S.S. Stodder Account of German Bombings - September 12 - November 7, 1918
Transcript
The valley where the light railway winds its crooked trail following the course of the Mad river in many places lies at a right angle to the German line which crossed at a point not far from Thiacourt. From [September] 12, the day on which this country was captured from the Germans, until the armistice this section between Lincoln Junction and Thiacourt had been the target of the German artillery and almost daily they would start in at Thiacourt and sweep the valley toward Essey. Lieut. Lowry had charge of the operating force stationed at Navaho. This force took up the work with tractors in the advanced area where engines were not used. This force operated successfully without many narrow escapes until the night of [November] 5 when a crew operating Tractor 8062 ventured into Thiacourt. The members of the crew were Pvt. W.P. Bay, conductor an Sgt. C.C. Francis, tractor driver. Lieut. Lowry was with them. As they drew up within 100 yards of the town a H.E. dropped 20 feet in advance of the tractor and not more than 6 ft. from the track and exploded. A fragment of the shell whizzed by Bay and just skinned his cheek. Had it struck square the results would have been serious. Lieut. Lowry and Sgt. Francis were not injured and the track was not damaged. On the 7th of November Old Fritz was again hot after the valley and threw over an extraordinary amount of H.E.
Transcript
[page 2] going light so I proceeded toward the bridge but was cautioned that they had been after it the day before so I took shelter in a dug out which by that time had quite a few occupants including all ranks. After about ten shells fell in Thiacourt they raised the range and started dropping them around Navaho then swept toward Euvezen. I got the stove and put it on a German push car and proceeded toward Euvezin to see what was left of Navaho. At Gates Junction a shell had fallen about ten feet from the switch covering the track with dirt and rocks. Another had fallen directly in front of the German village at Navaho where the troops were billeted. A fragment of the shell had struck the dispatcher
Details
| Title | S.S. Stodder Account of German Bombings - September 12 - November 7, 1918 |
| Creator | Stodder, S.S. |
| Source | Stodder, SS. Account of German Bombings. 12 September - 7 November 1918. World War I Collection. A1771. Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, Missouri. |
| Description | This is S.S. Stodder's firsthand account of being shelled by the Germans on several occasions while conducting repairs on railways in Thiaucourt, Navaho, and Euvezen during the last days of the war. This account is from the Unit Records of 12th Engineers (Railway), 3rd Army. |
| Subject LCSH | Bombing, Aerial; World War, 1914-1918--Artillery operations;Unit Records; 12th Engineers (Railway), 3rd Army |
| Subject Local | World War I; WWI; Dugouts |
| Site Accession Number | A1771 |
| Contributing Institution | Missouri History Museum |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond those allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Missouri History Museum: 314-746-4510 |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. Contact the Missouri History Museum's Permissions Office at 314-746-4511 to obtain written consent. |
| Date Original | September 12, 1918-November 7, 1918 |
| Language | English |