Sidney D. Light's WWI Diary, Postcards & Letters, 329th Battery Book Accounts

                                        The Second Battalion was detached from the regiment and attached to the Division Artillery, 28th Division, on October 29th, by verbal order of the Commanding General, Headquarters 4th Army Corp.

      At 8:30 on the morning of November 2nd Major Reynolds, Staff, and the Battery Commanders left Bois Fliery* wood, where the battalion was camped and rode forward to the headquarters of the 341st Field Artillery, where they met Colonel Davis and his staff.  From there they proceeded to the positions which they chose, west of Beney.

      At 3:00 o’clock the column left Bois Flirey* and two hours later arrived at Essey for evening mess.  They waited there until after dark.  The firing batteries moved to their positions and the caissons and limbers went under cover of woods one kilometer west of Nonsard, where the echelon was established.  The weather was cold and rainy, the roads sloppy and slippery.  The health of the men was very good.

      Twenty-three officers and six hundred men were available for duty on November 3rd.  They worked on preparation and camouflaging of positions until daylight interrupted their operations.  The Battalion Post Command was established at Pannes.  The weather was fair this day and the night was spent in improving the positions.

      The next day Lieut. Stover selected a Battery Observation Post and organized it.  In the meantime the telephone net was well under way. Enemy planes were very active.  After dark work progressed rapidly.  D and F adjustment fire began.

      At 2:15 the morning of the 5th Colonel Davis sent work that a drive was on and that the enemy was evacuating.  Hasty preparations were made to pull out.  Limbers and caissons were ordered up to the positions.  The echelon became a moving cavalcade in a few minutes’ time. All surplus baggage was discarded.  Battery E was designated to accompany the infantry.  The estimation of the enemy strength was found incorrect and between 5:15 and 6:30 a countermarch was made.  Batteries D and F fired on cross roads during the offensive.  Battery E took cover for the day in the woods southwest of St. Benoit and returned to their old position west of Beney that night.  E was fired on while in the woods but no casualties resulted.

      During the early morning hours of the 6th D and F fired concentration while a raid was in progress.  A normal barrage was sent over.

      D and F again sounded reveille for Fritz on the 7th by firing on the important cross roads.  So far all firing was done by map.  The weather was foggy and observation impossible.

      Between 2:56 and 3:30 the next afternoon Battery D fired gas shells on an enemy Infantry Post Command.  Battery E concentrated their fire with high explosive on a machine gun emplacement.  Battery F fired on a large working party with high explosive.  During the day Lieut. Sutliff returned from school and was made Ammunition Officer.

      The guns began work at 5:35 the morning of the 9th.  D and E fired neutralization on a machine gun nest with high explosives.  F fired on a place known as Marimbois Farm, which was infested with the enemy. Rain came down at steady intervals.  Major Reynolds was promoted to Lieut. Colonel; Lieut. Gemuend was placed in charge of the echelon.

      At 5:30 a. m., November 10th, a special barrage was laid down by the Battalion on a line just north of Donmartin.  This fire was part of the offensive action, accompanying an attack of the 4th Army Cops as outlined by the Headquarters of the 28th Division.

      At 12:30 we were given the mission of protecting the left flank of the Infantry in our sector during an advance.  A standing barrage was laid down with a rapid rate of fire.  This barrage lasted several hours.  At 4:05 the enemy machine guns became active in Dampvitoux.  Battery F concentrated from 4:10 until 4:19.  Batteries D and E from 4:15 until 4:19.  They then returned to the special barrage.  At 4:50 a red flare told them to revert to normal barrage.  Firing continued at intervals until 6:00 o’clock.

      November 11th.  5:45, Batteries E and F concentrated on machine guns.  D fired a standing barrage.  At 8:30 the Battalion concentrated on Dampvitoux for fifteen minutes. From 10:20 to 10:59 the Battalion conducted a harassing fire on a line from Lachansee to Hageville.  From then on until 11:00 o’clock a maximum barrage was laid on a line in front of Dampvitoux.  
    
      At 11:00 o’clock the armistice went into effect.  Everyone was on the job for emergency fire until Colonel Davis called at the Post Command station and said the men and horses could move to Beney for more comfortable accommodations.  He also said that concealment was no longer necessary.

      The band played the national anthem while the regiment marched into Beney and attended a thanksgiving service in an old shell-wrecked church.  An allied aeroplane was flying low over the town.  Everyone was wearing smiles at the thought of no more mud, gas or cold, corned willy.  The Battalion O. P. Stayed on the job until 12: 45 and then moved to Beney.  The afternoon was spent by the regiment in policing Beney and selecting quarters.

* [as written in the book]