, it must be said, the Germans were mentally
defeated, before they were physically, they were likened to the French and
British, worn-out; where as the
Americans, were young and perhaps not as ripe as the veteran soldiers of
Europe, but eager to be tested under fire.
The Allies had a 35% advantage over the Germans with guns (or artillery), once
the Americans entered the war. The storage of American food at one point was
90,000 tons, for, forty days of command. Also, 80,000 horses were given to the
Americans from France ; also
59,000-beds were brought from America
for the hospitals in Europe ; one million cans
of tomato soup were requisitioned regularly.
There were 54,000-officers in the A.E.F. They had 57,000-freight cars
workable in WWI; 1900- damaged engines. America
produced 60,000-additioanl cars for the Military, having only received 7,600
while in Europe during their first months of
arrival. The program accounted for
3-million American Soldiers in total. In July of 1917, $64-millin dollars was
appropriated for aviation; in the first six months of 1918, 16,500 planes were
to be built. Over $400-million was subscribed from the Americans for the war
efforts between June of 1917 and February, 1919. It amounted to 50,000 tons of
freight per day, for 2-million men in uniform. Over 45,000 tons of munitions
and supplies were sent to the front by the Americans. Total loses, or
casualties for the British in the year 1917, between Januarys to December, were
500,000.
