Into the Woods (March 1918)

Diary of a Stosstrupp Leader (Part 39)

This post continues the translation of the diary of a German soldier who fought in the First World War. Readers can find links to other posts in this series in the following guide

Diary of a Stosstrupp Leader

1 March 1918

At five thirty in the morning, Infantry Regiment 265 (which, like the 97th Infantry Regiment, belonged to the 108th Infantry Division) conducted an attack in a neighboring sector. The German artillery put down especially heavy fire.

I received orders to report to Lieutenant Colonel Breyding (the commanding officer of the 97th Infantry Regiment), so my groom and I rode to the regimental command post, which was built into the side of sunken road.

On the road, I encountered many soldiers wounded in the attack. I spoke to a young Gefreiter decorated with the Iron Cross, First Class. He wore bandages, stained red with blood, on his head and one of his arms.

He responded to my question with clear eyes, saying that he had worn the Iron Cross, First Class, since 1914. He added, ‘Even in those days, there were things for us to do!’

I rode on, lost in thought.

At the regimental command post, I report to the regimental commander, who was poring over maps of our own positions, and those of the enemy.

I received an order to take charge of a large-scale raid (Sturmtruppunternehmen) against the Zwölferschlucht that the division commander had called for and, before doing that, to conduct a reconnaissance patrol in order to identify the enemy sentry posts and locate the most favorable place for breaking into the enemy position.

I ate lunch with the regimental commander and his adjutant. Then I rode back to the rest camp.

2 March 1918

I briefed my storm troopers on the new undertaking. In the evening, we received a barrel of beer and the regimental band played for us.

3 March 1918

The volume of enemy artillery fire increased.

We were placed on the highest alert.

At nine in the evening, the alert was cancelled.

4 March 1918 (Sunday)

I attended a worship service in the courtyard of the castle in Montaigu.

I was told that, on the night of 5 March, my assault men and I would go into action again. Our mission called for us to conduct night patrols through ground that was new to us in order to locate enemy defenses and barbed wire entanglements in the Zwölferschlucht.

At eleven in the morning, we arrived at the artillery camp, where we were to lodge.

Alas, the accommodations proved poor. To enter the tunnels, we had to pass through dark, narrow holes. Worse, my thirty-six men had to make do with fifteen bunks.

5 March 1918

I received the following order:

Quarters yourself and your men at the Mühlberg. Arrange with the units already there to arrive at three or so in the afternoon.

However, by the time that we, and all our gear, arrived (at the Mühlberg), we received a counter-order. We were to return to the artillery camp. So, we did that, and settled in as best we could.

Vizefeldwebel Rixecker, the leader of Stosstrupp II, and I went to the Dora artillery observation post, where we used the (tripod-mounted) binoculars to survey the location of our upcoming raid.

Vizefeldwebel Rixecker and I received orders to report, immediately, to the regimental command post. There, Lieutenant Colonel Breyding personally awarded us the Iron Cross First Class.

Divisional Order 56: In the name of His Majesty the Emperor and King, I hereby award the Iron Cross First Class to: Reserve Lieutenant Lydding, Infantry Regiment 97, and Vizefeldwebel Rixecker, 2/97.

Upon our return to camp, our comrades congratulated us with beaming smiles!

At seven in the evening, I led the first patrol of the night into the new area. We returned at two thirty in the morning. The same night, Vizefeldwebel Rixecker led another patrol into the unfamiliar ground.

In the nights that follow, Rixecker and I conduct additional patrols, each of which employed a fraction of our force. While tiring, this allowed us to develop a full picture of the outposts the enemy had set up in the area.

8 March 1918

At seven in the evening, Rixecker went on patrol and discovered a new enemy outpost on the Zwölferschlucht Path.

The outpost fired a red flare. The French artillery then fired gas shells at Rixecker and his men.

At one forty-five in the morning, my patrol stepped off. We advanced to Blue Dot P. Our path was completely overgrown. The French spotted us and we came under fire.

Before daybreak, Rixecker and two men climbed the Holzberg hill, went into in a shell hole, and covered themselves with brush to hide from enemy view. From there, he observed the enemy position at very close range.

The enemy, with their sensitive optical instruments, must have noticed something despite the camouflage and directed machine gun fire at the spot from which Rixecker and his two men are observing. Rixecker remained quiet and returned at nightfall with a detailed sketch.

At eleven in the evening, I led a patrol along the Blumentalweg and the Chevreux Road to Blue Dot P.

Further advance proved impossible from this point, as the French position that had fired upon us appeared to be very well manned.

We returned at 2:30 AM.

To be continued …

Neither the Zwölferschlucht (‘Ravine of the 12th Regiment’), the Blumentalweg, nor the Chevreux Road appears on the German maps I have been consulting for the sake of this series. At the same time, the maps show, in a blue overprint, the 12er Steg (‘Footbridge of the 12th Regiment’), and a blue dot marked with the letter ‘p’.

Sources

The text comes from Alwin Lydding Meine Kriegstagbuch (My War Diary), an unpublished manuscript that I found at the Bundesarchiv (German Federal Archive) (Folder N 382/1).

The photo comes from Franz Schauwecker (Editor) So War der Krieg (The War Was Like This) (Berlin: Frundsberg Verlag, 1928) page 47 (Hathi)

The illustration in the ‘Note on Locations’ shows a portion of a map I found in Folder PH 3-KART/2378, on the website of the German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv).