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Show ECHOSE FROM THE 5 . HEAVY CANNONS Under Date of October II. Iron Coun-I Coun-I ty Lad Describe I 'ighting at Front Including Spectacular Air Raid. Somewhere in France, Oct. 11, 1918. Mr. R. J. Williams, Kanarra, Utah. Dear Friend Reese. I received your letter nnd was very glad and also surprised to hear from you. I believe this is Oct. 11, but I'll be darned if I can tell. Some of our warmest arguments argu-ments are on which day of the month it Is, and we have the greatest arguments argu-ments on which day is Sunday, so you see a good christian is out of luck in this man's army, but one can't disobey the sixth commandment and vet by very well, but you know me, I'm getting by. If we have anything stolen from us, all we need do is to take that amount of stuff off a dead man. During "gas attatcks our orders are, "if your mask leaks, just take one off a dead man and beat it on your way," but I hope I don't ever have to do it. That gas has certainly worked-on some of the boys, but Fritzie can't put it over so much now because he is on the run so much he hasn't time for anything. Only once in a while does he stop to plant u big mn and he sure does put over some big ones. Oh, boy, it's the funiest sound you ever heard when those big ones whiz through the air; the sound is enough to make an ordinary or-dinary fellow shiver, but its only sweet music to us just as if birds were singing to make us happy. The noise is bad enough going through the air, but just wait till they explode! ex-plode! For example, i ttook nineteen horses and two men to stop one that hit about 150 yards behind us, besides be-sides the men and horses that were wounded. The shrapnel all goes for-'" for-'" ward from where the shell lights, so none of our men were hurt. They are heaving them over every day at roads and cross roads, but most of them go over us. Fritz is trying to explode i the mines he has left behind and one of our field hospitals was shelled the other day. It certainly doesn't do to be gun shy because with' the shells coming over and Exploding and the ones we are continually sending over, nnd these busting in the air directly over our heads, there is certainly some noise. About 75 yards to our left are several batteries of it inch guns that are not afraid of tiring too often and the concussion nearly knocks our tents down. If we were sleeping in a bed we would nodoubt1 be jarred out, but as it is they only roll us around and rock us to sfeep; but we are awake enough of the time. Lucky that many of the shells come over and don't explode. .We listen to them coming through the air ami wait for the explosion, and when there is none, all the boys yell "Hurrah! a dud;" for that is what they are called. We see many air battles, especially while a baloon is up. Of course the Yanks are always victorious in chas-lag chas-lag the Boche. It's sure some sight to see their planes fall and their baloons burn. I've seen a good many of both. The last I saw was day before yester-1 day, while in "chow" line for supper, balloon fell on fire and it was sure ' one grand sight, as it was nearly dark and t made a very effective pic- j ture. The Boches are very clever about sneaking out of the clouds and tiring! at the balloons, but they have only burned two for us in this vicinity, but that's not saying how many times they have tried and been sent away I unsuccessful or brought down. You don't know how I wish I were an aviator. My highest ambition would be to burn every Boche balloon I that came over the tree tops. About a week ago 1 saw more than 75 ally planes in the air at one time. 1 thought that was a great number, but today I saw and counted better than 1K5 bombing planes besides the spuds and battling planes that went over some time during the morning. When they return they are a little more I scattered so we didn't count them. I When it is cloudy the Boche have a I ' J. little the advantage over our balloons. W 'I inlay one swooped down and Mew . Jt over the top of one of our balloons and dropped a bunch of liquid lire, I then with his foot heavy on the throt- tie he made for ours, but our machine I gun barrage was too hot for him, and I he finally turned and made for his own lines, but there were two of our planes ready to greet him, and you can easily guess the rest. To a person who has not witnessed a parachute jump from a burning balloon, bal-loon, the one we saw today would be some sight, but we often see five or six a day. One of our aviators is sure a daredevil. When a balloon burned with him the other day he took time to empty his revolver and and take several snapshots before coming; to the ground, and didn't leave the balloon until it was actuully on fire. It is getting rather cold here now. This morning ice was frozen on the water that stands in the shell holes Some times in the morning my bed is so warm that I hate to get up and go out in the cold for my "corn wooly." I suppose you know what I mean corn wooly, bully beef. Cousin William, red-horse, corned Bill, or corned beef; but no matter what we call it we get it all the time and we always get cocee with our meals. If we were fighting: for this land, we certainly wouldn't be getting much for all there is here is shell holes, trenches and barb wire entanglements. entangle-ments. Y'ou can only tell where a town has been by the piles of rocks. They certainly level them down. I wish I could send about a car load of souvenirs home from the battle field, as 1 could easih gather them up, but we are not allowed to send them home. I could tell you a lot more about over here but I guess you are tired of reading this. I will write to Wells, and K. D, but I haven't seen an Iron, county boy since I have been over here. You will excuse this paper and my writing if you can imagine the conditions here in our "pup" tent. (live my best regards to all who ask about me. Your old friend, PVT EMERY POLLOCK, .'!rd. Balloon Co., A. E. F., France. |