Shelter (January 1918)
Diary of a Stosstrupp Leader (Part 31)
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.
21 January 1918
In the afternoon, we sent a messenger to St. Thomas (a village some four kilometers away) to get some means of lighting our quarters, as we all lived deep underground, and so were not able to sit in a window all the time.
The ordinary soldiers twisted string into wicks, which they stuck in (tins full of) butter, which had very little fat in it. The battalion headquarters gave us enough gasoline to provide ten hours of light, but could spare no more.
22 January 1918
We repair the telephone cable that connects us to the artillery.
23 January 1918
In the evening, we visited the positions occupied by our battalion. Each of these is organized into three sections - a strongpoint and two machine gun nests.
On the left flank the communications trench runs through the ruins of the houses of Corbeny, which look out over a plan covered with the wrecks of shot-up tanks.
25 January 1918
Dr. Kanzow and I took photos of Corbeny and drew maps.
Concentrations of artillery fire, from short-range pieces of middle and heavy calibers, fell.
In a cellar, I found the remains of two soldiers who had been entombed there since the fall of 1916.
27 January 1918
(We celebrated) the Kaiser’s birthday. I spent the day in the section of II/97 (2nd Battalion, 97th Infantry). In the ruins of a church, I found a well-preserved baptismal font from Carolingian times.
28 January 1918:
At four in the morning, I walked from the headquarters of the Kampftruppenkommandeur to St. Thomas, and, from there, with Lieutenant Karge to Montaigu.
I went with a quartering party from the battalion looking for suitable accommodations. The companies were located in the camp in the forest. The battalion headquarters was located in Montaigu. I bunked with First Lieutenant Spengler in a little cabin.
The battalion arrived between eleven in the evening and midnight.
We built shelters and an officers’ club.
30 January 1918
We built a gas chamber for two companies. In the afternoon, Spengler and I rode to Sissonne (about six kilometers north of Montaigu).
I spent the evening with Grünberg and the company commanders in the officers’ club. The band played.
31 January 1918
We finished building a gas chamber.
to be continued …
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).
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