The Sounds of Combat: Going into Action at Aisne-Marne

Going into action in July 1918 during the Aisne-Marne offensive, First Lieutenant Walter Blalock of the 12^th Machine Gun Battalion of the 4^th Division explained to his family the sounds he heard marching to the front.

          “First you pass by your own big guns and all you can hear is the tremendous explosion of the 75s, 155s, and larger guns,” he wrote. “As you leave them behind you become aware of an occasional whiz that sounds somewhat like the whistle of the bandsaw in one of the mills only on a larger scale. This whistle is followed by a sudden explosion which if you are lucky occurs quite a distance away. Next you hear the zip, zip, zip without the heavy explosions. Then you realize that you are under rifle and machine gun fire. Those machine guns are sure hateful little instruments.”

          Lieutenant Blalock’s letter describing the sensations of going into combat first saw publication in the August 29, 1918, edition of the Hicksville Tribune.

 

Saturday, July 27, 1918

Somewhere in France

Dear friend, friends, and friendless,

          I believe I can now write you all a letter that will possibly be legible and perhaps interesting. Anyway postage is free so why should I worry. These days have been days of sorrow, rejoicing, and excitement all in one bunch. Certainly the U.S. has reason to feel proud of her boys and of the work they have done.

          We have made night marches until we were ready to drop and then entered action and although against the crack divisions of Germany, we have been successful. I can’t explain by pencil the different stages of fright and the different lives one lives when he is first under fire. Perhaps someday I may be able to attempt it by words.

          First you pass by your own big guns and all you can hear is the tremendous explosion of the 75s, 155s, and larger guns. As you leave them behind you become aware of an occasional whiz that sounds somewhat like the whistle of the bandsaw in one of the mills only on a larger scale. This whistle is followed by a sudden explosion which if you are lucky occurs quite a distance away.

          When one happens to light a little close you hear a swarm of bees travel over you. Then you realize that what you have been hearing has been the high explosives and shrapnel of the enemy. I have known men to have one of these light within 12 feet of them and only suffer from shell shock. While again others have been hit from a distance of 200 yards so you can see where the element of luck has considerable to do with the longevity of a soldier.

          This stage of the advance is always with you and at no stage of the game do you get away from the enemy artillery unless it might be when the advance becomes too rapid for the Boche and he leaves his field pieces for us to examine. This did occur during the second and third days of our advance.

          Next you hear the zip, zip, zip without the heavy explosions. Then you realize that you are under rifle and machine gun fire. Those machine guns are sure hateful little instruments. If the Germans only had the nervy class of men who would stay with the guns we could never advance. But when our machine guns, one pounders, and riflemen start a little music towards a machine gun nest, they usually lose their nerve and are very much, “Kamerad!” Still their guns work very nice in our hands and many times you may be able to see a Maxim (German) machine gun operated by American soldiers and doing fine work with it.

U.S. machine gunners using a Hotchkiss machine gun 

          Our outfit was in the start of the fight and for four days was in the thickest of it but were then withdrawn to the reserve for repairs and rest, both of which were needed very badly, although at any time I would have trusted the men to have stuck it out for a month if necessary. The fighting has developed into open warfare and its in this style of fighting that our men are at their best. Here he can use a knife, bomb, machine gun, rifle, bayonet, revolver, pistol, stones, fists, feet, and all; it’s no wonder the Boches think they are Indians and that if captured they will be scalped.

          Many amusing incidents occur that become very funny after it is over. The French call the Americans souvenir hunters and after the men are relieved you will always find them around some captured German dugout looking for souvenirs. One of the men said nothing would satisfy him but a Boche machine gun so he came back carrying a 65-lb gun. It was only after he arrived at the rear position 6 or 7 kilometers did he find out that he had thought was a Boche machine gun was only a broken French gun. What he said is not publishable…

          We will probably soon be sent up to relieve some outfit so if I am lucky I may have more to write next time, although personally I am willing to see this drive finish the war and winter will find us in the U.S.A. It’s a shame that Sherman used the only word in describing war that seems to fit, but he was right and perhaps some day T.R. may be able to coin a word that will carry the same force only a little more so.

 Walter’s previous letter describing his initial impressions of France was published on the blog back in September and can be viewed here.

 After serving as an orderly sergeant in Co. E of the 2^nd Infantry, Ohio National Guard, Walter was given an honorable discharge August 14, 1917, to accept a commission as second lieutenant in the 58^th Infantry. He was transferred to the 12^th Machine Gun Battlaion and promoted to first lieutenant on February 7, 1918. He shipped out April 30, 1918 from Hoboken, New Jersey aboard the U.S.A.T. Finland. During his time overseas, he saw action at Aisne-Marne as described in this letter, as well as St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and the Defensive Sector. He was promoted to captain 2 days after the armistice in November 1918. He sailed home aboard the U.S.S. Von Steuben in July 1919 and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army on May 10, 1920 as a member of the 20th Infantry. He would serve for seven more years in the Ohio National Guard.

Source:

“Lieut. Blalock Says Germans Lose Nerve,” First Lieutenant Walter Colin Blalock, Co. A, 12^th Michigan Gun Battalion, 4^th Division, Hicksville Tribune (Ohio), August 29, 1918, pg. 1