The Yanks Are Coming! - Krags in the AEF

[RustyCanteen]

For years I have seen erroneous or outdated information (or worse, idle speculation!) passed around in books and on forums regarding the use of the Springfield M1892-1898 'Krag-Jorgenson'. Some books claim or otherwise infer that the 11th Engineers were armed with the 'Krag' rifles. This is absolutely wrong. Claims of the 'Krags' in battle during WWI are also misunderstood or confused by many. Below is a fragment of the story which I have tried to assemble to both answer part of the question, as well as to put the photographic evidence in proper perspective. I'm trying to keep this short enough for disgestion, but I feel the story should not be pared down too much. These men were very proud of what they did in life, and this is part of their story.

First a basic introduction to the units we will be discussing. All of them were Engineer regiments of the US Army. Most of them were formed following an order issued in early May 1917, but that is too far off topic for today. Basically nine regiments of engineers were approved for recruiting, all of them were termed 'Reserve' regiments. Each regiment was to recruit from a geographic area, and each almost exclusively recruited from men working for various regional and national railroads. The units were as follows:

1st Reserve Engineers, from New York City, NY.
2nd Reserve Engineers, from St. Louis, MO.
3rd Reserve Engineers, from Chicago, Ill.
4th Reserve Engineers, from Boston, MASS.
5th Reserve Engineers, from Pittsburgh, PA.
6th Reserve Engineers, from Detroit, MI.
7th Reserve Engineers, from Atlanta, GA.
8th Reserve Engineers, from San Francisco, CA.
9th Reserve Engineers, from Philadelphia, PA.

General Order 54 (7/17/1917) changed the designations of each regiment, renumbering them to start from 11 through 19, instead of 1 through 9. Thus the 1st Reserve Engineers became the 11th Engineers, and so on.

Most of the newly formed regiments built make-shift camps wherever they could secure permission. Some built them in flood plains from which the water had only recently receded, others had more interesting campsites, such as baseball fields. Wherever they set up camp, the focus was on quickly preparing the men for war. For the most part training was limited to drill, physical training, and matters of army life. By late July 1917 the only training provided was to transform veteran railwaymen into Army Engineers. For what little time was spent on training, their years of hands-on experience more than paid off with expertise that was urgently needed in France, not just by the newly formed AEF, but also by the British and French armies.

Each unit had to procure it's own supplies based on availability from local QM stores. Not surprisingly, much of the equipment which could be turned up was of older patterns. Most of the units were equipped more or less the same. The only real stand out difference was that of the 11th Engineers from New York. The 11th was able to secure M1910 equipment and M1903 Springfield rifles, contrasting with the 12th, 14th, 17th, and 18th Engineer regiments who managed to dredge up some 1903 pattern equipment and M1892-1898 Springfield rifles.

Photo of two 11th Engineer men cleaning their M1903 Springfield rifles before departing from camp.

"All equipment issued was of the old models except the pistols, which, however, were furnished without holsters. The mess kits were of a pattern long obsolete, as were the haversacks, some of which were marked with the names of volunteer organizations in the Spanish war. There were not enough, even, of these ancient relics and the deficiency was made up by substituting a number of barracks bags of unknown, almost prehistoric age." - 14th Engineers History.

The 14th's equipment and rifles just before leaving the United States.

"The rifles were the old .303 [sic] used in the Spanish war, and eighty cartridges per rifle were issued. It was evidently expected that this supply was to last for the duration of the war as cartridges of this type were not to be found in France." - 14th Engineers History.

The above excerpt clearly refers to .30-40 Gov't 'Krag' cartridges and not the .303 that was typed in error. Although some of these very regiments ended up with Short Magazine Lee-Enfield rifles in March and April of 1918.

"The arms and equipment issued were of the old type, used in the Spanish-American war, including the Krag-Jorgensen rifle." - 12th Engineers History

"Krag-Jorgensen rifles and horseshoe blanket rolls, each with shelter-half and poncho. We could have turned back time to 1898, sung "Goodbye Dolly, I must Leave You" and marched away to fight the war in Cuba." - The 18th Engineers History.

"Over There"

After each regiment arrived in Great Britain it was ordered to entrain for Camp Borden, near London. While there, regiments underwent some additional instruction. For most of the Engineers, Camp Borden was a miserable place which they hastened to leave. The heat of August did not help matters, not did crowded sleeping arrangements.

"Borden was a poor introduction to an ancquaintance with the British army. It was a camp bare of everything except the necessities and even they were sometimes lacking. The officers were taken to a lecture by a British officer, prepared to be much impressed - only to receieve a solemn dissertation on the importance of saluting in its relation to winning the war. But everybody was friendly and the men soon found birds of a feather in some Australians and South Africans camped nearby. - 14th Engineers History

The 11th arrived in Great Britain on July 27th 1917. There was a huge parade planned for August 15th and the 11th was slated to lead the other units in a march through London. Unfortunately for the 11th they were ordered across the channel to France and missed the parade entirely.* They did however participate in an inspection of the unit conducted by King George V on July 28th before entraining for transport across the channel.
*but fortunately for the men of the 12th who were next in line and thus now lead the parade.

[RustyCanteen]

The Historic London Parade, August 15th 1917.

"the "Daily Mail" declared to-day it will be the first time since the landing of William III, that soldiers of a foreign country have been permitted to march in England carrying arms and foreign flag" - August 1917 newspaper, speaking of the upcoming parade.

As the vanguard of the US Army in Great Britain, a grand parade was organized through the streets of London.


The 12th was next in line once the 11th was ordered to France and now the task of leading the historic parade fell to them. Despite the short time devoted to drill training at Camp Gaillard, each man was proud to give the march his best effort. After each regiment arrived in the city, they formed the parade line: 12th (leading), 13th, 14th, and trailing, the 17th.


Marching through St. James park. The men in the foreground are those of the Band preceding the Engineers.

Close-up of the above photo. It can be seen that the crowd has pressed in close on the right side and the officers in the lead have turned to see what the disturbance is. Also of note is the fact that the 12th in the lead (pictured), did not have their regimental colors present. The only flag carried by the 12th in the London parade was a National flag carried by Company C (circled in red) which had been presented to them by the Saint Louis Engineer's club before they shipped out:




Men from the Life Guard Band (a Royal guard unit not at all having anything to do with maritime rescue duties) preceded the engineer units as they marched across the city. For the most part it went smoothly, although at times the crowds pressed in close to the soldiers and it became difficult to ignore the waving, cheering Londoners who would reach out to touch the passing men. Although the populace was war-wearing, and despite the grimness and solemnity with with they normally reserved for war news; the people of London were at times seemingly quietly studying the Americans as they marched by, perhaps remembering the many thousands of Tommies who also marched to war and had yet to return; while at other areas of the city the people were nearly unreserved in their display of enthusiasm for their allies.


The crowds watching the parade.

"Londoners are not very ready to cheer. Theirs is the way of silent tribute. But yesterday they forgot the silly traditions of British reserve. They might have been Irish or Italian in their wild enthusiasm. For, as the first Americans were seen, cheers were raised such as have never been heard in London

Louder and still louder rose the cries as the Stares and Stripes came in view, Soldiers in the crowd saluted; men raised their hats, and women threw their flowers and waved their handerkerchiefs-and some of them sobbed happy tears of pride such as no man or woman need remember with shame..." - London Daily Chronicle August 16th 1917

 

Left photo may show men of the 17th Engineers.

[RustyCanteen]

"From 8.30 A.M. yesterday the troops marched from Waterloo to the Wellington Barracks. At the railway station there were some hundreds of British soldiers going on leave and a few score coming back from France. It was there that the Americans got their first noisy welcome. The Tommies cheered in British fashion, and the Americans, standing easy, responded with the sort of cheer that one hears from the Big League crows when the White Sox have "put it over" the Giants. Every nation cheers in its own way, but in the cheers of both nations at Waterloo there was the same enthusiasm.

At Wellington Barracks Colonel Lassiter, the Military Attache of the American Embassy, was present to welcome the units as they arrived. With him were Lord Derby, Lieutenant-General Sir Francis Lloyd, and a number of officers of the Guards' Brigade. There was a tremendous crowd here from 9 o'clock onwards, and the railings of the parade ground were packed with people eager to make the men from the United States feel at home, an incidentally to beg a souvenir or two from them in the shape of a button or a badge. At 11.30 A.M. the troops left the barracks to the tune of "The Boston Tea Party", surely a strange air to be played before troops in the streets of London, but still a most appropriate one.

"They marched with a free step, much like Colonial troops, and they showed that they had learnt their drill. Hardly a man or woman in the crowd realized that nearly all of these men were civilians six weeks ago. But such is the fact, and it is good to let it be known. After a month and a half of drilling there men marched as well as many of our permanent battalions. The slope of their rifles was uniform, and they never seemed to tire or slack." - The London Times, August 16th 1917.

 

 

The 12th Engineers leading the parade, note the large American flag hanging from the building at upper right. One of many flags which were hastily displayed by London shopkeepers.

Although American personnel had been through London in 1917, this was the first with armed men group from the US Army, and certainly the largest contingent of Americans to pass through since America joined the war in April. In May a small group of medical doctors and ambulance drivers (bound for Base Hospital No. 2) had visited London on their way to France. A small American flag having been taken to Saint Paul's cathedral by them to remind Britian that it did not stand alone. William Barclay Parsons of the 11th Engineers had also been part of a small commission sent to Great Britain and France ahead of the AEF on an engineering fact-finding mission.

The Engineer colors, probably that of the 14th.

This parade was heralded as of historic importance, but which has for the most part, been forgotten in the past 97 years.

"We were the first foreign troops to march through London since William the Conqurer made his triumphal entry several centuries back. What General Pershing's men were to the French in Paris, we were to the English in London- the visible sign of America's intention to put her shoulder to the wheel. " - Pvt. Edward Bradstreet, Co. B, 12th Engineers.

The same image as above as it appeared colorized with the regimental flag incorrectly appearing blue (Infantry) instead of red/scarlet for Engineers.

As the men marched closer and closer to the gates of Buckingham Palace it must surely have weighed on the minds of each man, that only ninety-days ago they were civilians covered in grease and coal dust, working on the railroad, and yet now, here they were about to march before the King of England! The first US Army troops to have ever done so armed. 141 years previous it would have been unthinkable, now, in 1917, they stood shoulder to shoulder and put the past behind them to concentrate on the future.

"the Twelfth, under Colonel Townsend, leading with the band of the Life Guards, swung out of Wellington Barracks on that historic march which was heralded, in the British Press, as definitely marking the complete reunion of England and the United States.

August 15th, 1917, is assured a prominent place in English and American history, as the premier appearance of American troops in London. Not since the year 1066, the time of William the Conquerer, had the streets of London rung with the tramp of armed foreign forces." - History of the Twelfth Engineers.

Headquarters detachment of the 14th Engineers. Note they are not carrying arms.

[RustyCanteen]

Finally they arrived at Grosvenor gardens where the American Embassy staff stood watching from the second floor balcony.

Probably the 14th Engineers, possibly the 17th passing before Admiral Sims and Ambassador Page on the balcony.

"With precise, determined step the troops swung along Piccadilly to Hyde Park Corner and curled around Grosvenor gardens. And still the men shouted hoarsely, and still little children waved their small flags, and still women cried 'God bless you;' and 'Good luck'

Outside the American Embassy in Grosvenor gardens the crowd was enormous. But no halt was made, and there were no speeches. The American Ambassador, Mr. Page, took the salute as his countrymen passed and standing by him were Mrs. Page, Admiral Sims, and members of the Embassy staff. From the Maple Leaf Club close by Canadians showed what a Canadian cheer can be." -London Daily Chronicle August 16th 1917

The crowd on Queen Victoria monument across from Buckingham Palace.

[RustyCanteen]

The parade continued towards Buckingham Palace while the surge of Londoners crowded every inch of empty space to be found within reach or sight of the marching column. There it was, the gates of the palace. It wasn't hard to spot the King and Queen as they stood watching. For here within the gates the sea of humanity was gone, having been kept from following the Americans, albeit only temporarily.

"Then the Americans went onwards to Buckingham Palace to march by the King of a people as free as those of the great Republic, and to hear the greatest cheer raised in London. Crowds stretched far down the Mall. People climbed onto the Victoria Memorial and the police had orders not to interfere. Most of the crowd could see little but the rifle points glittering in the sunlight. But they could hear the tread of the soldiers, and no band ever made sweeter music for them. These cheering men and women could not see the King, who with Queen Alexandra stood in the courtyard, but they knew his Majesty was there. The most colourless life had it's moment of radiant glory when the first Americans passed the King. The Guard of Honour had played the National Anthem, and after the sudden silence cheers passed like a wave from the Palace to the Admiralty Arch." - London Daily Chronicle August 16th 1917

"In field-marshal's uniform the King saluted each section as it passed, and those who were near him saw the pride in his eyes and the smiles as he talked , a little later, to Mr. Lloyd George."-History of the Twelfth Engineers.

"At Buckingham Palace

Perhaps the crowd was thickest and most enthusiastic round Buckingham Palace, where the King, Queen Alexandra, Lord French, and Lieutenant-General Sir Francis Lloyd stood at the saluting base in front of the massed bands of the Guards' Brigade. As the salute was given by each company in turn the King acknowledged it, and the crowd burst into a prolonged cheering. One band played "The Long, Long Trail", and the crowd took up the refrain in great voice, helping the strains of the brass with a fine volume of sound. When the Stars and Stripes came past the King and all the military officers at the saluting point paid the proper compliments. " - The London Times, August 16th 1917.

[RustyCanteen]

Following the King's review, the parade adjourned outside the Palace in Hyde Park where luncheon was served and sore feet found a place to rest, if only for a little while. After this respite they returned to Waterloo station for the trains that would take them back to Camp Borden.

 

"On the way home after the parade"

 

"One amusing incident of the return trip occured at Waterloo station. After seeing the men into their cars the officers were just on the point of entraining when the band started playing the "Star Spangled Banner." True to their teaching, they immediately halted and brought their right hands to the salute. Just at this moment the train, after a precautionary whistle, began to moce. The officers knew not what to do. They had vision of being left behind in London, while the regiment sped back to camp, but they stood firm while someone succeeded in stopping the train. As the last note sounded a deep sigh of relief escaped the anxious officers and they started for their seats, only to be freshly halted by "God Save the King". It was, of course, impossible not to extend the same courtesy to the English national air that had been shown to our own, so they stood at salute a second time, while the train impatiently whistled, started and stopped again. Finally the air came to and end and a mad dash was made for seat before the band should decide to play the "Marseillaise" or the national anthem of some of the other Allies." - 14th Engineers History.

 

The regiments were sent across the channel where they were issued with the equipment necessary to complete their missions. The 11th, 12th, and 14th were assigned to work with the British Army, and the 13th, 15th, and 16th to the French. The 17th and 18th were ordered to the ports to improve them and prepare them for the rest of the AEF. The 19th became a railroad shop unit with the French. Since we are discussing the krag rifles in battle/combat, we will only be following the 11th, 12th, and 14th Engineers from this point on. But all the regiments deserve the credit due them for their part in the war.

[RustyCanteen]

Now! What 99% of you are here for, Krags in the parade:

That is of course, a small sampling of photos showing the Krags and the equipment. There are plenty more, but this thread is getting larger than I anticipated and it's only a partial telling of the story, which I have condensed quite a bit! To summarize, the Engineer regiments which paraded through London on August 15th 1917 were armed with M1892-1898 Springfield rifles. The 11th Engineers never had krags, only M1903 Springfields from the very beginning.

Probably the 17th or 18th Engineers marching in France. I think I have a note of the caption for the original photo, but cannot locate it on short notice.

I don't want to gloss over the equipment they had, but I felt the photos speak for themselves. The 12th-18th Engineers had 1903-1908 pattern equipment, the belts and suspenders, first aid bandage pouches, packs, etc of the associated types. Blanket rolls carried the blankets, tents, and ponchos. Although not all units arrived in Great Britain with tentage. The canteen was of the older pattern and many photos can be found showing the old haversack strap used with the canteen, as well as the newer leather canteen straps. There are little differences between companies, and unit to unit, but that is really beyond the scope of this discussion. Basically whatever could be found is what was issued, so you will see various patterns of canvas leggins being worn, even mixed types in the same company so long as they fit. The old campaign hats are of course prominent, since none of the regiments had steel helmets issued until in Bordon or France. The same goes for gas protective equipment.

The 11th, 12th, and 14th Engineers were assigned to work in the British sectors, so they were issued British brodies helmets, British P.H. helmets, and British Small Box Respirators. Those sent to the French sectors were outfitted with French gas protection, such as the M2, etc.

11th Engineers men with phenol-hexamine helmets.

"were issued shrapnel helmets, box respirators, and P.H. helmets. (The P.H. helmet was a type of gas-mask developed before the box respirator and was issued to be carried as a reserve in case the box-respirator was damaged. It was a cloth hood with glass eye-pieces and a metal and rubber mouth-piece, and took its name, P. H., from the compound in which it had been dipped to make it gas proof, phenol and hexamine.) The box-respirators were fitted and then tested in a gas-chamber and those men who had not had gas training at Oxney Camp were instructed in the use of the equipment. After the return to Audruicq most of the time was devoted to perfecting the drills with the box-respirators." -11th Engineers History.

"The order of the day was gas instruction, conducted in a very efficient manner by the British instructors. P.H. helmets (later discarded), gas masks and "tin hats" were issued, not to speak of a welcome supply of underclothes." - 14th Engineers History.

 

 

 

 

[RustyCanteen]

The casualties and battles. Who had the first?

 

 

First enemy related deaths and injuries:

 

On September 4th 1917 the base hospital at Dannes-Camirs, France was bombed by German aircraft.

 

"While at Dannes-Camiers, Base Hospital No. 5 frequently was attacked by enemy aircraft, and on the night of September 4, 1917, suffered several casualties. Lieut. William T. Fitzsimons, M. C., was killed, Lieuts. Rae W. Whidden, Thaddeus D. Smith, and Clarence A. McGuire, M. C., were wounded. Lieutenants Whidden and Smith subsequently died. Three enlisted men were killed and five severely wounded; one nurse and twenty-two patients were wounded. These deaths were the first among the American Expeditionary Forces due to enemy activity." - From "The Medical Department of the United States Army in the World War, Volume II"

 

First combat related injuries (shell fire):

 

The following day, on September 5th, a party from Company F, 11th Engineers was working around the old train station at Gouzeacourt when two men were wounded by shrapnel from shell fire. They were considered the first battle casualties of the AEF. Gouzeacourt would again factor into the 11th's history. The 11th Engineers had barely been in France for 30 days when this happened. These Engineer units may not have been Infantry, but they were frequently targets of offensive and harassing artillery fire by the Germans. The 11th built and maintained (as well as operated) standard gauge railway lines, most of the standard gauge lines ended long before reaching the trenches, which is why light rail (narrow gauge) was used to transport men and supplies from the standard gauge railheads to the forward positions. All of this was often within 5 miles of the front, and in some places only thousands of feet away. Think about the Infantry who at least had the protection of trenches, and then consider how exposed the Engineers were working in the open. When artillery was fired at them they had no place to seek shelter. The fact that the 11th, 12th, and 14th were working in the same areas, but the 12th only had four casualties (while in France) earned the 12th the nickname of the 'Lucky Twelfth' due to it's luck in not sharing the casualties. First blood was drawn from the 11th on September 5th, but it would not be the last time.

 

"Serg't M. J. Calderwood and Pvt. W. F. Brannigan were wounded by fragments of a shell which exploded near them. These two men were the first battle casualties in the American Expeditionary Force." - 11th Engineers History.

 

First combat deaths:

 

On November 3rd, a German trench raid killed three men of the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. Corporal James B. Gresham, and Privates Thomas F. Enright and Merle D. Hay. According to the regimental history, the throat of one man had been cut. They were the first men killed directly by the enemy infantry.

[RustyCanteen]

Cambrai, November 1917.

Since we don't have room for a full discussion or dissertation of the battle of Cambrai (1917), I will refer interested members consult the many books on the subject. We will limit ourselves to the actions which affected the American Engineers. What follows is as condensed version of events as possible. For those of you who have followed this thread, please bear with me and thank you for your patience. We are getting to the part about the 'krags in battle' which is sometimes tossed around. As a reminder, on this front only two of the three American Engineer regiments are armed with M1892-1898 Springfields (krags); the 12th and the 14th. The 11th only has M1903 Springfields. Both units do not tend to carry their weapons because they are afterall, engineers, not infantryman.

The 11th and 12th Engineers had been working overtime to move supplies to the front, an unusual amount of supplies. It became apparent that something big was in the works, and it was happening in their neighborhood. Since the men came to France about two months ago they had gotten somewhat used to the shelling, and gas alarms. It was a lot different from what some of them had probably expected though. For men who had spent their adult lives working on and around 4-6-2's to moguls and larger, the trains they were about to find in France appeared to mere toys. Some of the men assigned to the narrow gauge railways were not happy with what they found, but by the time the war was over all that was forgotten and they were proud of their little trains. But now, in November of 1917 both regiments were engaged in construction, operation, and maintenance of the rail lines in their districts. The 11th was busily helping to move MkV tanks in preparation for a grand offensive, the most ambitious in months. While the 12th hauled ammunition, both small arms (SAA) and shells for the artillery batteries nearby. The guns would use the shells to provide a walking barrage ahead of the British Infantry and Cavalry which would drive the Germans (or rather what was left, in theory) from their trenches all the way back to the city of Cambrai. The 14th had been assigned to the 3rd Army (British) and was engaged in salvage work in addition to normal duties.

The plan appeared to be fairly straightforward, at least the Engineers' parts in it. After the enemy was pulverized by the barrages, and driven from their trenches, the Engineers would race out and start immediate work in what had only hours before been no-mans land, and even land behind the German positions. The 12th was to build and extend light railway lines as quickly as possible as the entire frontlines were expected to shift well forward towards Cambrai city. The 11th was detailed to race out and repair as much of the main rail line (which had run right into Cambrai before the war) and then extend what had been destroyed or made unusable. Adding to this, the units both had companies performing their daily operations behind the current trenches. 'D-Day' was set for November 20th.

"At 6:20 A.M., the zero hour, every battery from Fins to Vermand opened fire -- the battle was on." - 12th Engineers History.

The artillery barrages were tremendous, but nothing like that which was to rain down on the British in this same sector come next March. At this point in the plan, the Germans would be saturated by artillery which would help to disorient the defenders.

"Some five hundred tanks preceded the first infantry waves, rolling down the barbed wire and neutralizing the advance enemy machine gun posts. In an incredibly short time the famous Hindenburg Line was broken on a twenty mile front and to a depth of nearly six miles. 10,000 prisoners constituted the first day's haul" - 12th Engineers History.

By all appearances things were going surprisingly well, almost perfectly. On the 29th General Byng sent a note of thanks for the vital work which had been done by the Engineers. The 12th was working with the Canadian Railway Troops in the vicinity of Marcoing, while the 11th was working with other 4th CRT men near Gouzeacourt. All seemed good, until the morning of the 30th when the shells started falling on them; the Germans were counter-attacking and retaking their lost territory. The speed and suddenness at which the Germans attacked was all too quick for the men who had thought the front miles away from them now. The Canadians had told the officers of the 11th that it was not necessary to carry their rifles, and on this day the working party had left their rifles safely in camp when they left at about 7 AM. They had enough tools to carry along anyway. Picks, shovels, and other implements necessary for grading were all that was on hand. Still, even at this point they did not know how the battle had turned against their British allies. Shelling was common, and it did not raise any suspicions, in any event it was light and appeared to be sporadic. It probably wouldn't be long before the British counter batteries pin-pointed the German emplacements and silenced the guns for a while. 20 minutes later the iron rations began to increase, but the men continued working, it was after-all a war, and shelling was to be expected by now. The Germans were shelling a ridge nearby and some shells were going a little further than intended. Moments later a few gas shells burst within 200 yards of the men. By what seemed like provenance the gas was blown downwind of the men and none were caught off-guard by it.

"But these shells were only stray ones from a barrage that was rapidly gaining in intensity along the top of the ridge to the east and which in a few minutes was lifted and moved closer to the work. For the moment no one realized what it was but soon Major Burbank saw that it was more than spasmodic shelling and ordered a general retirement. Capt. Hulsart ordered his men onto the work train and Lt. McLoud ordered his into the field west of the railroad. Before the train could get underway it was disabled and all the men had to seek shelter as best they could. By this time the barrage was upon them and many men after attempting to retire too refuge in whatever shelter was available." - 11th Engineers History.

Meanwhile, not far away.. men from the 12th Engineers working party came under fire from this artillery barrage as it was walked across the land; back towards the British lines. They jumped into whatever cover they could find, much like their comrades in the 11th. Shell craters were plentiful, and despite the risk of gas exposure by jumping into a shell hole without looking first, it beat getting blown up.

Some of the men from the 11th Engr's work party managed to make their way back, both in the moments before the barrage was onto them, and before it got bad. Many of the men were hunkered down as close to the earth as they could get; trapped by deadly shelling. Another small group of men from the 11th were wounded by a shell and made their way to a British CCS (Casualty Clearing Station) for treatment. A Sgt had been wounded and they loaded him into an ambulance, shortly afterward a German plane came along and strafed the ambulance wounding him yet again. When the shelling lifted the men back at the work site cautiously rose make a quick exit for the rear, only to be met by the last of the fleeing British Infantry as they raced past. The lines had collapsed. Things were going from very bad, to very worse.

"Meanwhile the barrage around the station had lifted and the men in the shelters there came out to make a mad dash for the village only to find themselves either in the last line of the retreating British or already surrounded by Germans armed with everything, even to flame-throwers. Those who found themselves among the retreating British joined with them either taking rifles from fallen men or using the picks or shovels they they still had by them. Some of them fell mortally wounded." - 11th Engineers History.

Everywhere around them there was fighting, or flight; often both. Men fought to live, others fought in a hopeless situation to the death; some fought on in the hopes of sparing others the fate which seemed almost all but certain, fighting for time, which was a battle that was as lost as the great offensive now appeared to be. Wounded and dead infantry all around, artillerymen who had been valiant in their efforts to save their guns to fight another day, all were fighting or fleeing for their lives. Miles away in the 11th's camps were the M1903 Springfields they were told they wouldn't need. Bloody and broken enfields were all that they could find, and in some cases there weren't any within reach of men who desperately swung their tools as though they were fighting with swords and halbirds of centuries ago. Men were being killed, men were being captured; not just Britons but Americans too as they fought side by side.

"One six-horse hitch was blown to bits trying to get their gun away, while a nearby 18-pound battery made an heroic stand while the rest of the guns were saved. One of the captured men describes this phase of the fight as follows: The scenes which I witnessed while being searched and for the next few minutes were well worth seeing. If anyone who ever said that the British were 'yellow' could have seen them that day he would have changed his mind. A ragged skirmish line retreating before the oncoming German hordes. In the face of almost certain death they halted at every fifty yards or so, wheeled about, and fired a volley at the German front ranks. The Germans also knelt and returned fire, then the British retreated again to repeat the same performance at the end of a short run. But they had no chance. They had no reinforcements, their artillery did not know the range and was firing wide, the German barrage was always just in advance of them, and machine guns, strapped to one German's back and operated by another, had a deadly effect upon them. There were twenty or thirty airplanes marked with the black cross flying over head. These swooped down to within one hundred and fifty feet of the ground and poured a deadly hail of lead onto their ranks. Three British observation balloons came down in flames. I saw one man jump without a parachute." - 11th Engineers History.

 

By noon the situation was rapidly deteriorating. What had been confidence in victory only 24 hours before had been replaced by serious doubt that they would hold any of the land for which the offensive had now paid dearly for. Whole units were wiped down to only dozens of men by the German advance.

 

"Orders were received at Regimental Headquarters and at the Tincourt Camp to "stand to" under arms and be ready to move into the Line on a moment's notice. Armed patrols were furnished from Tincourt for reconnaissance duty on the ridges west of Villers Faucon. Arrangements were made and orders prepared for the immediate reinforcement of the British line wherever needed." - 12th Engineers History.

Men of the 11th Engineers after Cambrai. Note the M1910 equipment and SBR haversacks.

[RustyCanteen]

Some of the 11th men who had been closer to the pre-offensive lines, and thus made it back to their camp during the barrage which had continued rolling westward. There they were ordered to grab their rifles and ammunition and fall back to a safer position. Most of the 11th had no idea what was happening, and a telephone call by one of the officers who ordered the rifles issued caused alarm among those further from the line. Companies A,C,D, HQ, and part of company E were ordered to take arms and assemble in equipment if it became necessary to fight as infantry. Orders were issued to prepare to destroy supplies to deny them to the enemy.

 

Lt. McLoud tried to round up men who had become lost in the unfamiliar countryside during the barrage. He took charge of as many 11th men as he could find. along with several British and Canadians, and fell back. McLoud's men reached a group of infantry who had prepared to make a stand and spent the night with them. Meanwhile the rest of the 11th men were ordered to dig trenches as a desperate bid to hold their ground seemed likely. Most of the 11th men caught by the barrage eluded capture by lying low until nightfall. Some hid in shell holes, others on the railroad embankment; wherever they could. A German search party found one group in the dark, but knowing German the American replied that they were wounded Germans and the party left them alone and moved on. In small groups they managed to make it back to the British lines. The 11th lost 6 men killed in action, 13 men wounded, and 11 men captured by the Germans

 

The 12th had not been caught in the German advance for the most part, having been able to fall back to safer positions during the battle that took the lives of 6 of their comrades. One 12th private had been wounded by German machine gun fire while attempting to save his train, which had been caught in the advance. There is no evidence that any of the 11th's M1903s or the 12th's M1892-1898 'Krags' had to fire a shot, although one 12th man did try to bag some 'Dutch' that day and went ahead as far as he could to that end. It's possible someone in one of the patrols fired at something they thought was a German, but no action with the Krag is recorded for the 12th. Like the 11th, most of the men under fire were unarmed. This was the first real battle that units of the AEF participated in.

 

Although the majority of both the 11th and 12th Engineers experienced the deadly barrage, only a few had been caught without escape and fired on by German infantrymen. Nevertheless, when, once the campaign was officially credited to them, they had their Victory Medals, it was no easy day that earned them the right to be among the less than 3,000 who had the right to wear the 'Cambrai' clasp on their medals. The 'Fighting Engineers' became famous, for they had fought without weapons, using their own engineering tools to defy the Germans who advanced on top of their position. For the 11th and 12th, it was another day at war, and once they rejoined the AEF in early summer 1918 they had experienced war far in excess of what most of the American infantry had. The infantry had not long to wait, but that was their job; with a rifle in hand. The Engineers continued to fight their war, some days were easy compared to November 30th, some were just as bad. But that is enough for tonight. If anyone is interested I will see about continuing this for another installment.

 

There you have it, while some engineers were 'under fire', there is no proof the krag shot a German on that day or any other. It's very possible some were shot in the direction of the Germans, but there are no recorded skirmishes. Still, it is an impressive record for a rifle that was pulled out of service years before. Did the krag make it to battle? Yes, undoubtedly, it just never had the need to fire, thankfully for the men of the 12th; who were the only ones in position to fire it at the enemy. The krag rifles were exchanged for M1903 Springfields, seemingly in December of 1917, or January of 1918 since the unit history states that it was after the 'battle' of Cambrai. Certainly the M1903 had been received by the 12th by the end of February 1918. Thus ended the only battle at which the krag could have been a factor, although it is hard to imagine 2,000 men armed with only 200 rounds a piece using them for long before the British would have supplied enfields as they did later on..

 

The Krag's war did not end, and many continued to see use by guards and in training camps for the duration of the war. Remington-UMC continued to fill contracts for ammunition in 1917 and 1918.

 

RC

[RustyCanteen]

I hope this answers some questions. I apologize for typos, I adapted some of this from a project of mine.

 

RC

[world war I nerd]

Nicely Done R.C.!

 

Thanks for posting and for adding the information about the use of British PH Helmets early in the war by the AEF - A fact that I had never known.

[RustyCanteen]

Nicely Done R.C.!

 

Thanks for posting and for adding the information about the use of British PH Helmets early in the war by the AEF - A fact that I had never known.

 

Thank you. I was about to send you a PM letting you know about it. Glad you found it useful.

 

RC

[ADMIN]

WOW! A really really well organized and interesting unit history. I hope you will take the time to write more, as it was a wonderful read. Thank you!

[RustyCanteen]

Thank you ADMIN, these were the first men in battle and given the many intersecting things they did [the historic parade, the use if outdated equipment and rifles, etc] I thought that others might care to learn more about them.

 

RC

[cutiger83]

RC,

 

This is a very well written and interesting read. Nothing like pictures and well researched facts to prove your point.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write this.....Kat

[atb]

Image of US troops in London, 1917. Note Krags and old pattern equipment.

 

[Bugme]

That is an incredible read, I really enjoyed it and am leaving this page a more educated man!

[BOLO]

since they were still using the old Spanish American war era canteens, I would guess they also probably still used the old M1874 meat cans as well?

 

the Krag rifles were used for more than just stateside training, they were actually shipped out and carried during the early part of US involvement over there

[Pointedcuffs]

Great topic! Thank you.

[RustyCanteen]

RC,

 

This is a very well written and interesting read. Nothing like pictures and well researched facts to prove your point.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write this.....Kat

 

Hi Kat,

 

Thank you for the kind words.

 

RC

[RustyCanteen]

Image of US troops in London, 1917. Note Krags and old pattern equipment.

AEF London 1917.jpg

 

 

Hi atb,

 

Those should be men of the 12th or 17th Engineers.

 

That is an incredible read, I really enjoyed it and am leaving this page a more educated man!

 

Hi Bugme,

 

Thank you for the kind comments as well.

 

since they were still using the old Spanish American war era canteens, I would guess they also probably still used the old M1874 meat cans as well?

 

the Krag rifles were used for more than just stateside training, they were actually shipped out and carried during the early part of US involvement over there

 

 

Some units did carry the 1874 pattern cans, but others like the 14th used these: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/46686-round-meat-can-1890s/

 

The 11th Engineers were issued standard aluminum M1910 cans, and other associated equipment such at the 1910 canteen and cup, etc.

 

Great topic! Thank you.

 

Hi,

 

Glad you found it interesting!

 

RC

[RustyCanteen]

This image was posted by someone (sorry I don't remember the source).

 

[Charlie Flick]

RC:

 

An excellent discourse on the WW1 Krag. Thanks for doing this.

 

Here is an RPPC showing some Krags in training at a "US Army Cantonment", almost certainly stateside.

 

Regards,

Charlie

 

[RustyCanteen]

RC:

 

An excellent discourse on the WW1 Krag. Thanks for doing this.

 

Here is an RPPC showing some Krags in training at a "US Army Cantonment", almost certainly stateside.

 

Regards,

Charlie

 

Hello Charlie,

 

Thank you for the comments and for adding the RPPC showing the Krags. I may have a few more images to add if I can find them.

 

Regards,

RC