Friends of France : $b The Field Service of the American Ambulance described by its membersVarious
History
Friends of France : $b The Field Service of the American Ambulance described by its members
Various
American Field Service; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, American
One of our Section who was compelled to return to America the other
day took with him as his single keepsake a crumpled photograph with
a signature scrawled in one corner. It was of a _sous-officier_ of
a famous battalion of Chasseurs Alpins. His heavy pack was jauntily
thrown over his shoulders; his _berret_ was rakishly tilted to one
side; and on his breast gleamed the green and red ribbon of the _Croix
de Guerre_, the crimson of the _Légion d'Honneur_, and the yellow of
the _Médaille Militaire_.
You could find no better symbol of the laughing gallantry, the sturdy
strength, and the indomitable courage of France.
PRESTON LOCKWOOD
[Illustration: CHASSEUR ALPIN 1915]
IV
LAST DAYS IN ALSACE
BY December 20, the approximate date of the beginning of the French
attack upon the German positions on Hartmannsweilerkopf, the
headquarters of Section 3 of the American Ambulance had been moved
temporarily to a place called Moosch. Here was located a large modern
hospital to which the wounded were brought from the dressing-stations
in the mountains, two or three kilometres behind the lines of advance
trenches. From this hospital the _blessés_ were moved into the interior
as fast as their condition would permit. It was the duty of the small
American Ford ambulances to bring the wounded from these mountain
stations down to the hospital at Moosch.
Moosch, a typical Alsatian town, consisting of a few large buildings,
the "Mairie," the church, a hotel or two, and perhaps a weaving mill,
about which are clustered the homes and stores and cafés or combination
of these latter, is situated in the valley of the river Thur. This
valley runs up, and west or slightly north of west, to the divide,
between the Moselle River and the Thur, this divide making the old
boundary between French and German territory; and down in a south of
east direction until the mountains end and we enter the plain that
forms part of the drainage basin of the Rhine. Moosch is about halfway
down this valley and about twelve kilometres from the front, which was
on the last row of hills before the beginning of this plain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account