. Illinois in the World War; an illustrated record prepared with the coöperation and under the direction of the leaders in the state's military and civilian organizations. o be remembered. More important, how-ever, was the fact that in their new station the men of the battery obtainedreal trench mortars—6-inch Newtons. Captain Kraft and Lieutenant Henderson were sent to a mortar schoolat Langres, while the battery took up intensive training, which was con-tinued until July i, when a move toValdahon was ordered. At»Valda-hon the battery was equipped withtwelve trench mortars and two anti-aircra
. Illinois in the World War; an illustrated record prepared with the coöperation and under the direction of the leaders in the state's military and civilian organizations. o be remembered. More important, how-ever, was the fact that in their new station the men of the battery obtainedreal trench mortars—6-inch Newtons. Captain Kraft and Lieutenant Henderson were sent to a mortar schoolat Langres, while the battery took up intensive training, which was con-tinued until July i, when a move toValdahon was ordered. At»Valda-hon the battery was equipped withtwelve trench mortars and two anti-aircraft guns, and for the first timewas able to try out the pieces withwhich it was to engage the training was carriedon for almost two months beforethe battery was ordered to thefront. It was August 23 when thecommand cam?. The batterymoved by rail to Pagny-sur-Meuse,and then marched ten miles to theToul sector, encamping in the Foretde la Reine just north of the men waited, but the delaywas enlivened by the sight of manyaerial battles, in which several en-emy planes were brought down byCAPTAIN CHARLES J. KRAFT American anti-aircraft THE io8th trench MORTAR BATTERY 649 On August 31 an ad-vance was made threemiles northwest. Insteadof being sent to the Hne,however, the gunnerswere assigned to mihtarypoHce duty in controllingtraffic over the roadsleading forward. Herethe men experiencedtheir first gas attack,happily without casual-ties. The battery re-mained in this forwardposition until September9, when it was assigned temporarily to the Eighty-ninth Division, and proceeded to of the march was made through the rain, and when the men reachedtheir destination in the St. Mihiel sector it was necessary for them to sleepon the wet ground, without fires and with rain beating in their faces. With theprospect of action, however, the men made light of such discomforts. On the St. Mihiel front great activity was noticeable, and it soon
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectworldwar19141918
