Organized with Company Commanders and senior non-commissioned officers from the old Marine Corps school of experience and junior officers and men from the recruit depot at Paris Island, S. C. and Mare Island, California, the training of the battalion for service on the Western front began. This training included close order drill, skirmish drill by platoon and company, trench digging; erecting barbed wire
entanglements, signalling of all kinds, and rifle practice. The rifle and machine gun practice took place on the newly completed Quantico Rifle Range. Practice marches and open warfare maneuvers were interspersed with the specialty training and the men hardened to the game which was to become their lot in France.
At 9:30 a. m., October 24, 1917, the battalion began its journey to France, travelling by train to Philadelphia where the troops were embarked on the U. S. S. Von Steuben, then lying at anchor in the Delaware River off League Island.
At 5:00 a. m. October 25th, the Von Steuben weighed anchor and sailed, arriving off Tompkinsville, in New York harbor, at 9:00 a. m., October 26th. Here the ship remained at anchor five days but no one was allowed to go ashore and all mail was carefully censored. Absolute secrecy was maintained as to the time set for departure and as to the destination. The remaining ships of the convoy, three transports, one armored cruiser (North Carolina) and two destroyers, gathered within the next few days and at 7:00 p. m., October 31, the convoy moved out on its way to France.
The weather was unusually fair and all went well until 6:13 p. m., November 9th, when, due to a misunderstanding of orders, the Agamemnon and the Von Steuben collided, making a large hole in the bow of the Von Steuben. This occurred in the edge of the submarine zone and the ships of the convoy were ordered to separate and meet the following day.
After steaming all night alone at seven knots per hour, her bow in the air, to keep the hole above the water line, temporary repairs were made, the remainder of the convoy was picked up and at noon the group continued the trip at 15 knots. Later in the day ten destroyers from the American fleet in European waters joined the convoy and the North Carolina turned back for the United States. The journey through the submarine zone was made without further accident and early November 12th, land was sighted. At noon the convoy dropped anchor in the harbor of Brest, France.
While awaiting debarkation orders and transportation to the final destination the Battalion Commander ordered one company ashore each day for a practice march. November 17th the 83rd and 84th Companies with Battalion Headquarters paraded in Brest. Early Monday morning, November 19th, the troops disembarked and entrained in a French troop train which left at 12:30 p. m. on the Chemin de Fer de L'Ouest Southward, arriving at Lormont, France, a suburb of Bordeaux, at midnight, November 20, 1917.
The Battalion here rejoined the regimental headquarters 73d and Supply companies and was assigned to duty with the 18th Engineers building docks at Bassens. The following detachments were deailed [sic detailed] for provost and engineer duty in the neighboring camps and towns: Captain Voeth Provost Marshal Tours, November 27-January 21, First Platoon, 97th Company, Provost duty, Tours, November 27-January 21, Lieut. Skelton in command; the 84th Company, Provost
and fatigue duty La Corneau, December 18-January 5th, Major H. G. Bartlett, commanding; Lieutenant Marshall and twenty men from the 97th Company, La Cortine December 8th to January 5th, fatigue and provost duty; Lieutenant Timmerman and 30 men, 83rd Company, Marche Prime December 6th to January 4th, fatigue duty; Lieutenant Roberts and 1st Platoon 82nd Company, Cenon, provost duty, December 27th to January 6th.
The regiment was relieved by the 162nd Regiment Inf. (Montana National Guard) on January 8th and entrained January 9th, 1918, at Carbon Blanc for the Second Division training area. After a three day trip in 3rd class and box cars the troops were detrained at Damblain, Haute Marne, January 12, 1918 and marched to Chaumont-la-ville, a distance of five kilometers. Here intensive training for trench and open warfare began at once. This training was very severe due both to strenuous schedule and the winter season which set in in earnest about this time. However, gruelling as it seemed then, it so hardened the men that they were able to bear up under the strain of continuous fighting which later became the lot of the Second Division. The schedule included hikes, close order drill, extended order, bayonet fighting, games, practice in both rifle and hand grenade throwing, rifle range practice, storming trench systems, taking strong points, defense against gas attacks and all modes of signalling then in use. Steel helmets were received shortly after arrival in this area and included in the uniform for drill in order to
accustom the men to wearing them at all times when in the line. A great deal of gas defense drill was included in the schedule and men were required to shoot, march, throw grenades and perform every possible duty with the masks on.
In March, trench knives, extra clothing, etc. were received and issued, preparations were made for storing extra baggage, and men only allowed to keep what clothing they could carry in their packs.
Orders were received that the Second Division was going in line just south of Verdun for thirty days, training under fire, and on March, 14th the battalion marched to Breuvannes and entrained for the front, moving at 9:42 p. m.
|
