The War Diary of Cpl H. Fletcher Davidson, USMC
SOISSONS
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Jul 16th - Packed up right after dinner and hiked from 3 PM until after midnight.
Jul 17th - Lay from midnight until nearly dawn beside the road waiting for the D*#! camions into which we loaded and rode until late afternoon. Then went by hand with packs and machine gun equipment up a long mountain through the woods. Stopped for supper and unrolled our packs for night, but immediately rolled them up again and stacked blanket rolls. Hiked all night with machine guns, equipment and ammunition through rain and stygian darkness along a road congested with all sorts of traffic.
[ Aisne Marne Offensive ]
(See Citation)
Jul 18th - Stopped for rest a couple of hours at daybreak. Just flopped on wet ground in the rain and was dead to the world. Took up march again with no breakfast and hiked all forenoon. The 6th Marines had started the drive that morning and we met frequent large bunches of prisoners going to the rear. Had a hard time holding our own with the rapidly advancing front. Came to front where drive had started, crossed the old No Mans Land to behind the old German lines where we stopped to rest a few hours in PM. Saw a sight that afternoon that no civilian ever witnessed and one that could never be painted or described fully in words. Thousands of soldiers of French, French Orientals, and American armies, tanks, cavalry, artillery, armored motor cars, bicycle corps, infantry, in fact, one might say everything used in warfare advancing in a continuous stream toward the receding front. Had an early supper and again took up the advance. Finally stopped for night in an open field by some captured German batteries. Right ahead the tanks were battling for the next ridge.
Citation for Gallantry won by Cpl Davidson for his actions at Vierzy on this day.
The citation reads: "For distinguished and exceptional gallantry at Vierzy,
France on July 18, 1918 in the operations of the American Expeditionary Forces
in testimony thereof and as an expression of appreciation of his valor I award
him this CITATION awarded on June 25th 1919. (signed)
JOHN A LEJEUNE, Major General, U.S.M.C.
Jul 19th - Fateful day for the 81st Company. 57 casualties out of 119 men on the line - number of deaths unknown, but many known to have been killed instantly and several others known to have died from their wounds. Capt. Sumner killed leaving Lt. Hart in command of company. Took up march early and made front in time to go over the top. I was detailed as runner for Capt. Sumner. He sent me on run to 3rd Batt PC. When I returned he had started over the top so I start out to find him. Finally found Lt. Schwerins's section and heard of Capt's death at start of drive. Lt. Schwerin gave me a gun and I advanced with his section on right flank of 1st Batt. 6th Reg Marines. Thirty-eight started in section and twelve reached the ditch by the road where we made our stand with 2 out of the four guns and tripods and two boxes of ammunition per gun. The advance was through an open wheat field under the direct fire of German artillery and machine guns. There were only about 200 left out of a 1000 in 1st Battalion The tanks started over about 50 yards in advance of us, but our advance was so rapid they could not hold the lead. Most of them were destroyed by the terrific German artillery fire. The rest turned back. We reached the ditch about noon and lay there all PM in hot sun with no water and short of ammunition praying there would be no counter attack. We had nothing at all to eat that day. The German airplanes came over and fired machine guns into our lines and directed the artillery fire to our ditch. They had control of the air all day, thus our artillery did not know where to fire and could not put down a barrage for our advance. Late in PM we got a message through to artillery to blow Parcy-Tigny off of map and they soon made it untenable and Germans were seen
leaving in heavy marching order. After the barrage the Orientals who had the section on our right advanced into town. We were relieved by the French machine gunners about midnight and marched to rear until next noon when we encountered the mule train. [Second diary lost?????]
Jul 21st - We hiked to rear from afternoon until midnight when we stopped to camp in the Compengne woods.
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