Thursday, May 12, 2011

World War I's Bloodiest Battle-- Part 2

"I was wheel driver then of "A" sub section gun team, my riding horse had his nose blown off and was still alive.

I shot him and put him out of his agony quickly and put a gunner's horse in his place. Then the hind center horse of our team got hit broadside and we had to shoot him.

One fellow, a bombardier, was hit in the thigh and had three fingers blown off and a piece of shell in his head. As I lifted him up, all the blood off the stretcher ran down and over me like a spring bath.

Two more fellows went mad, and in all, we had 17 men killed and wounded and about 30 horses killed or had to be shot.

At 4:30 pm, we had the order to get out of it and we limbered up the guns and got away, some gunners riding astride the muzzle. The Germans shelled us all the way for three miles.

That was our first real baptism of fire. But I'm pleased to say that every man did his work right up until we came away."

This battle was called Passchendale.

A Real Taste of the Horrors of War. --DaCoot

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