France Sept 29-1918

 

Dear Anna,

 

            I am in a hospital somewhere in France.  I was wounded last Thursday morning about 8:30.  I was shot in the side of the head by a machine gun bullet.  There would have been nothing to it except that the temporal artery was cut.  Inside of about three minutes I was covered with blood.  There was another fellow laying nearby and I called him over and he put his first aid bandage on it and the bleeding stop[ped] almost right away.  The stretcher was nearby and they had captured some German prisoners and they carried me back to the first aid station, then they had to carry me to another place and they looked at the dressing and put me in an ambulance with three other fellows one of them being German.  The ambulance took us to a relay hospital where they looked at the dressing again and sent [me] to what is called an evacuation hospital where they operate on you.  First they take an X Ray of the wound and then you are sent to the operating room.  All they had to do with me was clean the wound and tie up the artery.  Most of the fellows have to take ether.  We stayed at this place for 24 hours when we were put on a hospital train and brought us to this place.

 

            We certainly had some tough ground to go over when we made our attack.  First we had to cross a lot of marshy ground and had to wade through water from six inches to four feet deep.  Then we had to go through a woods and the vines and underbrush were so thick we could hardly get through.  We did not meet with much resistance in the woods except a few machine guns.  It was just as we got through the woods that I got hit.  It was very foggy and we could not see very far and we run onto this machine gun post before we knew it.  I think [there] was about three more fellows hit besides myself.  I will be alright again in a couple of weeks.  We certainly got good treatment at the hospital.  Knute Winge’s brother is just a few beds from where I am.  He was not wounded but got a piece of steel in his eye.  He is the youngest brother who I had never met but we had got to talking and he asked me if I knew Knute.  He knows the Ericksons also as he lived in Logan Square.  I will try and write more next time.  

 

                                                                        Love to all

                                                                                    Theo

 

Pvt. T.F. Thourson 1390312

Co. A 132^nd Inf

American E.F. 

Note:  This incident occurred on September 26, 1918, the first day of the Meuse Argonne Offensive, the final offensive of the war.  The Thirty Third Division was on the right flank of the American Army with the Meuse River on their right.  Theo was shot near the town of Forges, north of Verdun. His wound was serious enough to get him out of combat but was not life threatening.   

In this letter Theo describes the action up to the point where he is wounded.  The Germans were taken by surprise by this maneuver.  When captured, a German officer said "We were looking for you in front.  We did not expect you would come through the swamp and out flank us.  We did not think that any Yankee outfit was so foxy." (From a Chicago Daily news account of the battle.)

Subsequent fighting was heavy and as many as 25,000 Americans died between Sep 26 and November 11, the date of the Armistice.  So Theo escaped the worst of it.

TLT

Letter #20

France Sept 10-1918

 

Dear Mother,

 

It is just one year ago today since I left Chicago and saw you last.  When I left I never thought for a moment that I would travel as much and as far we have.  It has been rather hard for me write the last few days as we have been travelling nights and sleeping days.  I received Mabel’s letter #27 then left the town we were billeted last.  Some of our mail has gone astray because we had not received any for some time and if I remember right the last letter was #22.

 

The night we left our billets we traveled in auto trucks and the next day we slept in some barracks in a large woods.  The next day we slept in a large dugout that held 200 men.  We are now in the trenches and we have fine dugouts to sleep in.  They have two entrances so we get a lot of fresh air. It is very quiet where we are now.  There is not near as much shooting as there was at some of the place[s] we have been.  (Note: This reference is probably to the trenches near Verdun in the American sector.)

 

Mabel says that you have had some real hot weather in Chicago.  The weather has been pretty cool here until today.  It has been cloudy all day and it rains every couple of hours or so.

 

I do not know how the war has been going for the four or five days as I have not seen a paper of any kind.  I do not know how long we are going to stay in the trenches this time nor do I know when I will be able to send this letter but I thought I might as well write it so that if they should come around as ask if anyone has any mail, I would have it ready.

 

I am glad to hear that you are all feeling fine and I am also happy to say that I am feeling good too.  Well this is the news I have to write about at present so I will close with

                                   

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

Pvt T.F. Thourson 1390312

Co. A. 132^nd Inf

American E.F.

Note:  The movements described here are a prelude to the Meuse-Argonne Offensive which began on Sep 26 1918.  The 33rd Division will be on the right flank of the American Army, adjacent to the Meuse River.  TLT

Letter # 19

France Sept 1-1918

 

Dear Anna,

 

            Letters are very slow in arriving at this place [Culey, near Bar le Duc] as we have not had much mail since we arrived here.  I received a letter from a fellow in Detroit.  That was a little overdue.

 

            The town crier was around just now telling the people the latest news.  He has a drum to call their attention.  Otherwise the town is very quiet.  This morning I went down to the creek and washed my clothes and I think I did a pretty good job of it.  I stopped writing just now to go out and get my wash as it has started to rain a little bit.

 

            A nephew of the people at this house is here today on a visit.  He has lost one arm and one leg.  He got caught out in no mans land somehow and pretended he was dead but the Germans evidently try [tried] to make sure of it, because they cut him up so bad he lost his limbs.  He gets around pretty good as he has an artificial arm and leg.

 

            Today was the first time we had white bread since we arrived in France and it certainly did taste like cake compared to the rye bread we have been getting right along.  We also had fresh tomatoes something I have not had since we were a[t] Camp Logan.  We are all getting fat again as we are not working so hard right now.  I thought we had some big hills where we were before but the hills around here are like mountains compared to them.  There is one drawback to these small places as we cannot get any books or magazines to read.

 

            I wrote a letter to Enoch yesterday but I do not know if he will get it as I did not know what company he is in.  I suppose he [is] somewhere in France by this time. 

 

            It is pretty hard to write as they are playing a phonograph in the house and they have a laughing song on it.  There is a piano in the town also, but I think it is about as old as the church that was built in 1220.

 

            I have managed to get hold of the NY Herald for the last couple of days so I know a little of what is going on in the world.

 

            Well it is time to go to supper and news is pretty scarce so I will close with

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Pvt TF Thourson 1390312

Co A 132^nd Inf

American EF

           

(Received 10/9/18)

 

Note:  The 33rd Division was transferred from the British front to the new American front near Verdun.  Here they joined General Pershing's 1st Army.  This letter was probably written from the small town of Culey near Bar le Duc.  TLT

 

France Aug 22 – 1918

 

Dear Mabel

 

            I received your letters of July 17^th and 24^th and letters #20 & 22 from Anna.  I received some of them when we were in the trenches.  We are billeted in a pretty large town (Gamaches) but there’s only one store in the town that I have seen so far.

 

            We are going to leave this place pretty soon.  I think we will travel by train.  I do not know where we are going but it is quite a distance from here.  We did not go over the top as we expected to.  We had it pretty quiet where we were.  I do not know whether I am promoted again or not but I have been put in charge of the automatic rifle squad in the headquarters platoon.  I am in with a nice bunch of fellows.  Some of them were in my squad at Camp Logan.

 

            I sent a money order for $10 home about a week ago.  I hope you got the one I sent about a month ago.

 

I write quite a few letters now that I have been receiving quite a number of them.  I wrote five of them while we were in the trenches.

 

What is Irene Cook’s address as Tolliver has lost it.  He is cooking again and is doing fine.

 

We are living in a house but it is pretty hard sleeping as the floor is made of brick.  I think I will sleep outside tonight.

           

            We are having some real hot weather right now.  Well Mabel it is getting dark so I will close with

 

                                                                        Love to all

                                                                                    Theo

 

Pvt. TF Thourson 1390312

Co. A, 132^nd Inf

American E.F.

 

(Received 9/21/18)

France Aug 14 – 1918

 

Dear Anna

 

I received your letters #18 & 19 day before yesterday and was very glad to hear that you are all well.  I did not receive Mabel’s letter so I suppose that it was delayed some place on its journey.  I received quite a bunch of letters and a bundle of papers from Eva.

 

We have moved our camp again.  The Germans have been driven back quite a way and we have moved forward several miles.  I have not heard anything this morning but I suppose they are still driving him back.  When the company left several days ago I was left behind because my feet were full of blisters and there were a bunch of others left behind to act as a guard of honor for some of the men who were going to get medals for what they did in the fight on the 4^th of July.  One of the men took sick or got hurt and I was put in his place.  It was quite an affair as King George, Gen Pershing and some French and British Generals were there.  King George pinned the medals on the fellows.

 

Cousin Sigrid must have traveled around Chicago some during her stay.

 

We are having some warm weather right now.  I think it is about the warmest we have had it since we arrived here.  It is time we are having some dry weather as it rained pretty near every day for a month or more.

 

John Dahl had better get all the sleep he can while he is in the states as he will not get very much here if he ever get[s] near the firing line.

 

I do not blame Arthur Knudsen for playing as much tennis as he can as he will not get much chance if he ever get[s] on board ship.

 

I have not seen a movie or a ball game in months.  I see the English soldiers playing soccer football every once in a while but it does not compare with baseball.

 

Now that you can get all the fresh vegetables you want it helps to cut out meat on meatless days.

 

I received another letter from Edna and she said she put up a lot of vegetables while Irene was out at the lake.  She must be getting to be quite a housekeeper.

 

Well if we can only keep the Germans on the run the War might end sooner than some expect.

 

I saw a couple of tanks going toward the front yesterday.  It was the first time I have ever had a close view of them.  They certainly get the German’s goat.

 

Well this will be all for this time.

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Pvt. T.F. Thourson   1,390,312

Co. A.  132^nd Inf

American E.F.

 

 

 

Note:  The Division is still on the British front.            

France, Aug 8 1918

 

Dear Mother,

 

            I receive three or four letters from Anna and Mabel the other day.  I have them packed in my roll right now as we are going to move to another place so I cannot tell you what the numbers are.  We have had a good deal of rain lately so everything is pretty muddy.  I am feeling fine although my feet have been a little sore but I have had them fixed up so they are in pretty good shape.

 

            I am going to send $10 home in a day or so.  I do not like to have to[o] much money on me and it is hard to spend very much unless you drink a lot of wine,

 

            We were paid a few days ago and I have paid my last installment on my Liberty Bond so you ought to be receiving it pretty soon.  Anna says that you folks have been buying quit a few W.S. Stamps.

 

            We are not having much warm weather here and it gets pretty cool at night.  I hope this war ends pretty soon as I think it will as the Germans seem to be on the run right now.

 

A half dozen airships just passed over our camp just now on their way to the front.  It is great to watch them flying over the German lines and the German[s] shooting all around and cannot hit them.  I have seen thousands of shots fired at them but I have never seen one brought down.

 

Well I do not know of anything more I can write about just now so I will close with

 

                                                                        Love to all

                                                                                    Theo

 

1390312

Pvt T.F, Thourson

Co A 132^nd Inf

American EF

 

 

(Received 9/4/18)

Letter # 11

France July 20-1918

 

Dear Mother,

 

            I received letter #8 today.  I do not remember if I mentioned in my last letter that I had received letters #6 & 7.  I received them some time ago. 

 

Yesterday was the first day in about two weeks that it did not rain.  It has rained twice today.  It does not amount to much as it is only small showers.

 

            I sent home $15 through the YMCA to Anna today.  I have enough left to last until we get paid.  Where we are there is nothing to buy.  At the canteen they only sell a limited amount to each person, as it is very hard to get much stuff up here.

 

Anna writes that Irene Conley’s husband wants to join the army.  I understand that he is not very strong and he will need a pretty strong constitution to be able to stand it over here.  I do not know how it is but it seems to agree with [me] as I have never felt better than I do now.

 

I do not see how it is that none of my letters have reached you by this time.

 

Things are beginning to look better here as they have the Germans on the run at certain parts of the line.

 

I am glad to hear that Pa is well enough to work again.  I will have to send him a letter some of these days.

 

Anna & Mabel can only have girls up at the house at parties now that all of the fellows have enlisted.

 

Well it is time for supper so I will close.

 

                                                            Love to all

                                                                        Theo

 

Pvt. T. F. Thourson 1390312

Co. A 132 Inf

American EF

 

 

 

(Received 8/24/18)