Tonight we tried to forget the morning’s tragedy. I dined at the Air Service mess – an excellent dinner. They had built a table in the form of an airplane or rather the wings and fuselage of one. For the cocarde (squadron insignia), painted glass was set on the table with a light under each one to show it up. An orchestra of 5 pieces from one of the squadrons furnished the music; Crafton, who is organizing the Air Service theatrical troop (sic) at the Toul Airdrome, led the singing. Crystal, Aîr Service is here for a few days – on a joy ride.
December 22 (Sunday). Baker’s funeral was at 1100 this morning from Evacuation No. 1. A band led the cortege, then the firing squad, then a QM truck with the casket, then the officers of the 4th Pursuit Group followed by the 141st, Baker’s squadron. We marched to the cemetery just beyond the hospital where Lufbery, John Mitchell and so many of our aviators are buried. It was a mournful procession in the rain. The chaplain read a prayer, then spoke very eloquently for a very few moments, the firing squad fired three volleys over the grave, the trumpeter sounded taps and it was all over. Another aviator is buried at Evacuation No. 1. Another one of us goes. But somehow this seemed a particularly sad case. Hobey Baker stood out from the others – and just as he was ready to start for home. Newhall, Eckert, Landis, Kindley, all of them, and many others are left, the lucky ones – they are more fortunate, that is all. Baker makes the seventh to pass out since the armistice – it seems like a good many, now that there is no more war. Bishop Brent took dinner with us tonight, on his way to the 3rd Army. Bob Foy has been around the last couple of days on his way to take command of the 19th Field Artillery Regiment in the 3rd Army. Garry McCaskey is in town today.
December 23 (Monday). Crystal and I left in his car at 0800 – Void, Vitry-le-François, Chalons – passed many French troops marching east, probably on their way to Germany. Epernay, then on thru the battlefields of July and August last – Dormans where the Boche forced his way across the Marne, just below that where 5000 of them were found dead in the loop of the river, across the Marne at Chateau-Thierry and thru the country that is familiar to me from my service with the newly formed 1st Army last July and August – Montreuil-aux-Lions, La-Ferté-sous-Jouarre, where I was stationed, Meaux and Paris. I found my father at the apartment.
December 24 (Tuesday). Christmas shopping, call on Mr. Slade of the Equitable Trust Co., brother-in-law of Thaw. Ran onto Gen Harry Rogers; he goes back to the States in a couple of weeks to be QM General. Dropped in on Gen Patrick and Gorrell – the latter was out, Fouler in. Will Upson in today – he was glad to get the telegram I brought saying that ‘Pvt William Upson is well, records show he has only a slight wound on finger since arriving in France‘. Paris looks gay – as much so as it ever did before the war.
December 25 (Wednesday)(Christmas). A Merry Christmas in that no one is in the trenches, and there are no more killed, wounded, and missing lists. Very few have gone home, but all have the outlook of getting back. I went to Avenue de Montaigne and wished Dunwoody and Satterfield Merry Christmas, found Rusty Burtt there, just in from the left at Nice. Will Upson came to Christmas dinner, which Emma managed to concoct with material assistance from the concierge’s wife and a little encouragement. We had very good lamb, potatoes, corn (by request) celery, peaches, and liqueur. Ralph Upson came in from London. I walked up the Boulevard this evening – it looks very gay and holiday-like. The little baraques (huts) are strung along the street, selling toys, etc., the street musicians are out in force, at every corner there is a violin or two, singers – and the spectators joîning in. Am getting plenty of sleep these days – in bed till 9 or later.
December 26 (Thursday). Huntington Harter and Mr. Severance who comes from Cleveland and is just completing the course at the French Artillery School at Fontainebleau. Huntington looks fine in his French dragoon private’s uniform and has enjoyed his course.
December 27 (Friday). Ralph and I left in a Cadillac following the same route thru La-Ferté-sous-Jouarre, Chateau-Thierry, and Dormans that I took with Crystal going in; reached Toul at 1730.
December 28 (Saturday). Rain, rain, raîn – country under water and everything soaked. Ralph and I went to Jezainville with Jouett where we were to try out the parachute the Boche aviator came down with from a plane a couple of months ago. 14th Balloon Company, Lt Bryan, was nicely located in a Chateau outside of Pont-a-Mousson. Too windy to drop the chute so we went into Pont-a-Mousson where Capt Henry White, the Balloon Group VI Army Corps commander, is nicely located. Lt Byron Johnson, Adjutant Lt Edward White laid up. Lt Eaton is conducting a school for artillery and infantry officers, lasting two weeks, teaching them some of an observer’s duties.
December 29 (Sunday). I forgot to mention the great Air Service party on Friday night. The mess had a gala dinner, with an orchestra from our Air Service Entertainment troop. Mrs. Perry (who is Jouett’s mother), Miss Kellogg, and some of the telephone and Red Cross workers were invited. Afterward, we adjourned to the theater and had a most successful dance, interspersed with singing and various stunts. Bernard Granville, of the Folies (sic) in New York, now Photographic Officer with the 6th Corps Observation Group, danced, sang, and recited – his ‘Gungha Din’ (sic) was great and Omar Kyam (sic) as a song was very fine.
This morning Ralph and I went out to see the sights. Took în the front line trenches at Flirey, then to Beaumont where we found Frank Parker’s former quarters filled with water and being pumped out by some of our Negro Tabor troops. Thru Seicheprey, Richecourt, both completely ruined, to Montsec. Here we climbed the hill, into some of the long tunnels that ended in stairs that led up to the observation posts, a full dozen of them, that looked out over our old lines. No wonder this was the Bete Noire (Black Beast) of the French and ourselves for over 4 years. The Boche had a perfect view of our whole sector from completely protected posts.
Coming back thru Seicheprey we stopped to see the battalion CP where I had seen Col Elliott and Maj Hand last spring. They were both Killed at Cantigny, later in the spring. Back in Toul drank some chocolate and ate a sandwich at the Red Cross canteen at the station where I left Ralph at 1500, waiting for the 1130 train! He came into the office at 1630 – the train had finally come thru but was so crowded he could not get on. He insisted on bringing in a German and an American hand grenade this morning as souvenirs de guerre. I hope he gets them safely home without blowing up himself or anyone else.
December 30 (Monday). Ralph got away on the 0830 train – the hand grenades were still intact. Warwick Greene and Mr. Goodhue, a Boston banker, came in today. Greene is starting to straighten out Air Service Property accountability and responsibility – it is some job.
December 31 (Tuesday). With Lt Krout, I flew my Avro to Lay-St Rémy this morning to see Kirby and his 5th Pursuit Group. As we started back, a connecting rod went thru a cylinder, so we had to land on the airdrome and return by auto. Krout is a good pilot and a very nice fellow. We have excellent personnel in the Aïr Service. Lt Henry Carter relieves Lt Petrie today, the latter going back to the States after 2 years in the Ambulance Service in France and the Balkans, and in the Air Service. Lt Phinizy and Lt Crumley, two of my Staff, got away today, on their way to the States. A very good minstrel show at the Comedy Theater tonight by a troop from the S0S. Excellent singers, funny songs, and a female dancer that made a great hit.
January 1 (Wednesday). The sun appeared bright and early this morning, the first time in many days. It really looked like a good omen. There are many reasons why this is a brighter New Year’s Day than the one a year ago. The latter was anything but a cheerful day. Now the war is over, the loss of life has stopped, Germany is whipped and our object is accomplished. Of secondary importance, conditions have improved immensely since that dark day at Chaumont a year ago. Today, living in a fairly comfortable billet with a good mess. This afternoon, Olds, Carter, and I went to Lay-St Rémy and had tea with the 5th Pursuit Group in their newly and very attractively fitted up officer’s club room. They had the 41st Pursuit Squadron orchestra and some singers, tea, chocolate, sandwiches, cakes, and smokes. A number of Red Cross workers and nurses – Mrs. Perry, Miss Kellogg et al.
January 3 (Friday). Frank Parker came in this evening on his way back to Coblenz after spending the holidays with Katherine and the babes at Bagnères-de-Bigorre. We called on Gen Bullard after dinner.
January 10 (Friday). On a phone request from Whitehead, I left in a DH 4 with Krout. In 53 minutes we landed at Hill 402, outside Chaumont, where a car was waiting and took us to Langres. Lunched with Lt Col Bagby, Commander of the Intelligence Officer School, and afterward lectured to the graduating class on ‘Organization and General Use of the Air Service’. I showed about 40 lantern slides made for the occasion, showing organization, types of planes including Boche, and a complete balloon series. We hurried back to Hill 402 in time to get away for a 35-minute flight back to Toul (60 miles). The 6th Corps had a plane crash on a liaison mission killing both, pilot and observer. This makes about 11 killed since the armistice – too many. Krout and Capt Sandeman flew a DH 4 up to Mainz via Coblenz on an endurance test and ran out of gas north of Trier at the end of five hours. Crashed on landing. Another plane crashed at Epinal after running out of gas. Called on Col Thornburg, commanding the Justice Group of Hospitals.
January 11 (Saturday). Whitehead came along this afternoon with Maj William Biddle, who has been out of the Army for a long time and took me to Nancy to an excellent dinner at the Café Walter. Merchant and West, formerly of the 13th Cavalry, were there, also a good representation from the Air Service, Olds, McNarney, Eckman, Jones, Kirby, and Poivillers. Curry was at the Hotel Liègeois.
January 12 (Sunday). Zinn lunched with me – on his way to run down the graves and histories of some of our aviators who fell on the German side of the line. Landis came in today to say goodbye, he goes back to the States and to civil life. His record as a pursuit pilot is second to none and he is one of the lucky ones to come thru alive.
January 13 (Monday). Out to Villey-le-Sec where I met Mitherup and inspected the 25th Balloon Company, Lt Miesse. In good shape. The company maneuvered its balloon 22 kilometers the other day to take part in an exercise and finally ripped a stabilizer in a tree and had to give it up. Ran on down to Gen Beach’s HQs and found he was away on leave, then into Gondrecourt where I called on Col Brabson, CoS of the 88th Division, then beat it off for Toul where I arrived just in time to get out my lantern slides for a talk to the 79th Division Gen Kuhn; Gen John Winn whom I was very glad to see, Col Sweezey, Col Oury, etc. Called at the Comédie tonight on Mrs. Clarkson Potter, the one I met at the 1st Pursuit Group in November, still looking for a trace of her son who was lost on October 10, out of the 20th Bombing Squadron. She has located any number of aviators’ graves and identified them since I saw her in November, and is now on her way to Frankfurt to get in touch with the Boche Red Cross with a view to getting any possible news of her son who may still be in a German prison or hospital. (It appears that among the graves 1ocated by Mrs. Potter and Capt M.C. Cooper, who accompanied her on part of her travels, was that of Lt Frank Luke Jr, 27th Pursuit Squadron, who was America’s second-ranking Ace being credited with shooting down four enemy planes and fourteen enemy ballans)
January 14 (Tuesday). Just before noon today came a wire from my father announcing Mary Gans’ death last Friday. Poor Mom. I fear the results on her. Why should Mary be taken? It is all a mystery and hard to understand. First, Mae Weidon Gans, then little Helen Gans, then Gordon Gans, and now Mary. Why should the whole family go? And Mary, a strong, healthy girl just in her prime. Influenza is no respecter of persons. I had little heart for my luncheon at the Metz with Mrs. Potter, afterward to the 24th Balloon Company, Lt Kenneth P. Hill coming at Malaumont, beyond Commercy. Stopped to call on Gen Patsy Dugan, now coming to the 35th Division, At dinner tonight found Walter Smith and Bill Ennis, the latter a B.G. and just over from the States on a board. Mary’s death is the most depressing thing that has occurred almost in my entire life. (All were children of Mae and Emmett Gans and grandchildren of Lahm’s aunt, Mrs. Mary P. Weldon).
January 15 (Wednesday). Ran out beyond Nonsard to visit the 13th Balloon Company this morning, stopping on the way at Pannes to look up the lost aviator I had heard of when passing here on September 14. A dozen inhabitants were back in the town. All of them know about the aviator – had seen him brought down in flames while fighting single-handed against four Boches. Miss Laumont, a good peasant girl had had a picture of the funeral services and of the grave but had sent it to her Aunt, Mrs. Laumont, 31-B rue de Metz, Nancy, to turn over to the Y.M.C.A. They took me up the back of the church to the grave that had a different cross from the one I had seen. This one was marked ‘Aviator Bayle, September 1918’. He had fallen on September 8 at 1400 and was buried on September 9 with all the honors, they explained to me. Lt Neff, 47th Infantry Regiment was the Boche who took the pictures.
Their stories of the German occupation of Pannes were very interesting. At one time the entire population of 128 persons was kept in the church for 48 days as punishment – a French soldier was found concealed in one of the houses. Pannes was a Boche Regimental HQs. I found Hayward in command of the 13th Balloon Company nicely fixed in good Boche quarters in the middle of the woods. Inspected the Company.
January 16 (Thursday). Mrs. Potter insisted on my eating a delicious chicken with her at the Metz today when I went to tell her of the word from Cooper and my talk with Capt Williamson of the Red Cross who is giving her transportation to go to Mainz. She will find her son or his grave before she finishes – that is sure. Crystal stopped in today on his way to join an infantry regiment in the 3rd Army. Tonight 0lds and I dined with Landis and the 141st Pursuit at the Toul Airdrome and afterward saw the Air Service Troupe in ‘A Happy Landing’. Crafton of the 141st is running it and has a most creditable performance including some little skits written by Granville and himself.
January 17 (Friday). The 278th Observation Squadron, Capt Heisen, had a dance at the Comédie tonight – everyone happy.
January 18 (Saturday). Burtt and Whitehead dropped in this afternoon – up for the 1st Air Depot party. It was given to Gen Sample from Neufchateau and Gen Hay commanding the 28th Division. Dick Richardson represented both of them as both had been called away. A hangar was floored, ‘trees’ planted around one end, the ‘bar’ fitted up like a western town’s typical joint, with such signs as ‘Do not park here’, ‘Horses will be left outside’, etc. A balloon parachute was spread out over the center of the ceiling. The masterpieces, however, were 4 Spads and a DH 4, about 1/3 full size, suspended in the air, each with a little motor in it and driving a real propeller at full speed. Returned to the 35th French Corps Aviation dance at the ‘Circle’ in Toul. They were having a lively time and enjoying themselves immensely, but it was entirely different from our own way and really seemed deadly. I did not stay.
January 19 (Sunday). We sat late at dinner tonight talking to Mr. Wickersham, former attorney-general, who is passing thru with the (sic) son, who was until recently in the mess. On coming into my billet I was agreeably surprised to find my father.
January 20 (Monday). Col de Boisanger, head of the French Mission, my father and I left at 0930, stopped to call on René Grosdidier at Commercy but he was away, then on to the 24th Balloon Company where we met Jouett, Poivillers, C. C. Jones, Witherup. Lt Hill had borrowed a band, the company was lined up in a field outside of town, where we had the proper ceremony and Col de Boisanger pinned a Croix de Guerre on Lt Montgomery, one of the observers who had jumped with a parachute from his burning balloon near Fismes last August. It went off very nicely, the band playing both the Star Spangled Banner and the Marseillaise as the officer to be decorated stood at attention out in front.
Father, Col de Boisanger and I came up thru St Mihiel, Apremont where we got out to explore the Boche dugouts, a sort of Pueblo Indian village in the side of a hill – then on to Montsec where we climbed to the top for an excellent view of the St Mihiel salient, particularly our own American sector and the Boche lines. We came back via Richecourt, Seicheprey, Beaumont where we stopped to look at Frank’s old 18th Infantry Regiment headquarters, now fu11 of water. After dinner, Father and I dropped in to see the dance given by the enlisted men of the Second Army Air Service HQs Detachment.
January 22 (Wednesday). Father got away in an auto with Heintzelman, Haskell, and to Metz where he is to take a train to Coblenz where Frank should meet him. Gen Bullard dropped into the office last evening to see what the Aîr Service is doing. Had 15 minutes in a DH 4 with Krout this morning – it’s not particularly hard to fly or land as far as I can see.
January 23 (Thursday). Had 25 min. with Krout in a DH 4 today. To Justice Group, Base Hospital 78 this afternoon and had my foot X-rayed. After long sessions these last few days with Mrs. Potter and Cooper, I shipped her to Chaumont with Jouett this morning where she will beard the lion (Gen Pershing) in his den and get authority for Cooper to go to Mayence (Mainz) with her.
January 24 (Friday). I Flew for over an hour in DH 4 this morning, observing a problem in the 28th Division south of Colombey-les-Belles. They did especially well in showing their panels. Walked out beyond the hospital and found a French military cemetery with over 2700 French soldiers buried. Across the road was the American cemetery in which I counted about 1300 graves and this is only one spot. We have contributed our share of the young men of our country in fighting down the Kaïser and his junkers.
