Eyewitness: On the Slopes of Morte Homme — 1917

South Slope of Morte Homme

Avery Royce Wolfe (1898–1978) served in SSU 31 of the American Field Service (AFS) for three months in 1917. He hailed from Buffalo, NY, and went to Lafayette College. After the AFS was absorbed by the U.S. Army he subsequently served in the U.S. Army Ambulance Service. He received the Croix de Guerre for his service and turned out to be highly informative letter writer.

Dear Aunt Alice,

I am supposed to be out on guard duty tonight, but, as it is very quiet and very disagreeable outside, I have dropped into the barn, our headquarters, to tell you how much I appreciated your letter of the 9th of August, which I received only a few days ago. Our Section has just returned from active duty at the front. We evacuated the sector at the extreme left of the last big French drive, which you have probably read about in the papers. The attack itself was a great victory for the French, but it was rather hard on our section. We lost two of our cars from shell fire, and eight of our men are in the hospital suffering from the effects of German gas. The gas produces stomach trouble and a burning sensation in the lungs, both of which are very disagreeable. I myself, being blessed with a robust constitution, have completely recovered from the effects of the gas and am feeling fit and fine.

An AFS Officer Carrying a Wounded Poilu

During the two weeks of the attack, our Section carried over three hundred wounded from the front lines back to the triage hospitals. A large majority of them were German prisoners, as the casualties suffered by the French were very small, due to the excellent preparations for the attack by the artillery. Six thousand French guns of all calibers pounded the German lines for three days and nights before the French troops finally went over the top. The front lines now are to the north of hills 304 and Le Mort Homme, but the Germans still hold control of the sector by their occupancy of Montfaucon.

Although many Germans here captured, many more were needlessly killed due to their stupidity. They had built a system of tunnels in Le Mort Homme, which were very wonderful and an indication of their thoroughness. The main tunnel was about four hundred yards long, and lay about three hundred feet below the surface from the top of the hill. Here there were three sets of stairs that served as entrances, one at each end, and one in the middle. The main tunnel was about twelve feet wide and seven feet high. It was well timbered and was kept dry by a series of pumps. Numerous fans provided a good circulation of air, and these were driven by gasoline motored electrical motors that also furnished electric lights for the entire layout. Off the main passage had been constructed numerous rooms, the largest serving as a hospital and the next largest as officers quarters. These rooms were all nicely furnished with furniture that probably was obtained from the captured French cities. I should judge that the layout would furnish very comfortable quarters for several hundred men.

Avery

Avery Royce Wolfe, 1917
Recent College Student, New AFS Officer

From: Letters from Verdun: Frontline Experiences of an American Volunteer in World War I France;  Available HERE.