TRANSCRIBED FROM THE PINE BLUFF DAILY GRAPHIC NOVEMBER 9, 1918 P. 2
Somewhere near St. Mihiel Wednesday
There is a certain American Division that is a great bunch not only as “shock troops” but also as captures.
They weren’t satisfied with taking thousands of the beer garden variety of Germanys soldiers in the recent St. Mihiel offensive. These shock boys just simply had to take the Bochs beer too, not that the beer was captured intact – worse luck to the Boches - but it serves as excellent proof, if the Kaiser needs any that certain of his troops were very much “preese” on a certain last week.
It did not require a single captured German field glass to spot the beer wagons with its barrels. The sense of smell served better than any German lens for that purpose. The shock boys advanced on the double quick only to find their capture was strickling down the road. The wanton waste of it shocked the shock boys.
Some Jerry had smashed in the bung holes, and they are still searching for him. If he is ever caught it will be pretzels without water for him.
Onward marched the shock boys intent on capturing a souvent as “echt” German beer is called. And they got it – dot leedle German band – which was “Grooser that it was leedle. Sixty-two pieces, and their own band needing more brass.
Well they sent bandsmen towards the rear and disinfected the mouth pieces. Now they are making those “Wacht am Rhine” pieces play another tune- “The Star Spangled Banner.”
But what is a division without another mascot, especially when the fashion of the German police dogs is so noticeable among aviators and “OO-la-la” girls. Nobody would vote for the hunchback German prisoner as a mascot, not for the monocle of the Boche Count; so the shockers went along and captured a German police dog.
As for celebrating a victory the shockers have learned that tons of jam go a lot farther than a beer wagon. Anyway, the States are going dry soon: so why not get into training says the “shocker” who is also a philosopher.
NOTES: This letter was written by Selden Lee of Kingsland Arkansas. He was a member of the 102nd Infantry 26th Army Division. The letter was originally published in the New York Herald.
TRANSCRIBED BY: Isaac Wolter
Somewhere near St. Mihiel Wednesday
There is a certain American Division that is a great bunch not only as “shock troops” but also as captures.
They weren’t satisfied with taking thousands of the beer garden variety of Germanys soldiers in the recent St. Mihiel offensive. These shock boys just simply had to take the Bochs beer too, not that the beer was captured intact – worse luck to the Boches - but it serves as excellent proof, if the Kaiser needs any that certain of his troops were very much “preese” on a certain last week.
It did not require a single captured German field glass to spot the beer wagons with its barrels. The sense of smell served better than any German lens for that purpose. The shock boys advanced on the double quick only to find their capture was strickling down the road. The wanton waste of it shocked the shock boys.
Some Jerry had smashed in the bung holes, and they are still searching for him. If he is ever caught it will be pretzels without water for him.
Onward marched the shock boys intent on capturing a souvent as “echt” German beer is called. And they got it – dot leedle German band – which was “Grooser that it was leedle. Sixty-two pieces, and their own band needing more brass.
Well they sent bandsmen towards the rear and disinfected the mouth pieces. Now they are making those “Wacht am Rhine” pieces play another tune- “The Star Spangled Banner.”
But what is a division without another mascot, especially when the fashion of the German police dogs is so noticeable among aviators and “OO-la-la” girls. Nobody would vote for the hunchback German prisoner as a mascot, not for the monocle of the Boche Count; so the shockers went along and captured a German police dog.
As for celebrating a victory the shockers have learned that tons of jam go a lot farther than a beer wagon. Anyway, the States are going dry soon: so why not get into training says the “shocker” who is also a philosopher.
NOTES: This letter was written by Selden Lee of Kingsland Arkansas. He was a member of the 102nd Infantry 26th Army Division. The letter was originally published in the New York Herald.
TRANSCRIBED BY: Isaac Wolter