Alsace

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On 18 May 1918 the first troops of the 32D Division (four battalions) were assigned to front line duty in Haute Alsace, as part of the 40th French Corps. The 1ST Battalion of the 125TH Infantry was the first of the first. Thus the 32D Division were the first U.S. troops to set foot on German soil (Alsace was part of Germany when the war started in 1914).

On the night of 21-22 May, the 3D Bn., 127TH Inf., command by Maj. Charles S. Buck, entered the trenches in the Alsace sector.

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On 24 May 1918 the Division suffered its first KIA in combat in France when Pvt. Joseph W. Guyton was killed. This also meant that he was the first U.S. Soldier to be KIA on German soil. Born in Evart Township, MI, on 10 Jun. 1889, he was assigned to Co. I, 126TH Inf.

Near midnight on 24 May, Guyton was a machine gunner at Petty Post 9, an observation post (OP), at the front line. He had been told to intermittently fire his machinegun toward the German trenches. After one of these bursts he was struck in the temple by a German machinegun burst and died instantly.

On 25 May, the commander of the French 9TH Infantry Division cited Pvt. Guyton in its orders and decorated him with the Croix de Guerre with silver star: “Divisional Order No. 297 General Gamelin, commanding the 9th Infantry Division, cites in the Divisional Order: The soldier, Joseph W. Guyton, of the 126th American Infantry Regiment, ‘on guard in the first line was killed by a machine gun bullet. He is the first soldier of the 32nd American Division to fall fighting for the cause of right and liberty on Alsacian soil, beside his French comrades.’” This meant that Pvt. Guyton the first 32D Div. Soldier to be decorated.

Pvt. Guyton’s comrades buried him in the cemetery of a nearby German church. He was repatriated in 1921. In May of that year, President Warren G. Harding placed a wreath on his flag-draped coffin during a ceremony for 5,000 repatriated American remains at the pier in Hoboken, NJ, where he said: “In the name of the republic, I bestow this tribute on the casket of the first soldier who perished on the soil of the enemy… I chose it because I am offering the tribute to the one returned whose death on enemy soil marked the day when our civilization went face forward and the assault on our present day civilization knew it had failed. May 24, 1918, is the date on which this soldier was killed, and the name is that of Joseph W. Guyton, Company I of the 126th Infantry, a resident patriot and hero of the State of Michigan of the United States of America.” After the ceremony, he was transported to his hometown of Evart, MI, where he was reinterred at Forest Hill Cemetery. Ten-thousand people turned out for his funeral in that tiny community on 5 Jun. The local VFW Post, a park, and a bridge were named in his honor.

On 25 May, Pvt. Joseph P. Dugan, Co. D, 125TH Inf., was KIA and became that regiment’s first combat casualty. Pvt. Dugan was from Taunton, MA and was assigned to the 32D Div. on 18 Apr. ’18.

On 27 May, the 127TH Inf. suffered its first combat casualty when Pvt. Kenneth E. Counter, from Alden, MN and assigned to Co. I, was killed.

Sgt. Charles E. Cunningham, from Grand Rapids, MI and assigned to Co. K, 126TH Inf., was also among the casualties of the 32D Division’s first days of combat. The circumstances are detailed in History of the 126TH Infantry in the War With Germany:

“About 4:30 o’clock in the morning of May 27th, the detachment from Company K designated to occupy the advance day position in P. P. 2 [Petty Post 2], was proceeding along the communicating trench to its post with Sergeant Charles E. Cunningham, the detachment commander, in the lead. As the detachment neared the day post, Sergeant Cunningham was separated from his detachment by some Germans, who were members of an enemy raiding party, and concealed in a recess in the trench. They attempted to make him prisoner, but Sergeant Cunningham opened fire on the enemy, who returned the fire, knocked him down and rushed along the trench. The first shot struck the sergeant in the chest, severely wounding him, but despite his wound, he climbed upon the parapet and, single-handed, attacked the enemy raiding party, fired six shots at them from his pistol and drove them off, but not before he had received two more gunshot wounds and fell unconscious in the trench. Sergeant Cunningham was immediately given first aid and taken to a hospital, but the wounds he received in this early morning encounter proved fatal, and he died on the afternoon of July 3, 1918.” (Gansser 70) [added 6 Jul. ’14, TPB]

Sgt. Cunningham earned the Distinguished Service Cross and the Croix de Guerre with silver star for his actions on 27 May. Maj. Gen. Haan, 32D Div. commander, presented the Croix de Guerre to Sgt. Cunningham while he was being treated for his wounds in a hospital, the DSC was bestowed posthumously. He was a member of the Michigan National Guard when it was mobilized on 15 Jul. ’17. More information about him and his medal can be found on the roster of DSC recipients. [added 6 Jul. ’14, TPB]

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from U.S. Official Pictures of the World War.
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Co. A, 125TH Inf., 32D Division, crossing the German frontier at Sentheim, Alsace, 29 May 1918.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photograph, from National Archives.
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Soldiers of Co. A, 128TH Inf., 32D Div. cleaning up St. Ultrich, Alsace, Germany on 4 June 1918.

Soldiers of Machine Gun Co., 127TH Inf., 32D Div. returning from duty in the trenches, Manspach, Alsace, Germany on 4 June 1918.

Rolling kitchen of Co. E & F, 128TH Inf., 32D Div. at Austerlitz, Alsace, Germany on 5 June 1918.

Pvt. J. P. Borchers, Co. B, 127TH Inf., 32D Div. on duty in OP in Gerspach Woods, near Altkirch, Alsace, Germany on 6 June 1918.

Medical Detachment, 127TH Inf., 2D Bn., 32D Div. at first aid station, Eglingen, Alsace, Germany on 6 June 1918.

Pvt. Albert V. Lems of 127TH Inf., 2D Bn., 32D Div. on duty in OP at Lock 25 on Canal at Eglingen, Alsace, Germany on 6 June 1918.

Soldiers of Co. B, 127TH Inf., 32D Div. carrying in mess to men in the trenches, Carspach Woods, Alsace, Germany on 7 June 1918.

On 9 June, Battery A fired the first shot of the war for the 120TH FA. Several days later the 120TH FA suffered its first casualty of the war when Pvt. Kenneth Head, from Battery B, was seriously wounded on 16 June.

By 15 June, eight battalions of the 32D Division were in the front line (the other four battalions were in support and would soon rotate into the front line). The Division’s sector of the front stretched 27 kilometers, from Aspach le Bas to the Swiss border. In the middle of June the 57TH Field Artillery Brigade joined the Division in Alsace and a few days later was firing in support of the infantry. The 107TH Engineers joined the Division about the same time, so that on 15 June 1918 the Division was practically complete, except for the shortage of about 2,000 enlisted men, mostly from the infantry. The 32D was sent here to complete its combat training in order to prepare to be sent to a more active sector in the future. This area was considered a quiet sector; no major combat activity was taking place in this area at this time. Aggressive patrols and raids were the normal activity here, patrols from both sides met and clashed in no man’s land almost nightly.

Gen. Pershing, Maj. Gen. Haan and Col. Laucagne, 9th (French) Division, at Sentheim, 20 June 1918.

Mrs. Maude Radford Warren and Charles Winner, Y. M. C. A. workers, with 32D Division Soldiers at Michelbach, Alsace, 22 June 1918.

Sgt. Charles Arnold Quick, Cpl. Mark A. Young and Pvt. Albert Ozro Lull, 126TH Inf., 32D Division, manning 37mm gun near Dieffmatten, Alsace, 25 June 1918. Sgt. Quick later earned the DSC.

Machine gunners from 126TH Inf., 32D Division, at Diefmatten, Alsace, 26 June 1918.

At about 0530 hours on 23 June, a group from 4TH Plt., Co. M, 126TH Inf., led by 1st Lt. Carl A. Johnson, was making its way through the trenches to occupy an advanced OP near Diefmatten, Alsace. Unbeknownst to them, a well-camouflaged German raiding party was lying in ambush on the parapet. The Germans opened fire and 1st Lt. Johnson was shot in the abdomen and fell seriously wounded. Sgt. Dewey F. Slocum, Cpl. John C. Phillips and Cpl. Newton Bell, who had been directly behind 1st Lt. Johnson, were suddenly surrounded, the rest of their patrol had been forced to withdraw to their previous position. They were able to hold off the enemy with rifle fire and grenades, inflicting at least four casualties. Eventually they were able to fight their way back and rejoin their comrades. Later, another group from Co. M moved forward to clear the trench. They found 1st Lt. Johnson’s body where he had fallen. He had been shot in the forehead as he lay wounded and his body was booby-trapped with grenades and other explosives. Sgt. Slocum and Cpl. Phillips, from Grand Rapids, MI, and Cpl. Bell, from Muses Mills, KY, earned the DSC for their actions on 23 June, Cpl. Bell’s was bestowed posthumously because he was later KIA on 10 Oct. More information about these three Soldiers and their medals can be found on the roster of DSC recipients. [added 20 Jan. ’14, TPB]

Early in July 1918, General Pershing inspected the 32D Division. Major General Haan expressed the opinion that his men would give a good account of themselves, and hoped that he would soon get orders to go to an active front. General Pershing replied, “I like the snap in your Division, and unless I am mistaken you will be on your way to a more active front in the very near future. Tell your men I like their spirit.”

Pvt. Leo R. Hahn, sniper, Intelligence Section, 127TH Inf., 32D Division, in trench at Benholz, Alsace, 1 July 1918.

Soldiers of Co. K, 127TH Inf., 32D Division, in trenches at Benholz, Alsace, 1 July 1918.

The night of 3 July, a 10-man ambuscade patrol from Scout Platoon, 1ST Battalion, 127TH Infantry, made their way toward the German lines Hagenbach, Alsace, a nightly occurrence. Second Lieutenant George M. Gerald, from Beloit, WI, was the patrol leader and the assistant patrol leader was Sgt. Herman Graskamp, from Sheboygan, WI. The patrol was forced to turn back prematurely, after it was caught in an artillery barrage. Three members of the patrol were captured by the Germans in the chaos, Cpl. Eugene Ramaker, from Sheboygan Falls, WI and WIA by the artillery fire, Pvt. William J. Bullock, from South Chicago, IL, and Pvt. Evelyn J. Smith, from Oroville, CA (all three were assigned to Co. C, 127TH Inf.). [added 29 Oct. ’15, TPB]

Lt. George M. Gerald was born in Jul. ‘96 at Sheboygan, WI. He enlisted as a Pvt. in Co. L, 1ST Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Beloit, WI and had been promoted to Sgt. by the time of the Mexican Border Crisis. He was commissioned at some point before being assigned to Co. D, 127TH Inf. when the 32D Div. was organized. He transferred to Scout Plt., 1ST Bn., 127TH Inf. He would be KIA on 31 Jul. ‘18 while leading his Scout Plt. near Sergy; he was struck in heart by machinegun bullet. He lies interred at the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and is also memorialized at Wildwood Cemetery, Sheboygan, WI. Two of his brothers also enlisted in Co. L, 1ST Wis. Inf. Brother Sgt. Charles J. Gerald served with Co. D, 127TH Inf. and was KIA on 4 Aug. ‘18. Brother Cpl. Arnold A. Gerald served with Co. D, 127TH Inf. and was severely WIA on 4 Aug. ‘18. When their mother passed away in Dec. ‘21, it was said she was “a war mother whose sacrifices are not believed to have been equaled by any other woman in the state.” [added 29 Oct. ’15, TPB]

Sgt. Herman Graskamp was born 21 Feb. ‘94 at Holland, WI. He enlisted in Co. C, 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Sheboygan, WI and had been promoted to Cpl. by the time of the Mexican Border Crisis. He was assigned to Co. C, 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized but transferred to Scout Plt., 1ST Bn., 127TH Inf. After the war he became Postmaster at Oostburg, WI and was also a Red Cross field worker. He moved to Presque Isle, WI in ‘40 and operated a resort until he moved to FL. He passed away 18 May ‘63 at West Palm Beach, FL. [added 29 Oct. ’15, TPB]

Cpl. Eugene Ramaker, born ca. ’97, was originally from Waukegan, IL, and had moved to Sheboygan Falls, WI at some point. He enlisted as a Pvt. in Co. C, 2D Wis. Inf., Wisconsin National Guard, at Sheboygan, WI in ‘16 and served during Mexican Border Crisis. He was assigned to Co. C, 127TH Inf. when 32D Div. was organized. On 30 Jul. ‘18 his family was notified he was MIA, but several weeks before the notification, the father had a premonition that his son had somehow been separated from his unit. It wasn’t until about 9 Oct. ‘18 that the family learned he was still alive but was a POW. [added 29 Oct. ’15, TPB]

Pvt. William J. Bullock was born 21 Jun. ‘91 at Milwaukee, WI. On 30 Jul. ‘18 his family was notified he was MIA. He passed away in Jan. ‘65. [added 29 Oct. ’15, TPB]

Sgt. Willard D. Purdy, from Marshfield, WI, a Soldier in Co. A, 127TH Inf., sacrificed his own life in order to save the lives of his Soldiers during a patrol near Hagenbach, Alsace, on 4 July 1918, and earned the DSC, bestowed posthumously, for his self-less act. Sgt. Purdy was a Soldier in the Wisconsin National Guard when it was mobilized on 15 Jul. ’17. More information about him and his medal can be found on the roster of DSC recipients.

Sgt. Donald Sisson McCandless, from Madison, WI, assigned to the 127TH Fld. Hosp., described 4 July in a letter home. “We had quite a celebration here the Fourth of July when the French soldiers and the people in a little town back from here a short distance helped us celebrate. In the morning the French and American troops put on a parade and then were reviewed by their respective generals; in the afternoon the Y. M. C. A. put on a vaudeville show in a temporary theater which had been erected for the occasion. The entertainers were mostly professionals from the U.S., who have come over here to help entertain us. It was mighty fine to see the enthusiasm which all our new friends manifested, and now day after tomorrow, July 14th, we are going to turn the trick and help the French celebrate their national holiday. Last night the men in this part of the line were entertained by Elsie Janis. She had made eight other stops during the day, so that she was nearly ‘all in,’ saying that we found her ‘at the end of a perfect day’. She sang several of our popular songs which she then rendered in French, much to the enjoyment of our numerous friends in blue uniforms.” [added 1 Jan. ’19, TPB]

Elsie Janis, ‘Sweetheart of the Army’ or ‘Sweetheart of the A.E.F.,’ was (according to some references) the biggest American star to entertain troops in France during WWI, under the auspices of the Over There Theatre League (a.k.a. Overseas Theatre League). [added 1 Jan. ’19, TPB]

Sgt. Donald S. McCandless was born in ‘95, originally from Davenport, IA. He was attending the University of Wis., Class of ’19, but withdrew from school to enlist in the Wisconsin National Guard at Madison, WI on 28 May ’17. He was assigned to the 2D Wis. Fld. Hosp., which became the 127TH Fld. Hosp. when the 32D Div. was organized. He was WIA by shrapnel during the Meuse-Argonne (some references state Oise-Aisne) while providing first aid to wounded soldiers under fire, but does not appear to have been decorated. He spent several months recovering from his wounds in various hospitals. He returned to complete his studies at the University of Wis., graduated in ’20 and later attended Harvard University. Married and father of 2; he worked in the insurance industry. He passed away in ‘82 and lies interred at Evergreen Cemetery, Barrington, IL. [added 1 Jan. ’19, TPB]

125TH Inf., 32D Division, passing through Massevaux, Alsace, 14 July 1918.

On 12 July Col. Russell C. Langdon assumed command of the 127TH Inf. from Col. Wilbur M. Lee.

On 19 July the Division began to pull out of Alsace, bound for a different sector of the front. There had been three German divisions, the 30th Bavarian Reserve Division, the 44th Landwehr and the 25th Landwehr, in the trenches opposite the 32D Division in the Alsace sector. The Division suffered 440 losses from all causes, including: 1 officer and 39 men KIA; 3 officers and 79 men severely WIA; 9 officers and 211 men slightly WIA; 7 officers and 67 men gassed; 1 officer and 15 men DW; and 8 were taken POW (8 German prisoners were captured).

The Division would move by rail to its next area of operations. “Loading began at 1:00 p.m. on July 22 and the first train left at 5:00 p.m. Thereafter every four hours day and night for 48 hours a train departed and usually on time. (Garlock, 70)” Fifty trains were needed to move the Division, each train consisted of 49 or 50 cars. The standard French military train included 17 flatcars, 30 boxcars, 1 coach, and 1 or 2 cabooses. The boxcars were the storied ‘40 Hommes et 8 Chevaux,’ ‘40 men or 8 horses,’ often referred to simply as ‘Forty and Eight’ or 40/8 cars. The last train departed at 5:00 p.m. on 24 Jul., the trip to Verberie, about 50 miles east of Château-Thierry, lasted 32 hours. From there the Division was disbursed around the area of Compiegne, to await a motor march to Château-Thierry. [added 31 Jan. ’16, TPB]