Image TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage TileImage Tile
Image size: 5120x7168 Scale: 35% - PanoJS3
Page overview thumbnail

Article text

On the Western Front < Htm. ;
T)EÄR l'ííon-Oom."-My feiend Pian*
JDèschàmpfl writes from the iront
line trenches in Prance and as* his let-
ter is so reminiscent ofihe letters from
the front during the last war-mud,
artillery fire, and marching ("walking"
according- to Pierre)-1 send it along to
you. His reference to "Poor Infan-
try" (PJB.I.) will not be missed by dig-
ger readers of your page. Pierre is a
native born Frenchman from Courtis
ols on the Marne. He has a farm of
200 acres-and' is a young and eligible
¡bachelor. I mention this because
¡Pierre mentions making an appeal for
comforts for his men and perhaps he
might get a response from WA.
Some time ago Pierre wrote you a
spirited defence of the conditions in
the Foreign Legion, so he is already a
contributor to the red page. He asks
me particularly for reading matter.
Probably few of his company compree
English but all can read "Pictures;" so
mctorials would be welcomed.
CARA PATRIA, Cunderdin.
i Pierre's letter is as follows:
I 7/1/1940.
From Aspirant Deschamps, P.,
E332, RX,
Liere Cie.
SP. 390, France.
My Dear J,-I had news from you
weeks ago. Unfortunately I could not
answer you. You "know when you are
a soldier when it is war time you can-
not do as you will!
i 1 had no time to write, no ways to
send you an air-mail letter. We were
in the mud, working in the trenches,
with water to the knees. It was rain-
ing six hard weeks. Being observed
by tlie German planes, the ears filled
with the sound of the artillery; all that
excepted it is a quiet section!
After a fortnight of rest we have re-
turned, and now we are between the
Maginot Line and the frontier. Quiet
enough!
It freezes very much, it snows, but
there is no more mud and that is the
chief thing for an infantry maa.'Very
soon it will be five months since I was
called. How many miles I have
walked. Poor infantry! We move only
with our feet in all weather. But I
have not to cry! I am an officer now,
and I have fine friends and enough
comfortable life when I can in spite of
the "walking" and the working witto
my men.
But the atmosphere of the "popote
des officiers" is very friendly and warm.
I had one opportunity to meet an
English officer who came to have a
dinner with us.
I have brave men, very nice, but
older than I am, generally workers of
the mines or of Poix. I made for
them all possible endeavours. I asked
dozens of people to send me packets
for Christmas so I could give them
woollen underwear, socks, gloves, etc.
What has the war in reserve? God
knows it only. Sure Germany has to
be crushed. Nazi's ideal is dead after
their union with Russia. Must this
war become an economic blow or a
terrible but short affair? It is said
that in the spring ^we must resist a
¡general attack from Germany. They
cannot pass! Our Maginot Line is too
strong, and an invasion of Holland or
I Belgium has no luck to succeed. .
I The Allied chiefs will not send us
to attack the Siegfried Line. Perhaps
the end of the war will be on the
Oriental front. Rumania or Turkey?
But sure the Allies, the Anzacs (be
I cause their sons are coming to Prance
again) will have here a free way.
I write to you from my "den" with
the candle light.
My best wishes to you and yours.
Prom your friend
$