(32) Letter: Jack Bentley to Cornelia Bentley, 1918

In a tumble down shack [Fall, 1918] Dearest Mother This is to be a letter with all I can write in it and to all my friends that might care to hear it. I don't know if I am or not, but I believe that I am the first man from old far away Sandy to go "over the top" and I will tell as much as I can but you can rest asured that that will not be half. After spending two weeks in front line in a comparatively quiet Verdun secter, we began to see big six inch cannons comming in: eight horses or a tractor pulling them. You could see them sitting near the road cammaflaged with chicken wire that was covered with green burlap: many shells in racks close by. For two or three days we watched them and then one day we were taken out and laid around in the rain in reserve. I was touched on the shoulder and the colonel says, Mr. Bentley you take your platoon and cut wire tonight and tomorrow night we attack. You will divide your platoon into 16 teams of 3 men each & preceed the infantry in attack: after you get through, advance with the infantry"! I did & this is how it happened. You see I had over a mile of country that was wired, to cut it was some 200yds of the awfulest tangle that a human being could devise - ; each man was provided with a big pair of wire clippers, tremendous things, and I marched my platoon in single file & in silence a mile or more & all that night we worked but we lost everyone of those fine wire cutters. However I got in next night and for 6 hrs we heard 3,000 guns throw shells over our heads and some counter battery work

shells came pretty fast, but I didn't feel it, nearly as much, as I have felt before a ball game: so I walked from shell hole to shell hole, asked the men how their moral was and cheered them up. Exactly at 530 we "went over". We cut wire for 25 minutes and all the time the shells were falling all around. Finally we got through I could see a column, single file, ahead and on the right. We kept going. Very smoky & many shells hitting close to us. The first casualties I saw were three men tangled and twisted, looking up at the cold grey dawn. The first real resistance we met was a machine gun but we didn't stop: this attack was in the woods. The further we went the thicker they seemed to be, more & more Machine guns & snipers. Major Langly shot through both legs. I advanced one more [?] and ran into a field alive with M.G.'s [Machine Guns]: men were dropping, so I ordered my platoon into shell holes & threw hand grenades at the unpleasants but I couldn't locate them. Pretty soon the rest of the support came up & we went forward any way. I saw Lt. Schester of the M.G. Co. set his gun right up on top of the ground and battle these hidden devils. Pretty soon I saw nine Germans rush out of a dug out and with hands over the head cry out "Komrade"

We slept in shell holes again, eight of my men gone. Capt. Riley killed; Capt. Rupp killed; also Cpts. Killman, Jigisol, Lyid, Dubarry, and Dragton. Lt. Kreeble looked up to see if he could advance & got his --- that day we attacked from M and I was in the support of the regiment and saw the other regement in our Brigade attack. It was pretty to see the lines go forward, then the tanks rolling along. Artillery fire then opened up and this is what made us suffer most. This country was open & they must have been able to see us for their shells just dropped where we were. the wounded started to stream back but it would make this letter unpleasant to sescribe the horrers that I saw. However this is war you would hear the shell whistle and then wonder whether it had your name on it or not. As I said before I had many narrow escapes. Shells killed men within a few feet of me one shell hit just two feet from me & only my ears suffered. good luck.

Some of the boys shot at them but we made them stop & after searching them, sent them to the rear. One man handed a great raft of junk, that I promtly threw away. That night we slept in a shell hole. I was advancing when I heard the bullets claking. They were very close, then I rolled into a hole with my platoon around me. When we went forward again three Germans ran up to me crying "Komrade Pardon". That night we attacked a town, Billie Waters & I were together. The next day Billie got his, poor fellow - always cheerful and a real true blue clean cut man. I mean to write to Mrs Waters. Major Putman shot through the head & Major Pepper killed - we keep going. I have many narrow escapes but I keep going. At this time I had slept two nights in the rain & cold, hadn't eaten or drank for a day & a half. But we had gained two miles. The next day we stormed Mont faulcoln [Montfaucon], and took it. I sent two of my men back with nine prisoners, one an officer, on a litter