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{
    "localId": "17343226",
    "label": "The Memoirs of Sergeant Verne Chaney",
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    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/17343226"
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{
    "id": "17343226",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/17343226",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "The Memoirs of Sergeant Verne Chaney",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/17343226",
    "collections": [
        "Verne E. Chaney Papers",
        "Subject Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972",
        "Spina, Frank E., 1887-1972",
        "Klemm, Karl D., 1880-",
        "Wooldridge, Glenwood F., 1893-1977",
        "Pershing, John J. (John Joseph), 1860-1948",
        "Thacher, John H., 1872-1960",
        "Miles, John L., 1878-1961",
        "Soldiers",
        "World War, 1914-1918",
        "Artillery"
    ],
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    "productionDates": [
        {
            "logicalDate": "1919-01-01",
            "year": 1919
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{
    "seq": 35,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/26/3432/17343226/content/presidential-libraries/truman/648564/hst-vec-naid7453017-35.jpg",
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    "ocrText": "35\nAbout three hundred yards down the road from our position was a Hun\nbattery being operated by men of the 129th. It was fired as long as their\nammunition lasted.\nAside from raining, barrages, aerial activity, interrupted sleep,\nirregular eating, being fired upon but missed, we spent over six days on the\nrock road firing at an elevation as high as 39° 99During our stay here the\nfirst battalion moved ahead of us and had about seventy five casualties in\nkilled, wounded and gassed.100 We were fortunate, in our position, we had\nshells fall in front and behind us, we had gas alarms most every night but\nbeing on the crest of a hill we were were comparatively safe. All during the\nday of Oct.3rd our infantry came marching past us on their way to the rear,\nbeing relieved by the 1st Division. They were tired, ragged, muddy and with\nsunken cheeks showing many sleepless night and nerve racking\nexperiences. 101\nIn the afternoon of the 3rd we were again machined gunned by\nabout ten Boche planes. We even shot at them with rifles, picked up from\nTRUMA\nARCHIVES& \"INATIONAL RECORDS\nEs GOVERNINET ADMIN\n99\nThe design elevation of the French 75mm was 19 degrees. The elevation was good for a field gun,\nbut not adequate for plunging fire or in hilly terrain. Trail holes helped compensate for the deficiency.\n100\nIn 1918 the organization of an American artillery regiment was, section (1 gun), platoon (2 guns),\nbattery (4 guns), battalion (12 guns). An artillery regiment contained a total of six batteries.\n75mm\nfiengunsandonelbatteryoi55mm field guns. Sergeant Chaney is referring to the first battalion or\n\"A,B,ACC\"\nB\" batteries. Sergeant Chaney's battery was in the second battalion\nbatteries. Regiments\nwere commanded by a Colonel, battalions by a Major, batteries by a Captain, platoons by a Lieutenant, section\nby a Sergeant. The gun was fired by a Corporal.\n101\nThe First Division was a regular army division and the first United States division in France.\nComprised of regular army troops, it saw more time in the line than any other United States division. The 1st\nhad no shoulder patch in World War One, but in Word War Two it became famous as the \"Big Red One.' The\nsic\n35th had advanced so rapidly that the flanking divisions, who were meeting substantially greater resistance could\nnot keep flank contact. This exposed the 35th's flanks to the heavy German fire. The Germans guns punished\n1\nthe 35th badly requiring it be relieved by the 1st Division. The 35th suffered 1298 killed and 5998 wounded\noverall in France. The 35th fought well, but not smart, and paid the price ignorance usually extracts."
}