German General Erich Ludendorff
German General Erich Ludendorff
THE BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE was a sad finale for 1917. The Allies were apprehensive in early 1918 as they realized that they would likely soon be facing a crisis. They were aware that, throughout the winter, the Germans had been transferring troops from the east to the west. By mid-February they had 178 divisions in the Western Front as compared to the Allies’ 173. Military authorities who remembered those unsuccessful offensives when the odds had been three-to-two in the Allies’ favour didn’t wish to think about the possibility of a German conquest with lesser odds.
There had been a continuous debate between the British and the French about the consolidation of the Allied leadership. During a conference of British and French political and military leaders on 26 March 1918 in Doullens, Field Marshal Haig said that he would accept General Foch as the leader. Foch was promptly promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies.
It was on 21 March, a few miles west of St Quentin, that the Germans launched their first major offensive against the British. At 4:40 a.m., the artillery began the biggest barrage of the entire war, and hit targets over 150 square miles. It had not been a complete surprise, but the size of the attack had not been expected. A dense fog aided the enemy, and allowed their storm troopers, who were leading the attack, to penetrate, undetected, deep into British territory. Early on the first day, the Germans were able to push through the British lines in a number of places, and the British were forced to retreat. As distances were considerable and much of the British territory was not strategically significant, the German infantry became exhausted and had increasing difficulty moving forward. Their advance faltered, and fresh British troops were sent in to strengthen the defence. The Germans eventually gave up. Important strategic positions in Amiens and Arras remained secure, but the Allies lost 255,000 men.
Less than a month later, on 9 April, the Germans attacked near the border of Flanders. They overran both the British and the less-prepared Portuguese defenders. There was considerable concern that in a week they could advance another fifteen miles to the channel ports. Once again the Germans faced technical problems in moving forward, and counterattacks by the Allies stopped them in their tracks. The second offensive was over on 29 April, after only three weeks.
On 27 May, the Germans tried again, this time not too far from Paris, between Soissons and Rheims. Six tired and depleted British divisions and an inept French army attempted to resist, but the Germans managed to reach the Marne River. Fortunately, some fresh US infantry recruits, along with some Senegalese sharpshooters curtailed the enemy advance. Then, in July, a German division from Rheims did manage to cross the Marne, but were intercepted by a major French offensive and forced to evacuate. This final evacuation not only ended the German’s third offensive, but also led to the cancellation of their much-heralded final attack in Flanders.
Despite large territorial gains, the German spring offensive was a bitter failure for them. They were now in a number of exposed positions, and their divisions were exhausted and depleted. The British, on the other hand, had been seriously wounded, but were far from broken.
The Canadian Corps, with their able commander, General Currie, were viewed as having one of the strongest divisions in the Western Front. They had fortunately escaped the heavy fighting during the German offensive, and were manning seven miles of the Front, from Hill 70 and Lens in the north to the Avion-Mercourt sector in the south. That Front had become particularly important, as the collieries behind Lens and Vimy were the only ones left that remained accessible to the Germans in the north.
3rd Canadian General Hospital APO3 11 February 1918
My dear parents,
I hope that my long treatise addressed to Etienne from Paris wasn’t sunk in the Andania. We have just learned that a certain number of letters had sunk with this ship, which left England a few days after I wrote to you.
I hope that Mom didn’t go too far in interrupting Jacques’s invitations. In ten years it will be of no use for him to have been the first or the tenth of his class, but the relations and the friendships that he will have made will be with him for the rest of his life. If my current life doesn’t bring me great joy, it at least doesn’t present any deceptions and regrets. I am satisfied with little; all I need is two or three good friends, but I don’t think that I will ever be perfectly happy, like most other people. Philippe’s death has certainly been very painful, but it seems to me that sometimes, as a brother, I should have felt it more deeply.
Please don’t give me a speech on religion. I like a good service, but, on the other hand, I hate to receive a sermon in a letter. I believe in all the essential doctrines of the Christian religion, and I try to confirm them in my life. I don’t know if I should have digressed to this extent. It was suggested by Mom’s comments on Jacques, about whom I would like my experience to be useful.
It seems to me that Etienne was right not to accept a job where he would have been a subordinate to an unpleasant officer. I was telling him that the last review board classed me “B3” (clerical duties on L of C) because of my eyesight; so, here I am in Boulogne forever, but it’s nice meanwhile to be in Paris on my leave.
Bertrand invited me to a very posh restaurant with cousin Louisette. Apparently his business is going very well. I met with the Dalements, who are in the magnetic-tape business, which is also booming. In fact everyone in France seems to be doing well, except for the clergymen, professors, and other civil servants. Everything is very expensive; Hachette is saying that book prices are up 70 per cent since 1 January 1918! The vignerons are making a killing. I was told that a proprietor, who before the war was breaking even, had made a profit of 900,000 francs! It’s true that wine is selling at 1.65 F/litre. The Peyrans have found a good buyer for their property. It’s the same story in industry, where a worker can earn up to 50 francs a day, and an eighteen-year-old boy often in excess of 20 francs. You can imagine that the bosses are also doing well.
I was able to get both a sugar and a bread token on my last day. In Paris, gasoline is also restricted, but with these exceptions, everything is available. In the best restaurants, nothing has changed except that cakes and pastries are unavailable.
I dropped in to Jeanne’s, and found her busier than ever. On top of her Sunday schools and Thursday sessions, she is the link between the American YMCAs and the Girls Colleges. The Americans that want to do it well are installing restaurants, nurseries, etc. within the munition factories in France. Mrs. Sautter, with the help of the American YMCA, is putting together fifteen hundred Soldier Homes.
On the last day, Maurice, who was on leave, arrived. He’s feeling much better and expects to return soon to the Tractor Corps at the Front. I found the situation in Boulogne to be particularly calm on my return.
Jean
FEBRUARY BROUGHT André’s third leave to Neuilly.—(BB)
3 March 1918
My dear parents,
Here I am back at work, after a leave at Oncle Charles’s. I want first of all to thank Mom for the package of cigarettes and prunes that arrived while I was away on leave, and, not unlike the good and ancient customs of the army, was opened in my absence. They left me a package of cigarettes, and they all asked me where the prunes came from ... we are asking for more!
And now, during my leave: I leave here after breakfast on a tiny train like the one at Lion-sur-Mer, that drops me off at a more important station, where I catch a somewhat faster train that gets me to Paris at nine o’clock in the evening. The big army car drives us directly to the barracks, where they stamp the permit and where we are given varying advice about what to do or not to do. Then we get back into the cars and are taken to any one of the hotels recommended by the YMCA. I go to the Leave Club, a modern hotel on the Place de la Republique. An excellent dinner is awaiting us, served by French and English ladies living in Paris. It was, in fact, where Philippe had spent a part of his last leave. A clean bed, with lovely white sheets, is waiting for us upstairs, for the bargain price of two francs fifty! The next day I wake up with a cold, just like all the other soldiers on leave that come to Paris! It’s a very damp city. That doesn’t prevent me from having a good breakfast and going to find Tante Julia’s office, which I locate without any trouble, but unfortunately no aunt: it’s the morning when she doesn’t come in. So I go to bed early, feeling a bit asthmatic. On Sunday, after breakfast, I arrive in time for church in Neuilly.
I was too early, and I was waiting near the gate when I see advancing towards me a handsome officer in sky-blue uniform. It was Guy, who wasn’t quite an officer, but had the right to wear the uniform. Oncle Charles wasn’t preaching, as he had exchanged places with another, but it was all the same pleasant to hear the hymns and a sermon in perfect French.
I enjoyed seeing Louisette: we planned a little restaurant lunch with Tante Julia. We then roamed along the grands boulevards and had some tea without cakes (restricted in wartime). We said goodbye and hoped to see each other again during the next leave.
I’m running out of time, and I’m having some memory lapses. I’ll tell you more the next time. All goes well here. I have been promoted to sergeant, and I have been transferred to the Canadian Headquarters, which means that I will no longer see the “Pats,” which doesn’t displease me.
André
14 March 1918
My dear parents,
As I told you in my last letter, I am now a sergeant, and I receive $1.70 per day. That’s a tidy little sum, and it will be useful after the war. I therefore no longer need the cash that was so useful when I was in the battalion. We are working as hard as ever, but I’m able to exercise more regularly. My drawing has improved a lot. I can now do all the work that is undertaken here: it’s a wonderful situation, and that could be useful if I wanted to continue for a while after the war.
I’m very grateful to Jacques for his brief but interesting note. He’s lucky to be going to such an enterprising school as Westmount High.
I hope that Mom is not wearing herself out with her lectures and that her funds aren’t only for the Belgians; the French have played a bigger role. I will ask Jacques to do me a favour at Hughes Owen in St James Street. I need him to buy me two “Pazent Pens,” No. 4 and No. 6. I’m attaching a cheque that I believe should cover the expense.
André
A formal portrait of the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadians, Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Currie, on his charger
17 April 1918
My dear mother,
At lunch yesterday there was a Belgian lieutenant, a French corporal, Maurice, a Canadian sergeant, and Oncle Henri. It was a pleasant moment with a conversation mostly about the war, where we each perceived some small differences. After lunch, someone suggested that we sing, and after that we played board games.
Everyone is quite optimistic here; we feel the end of the war in these huge battles. I think that we will all be together once again by Christmas perhaps (not all together, as we will be missing one forever).
The work continues to be interesting. The other day I was working in General Currie’s room. I knock on the door and he opens the door himself, and after I had explained who I was, he shows me the work to be done.
André
Les Colombettes, 13 March 1918
My dear boys,
Today, I will have some unexpected tasks, because the military authorities are taking over our college to turn it into a convalescent hospital. You will be amused to know that I will move into a bathroom in Divinity Hall. That is called a war measure.
I spent one Saturday in Toronto to pacify the Swiss Society, which has become divided into two irreconcilable parts: the success has unfortunately only been temporary.
On 4 March I had to go to New York, where I was asked to replace my principal at the congress of the Religious Education Association. Then, following a call from Washington, I took the night train to go and see the head of the information office at the French Embassy. It is, in fact, possible that I will spend a part of the summer giving lectures as a representative of the French Protestant churches in the US. It is now being organized: please don’t speak to anyone about it for the moment. It seemed very strange to find myself one moment in an official French office, to see officers in skyblue uniforms or in khaki, as those who instruct the American troops have adopted the local colour, and to hear once again the voices of the banks of the Seine. I then went to give my respects to the new Swiss minister, Dr Sulzer, of the famous Sulzer Company in Winterthur.
Charles
Les Colombettes, 10 April 1918
My dear boys,
Those who have lived in the west and who have met only Italians and Germans, think that it’s normal for the Canadians to give up their fathers’ language.
But you will no doubt find that these are pretty pointless discussions at a time when there are more serious questions to be dealt with. However, things are quite tense in Quebec, and we should not embitter them further in order to soothe other Canadian citizens.
We are following the events of the Great War with considerable interest and wish to be persuaded that General Foch is making the right decisions with regard to this huge campaign.
The “daily saving system” is to be introduced here, and people are realizing that, no matter how small a country is, it should adhere to the principle. In the restaurants, even at the Windsor, both bread and sugar is rationed.
Charles
Les Colombettes, 19 April 1918
My dear boys,
The French High Commissioner in Washington has contacted Dad and told him that the Paris Protestant Committee has confirmed that they would like him to lead a delegation to the US to do a three-month tour. The Montreal Protestant Church, who had wanted to send him to a church in Saskatoon, has given him leave. He is completing in haste his role as registrar, and is preparing three different lectures: “French Reforms in the Modern Era” – “The Two German Invasions” (the 1914 and 1918 battles of the Marne) – “Faith and War in France.” He will only have time to pack his bags, as he has promised to be in Chicago on 9 May.
I have had a series of approaches and telephone conversations with regard to our organizing the raising of funds in Canada for the reconstruction after the war of Protestant churches and vicarages that had been destroyed in France and Belgium.
Blanche
ANDRÉ WAS ENJOYING many pleasant interludes, but if the troops gained ground by the battles that marked the last hundred days of the war, it was necessary for the topographers to be constantly ahead of them, and furnish the necessary maps. The normal day went from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but when there was greater pressure, they worked a part of the night, with cups of black coffee to stay awake. For a while, André was in charge of a quite interesting project. It consisted of bringing up to date, based on the most recent correspondence and the latest aerial photographs, all of General Currie’s military maps. He needed to mark the advances and retreats of the Canadian troops so that the general could plan the critical battle strategies. Every morning, he entered this sacred tent and sat at the great table, surrounded by the intimate details of the general’s life: huge slippers, family pictures here and there, favourite books and newspapers.
Unfortunately, the topographers weren’t always close to the headquarters. Once, when they were quite far away, André, after having worked very late, received the order to go immediately by motorcycle to carry very urgent maps to the high command. The driver, an unreliable person, drinker, and show-off, was sleeping and refused to move. André insisted, and the other eventually obeyed. Having decided to take revenge, the guy takes off at a great speed over impossible roads full of potholes, trying to provoke some sort of accident. André, frightened to death, grips his briefcase and finally arrives without any broken bones.—(BB)
YMCA, April 1918
My dear father,
We continue to be quite busy, but the work is interesting, and time flies by. Thanks for Phil’s photo; it’s a good one and, as you can see, he had changed dramatically since he was in France. The last photo taken here was clearly the best. I would have very much liked to attend to the grave for his birthday, but at the present time, it’s impossible. I’m already looking forward to my next leave, where I will be able to see Etienne, but that’s still a long way off!
At least, I feel that I haven’t been completely wasting my time. My drawing has certainly progressed a lot. That will always be useful after the war! All your projects interest me considerably. Jacques, who becomes a summer farmer, and Dad giving lectures! I hope that it won’t be too tiring and that you will benefit from all the modern comforts during your trips.
We have loved your parcel No C; the cake was really delicious, and absolutely fresh. One would have thought that it had just been made. Everyone voted that it was the best tea this year. The sugar is just right and I have enough for some time.
André
30 April 1918
My dear mother,
It makes us feel good to receive and taste from time to time things that come from home. In France, at the moment, one only buys what’s necessary, and even the civilians have recently had trouble finding bread.
I went to see Nicholson at his battalion. His brother has recently lost his arm; he hopes to see him during his next leave. He sends you his best regards. I hope to see Bulmer Rutherford soon. I wonder if you ever see Maclean’s magazine; there are often pen-and-ink drawings of places we frequent. They are drawn by one of my friends here in this section. He’s a particularly talented artist.
Our mess is in a private house. Going in morning, midday, and evening, one gets a bit of a view of family life, with the husband wounded at Salonica and the baby sick. Life is not easy!
I’m pretty undecided about my future after the war. Architecture might well be a dead profession for quite a long time. If Dad meets architects in one of his numerous activities, I would like him to seek their advice. However naval architecture will certainly become very important. Do you remember when the secretary of Vickers offered me an apprenticeship there? It might have been a good idea to accept. The years are going by, and one will have to make a big effort to find a job when everyone is returning to the country at the same time.
André
4 June 1918
My dear mother,
A lot has happened around here since my last letter. We must hope that it won’t delay too much the big reunion of our family, dispersed in the four corners of the world.
I really feel as though I’m on holiday during the good weather at 16 Island Lake, except that there isn’t a lake! Three of us have a tent in the woods of a magnificent château belonging to a former French count. At seven in the morning we get up and do a half-hour of gymnastics with an excellent instructor, then we have breakfast, followed by a little work and a game of tennis, baseball, or volleyball (a new game, half tennis, half basketball). After lunch, it starts all over again – games, walks: in conclusion, I have never done so much sport in my whole life! We also bathe in an outdoor swimming pool, fed with pure, clear water from a nearby spring.
I went to see Bulmer Rutherford the other day, and he gave me the news from all of Westmount. He sends you his best wishes. I received Jacques’s package with the Pozent pen, which was an enormous success here. We will try to get the government to buy us some.
I had a visit yesterday by a friend of Jean’s, and I was very pleased to have news from Boulogne. He seemed to like Jean a lot.
André
Les Colombettes, 5 May 1918
My dear boys,
I gave a little lecture in Châteaugay, and then stretched out and spent the night there. I came back feeling great. Tomorrow night I need to say a few words at a concert in Victoria Hall, organized by Erskine’s organist. It would amuse you to see a poster on the corner of Greene Avenue: “For Miss d’Aubigné’s war relief: Mrs. Charles Bieler will give an address”! Fortunately, the energetic Mrs. Russell Murray took everything in hand, and all I had to do was to say a few words during the intermission.
It seems that the Americans don’t allow parcels to accompany soldiers’ letters. As soon as you can confirm the safe arrival of the cakes, in the absence of the maternal oven, I will try to find something else to send you! Jean made the generous remark that one should first of all think of those who are less well fed than him. That’s a good rule, but if one helps the “poilus” and the prisoners, we have the right to also send a surprise to our dearest soldiers, don’t you think? If I go to the land of sugar, I should be allowed to send you some, without displeasing Dr. Raymond! The shippers are in difficulty only in Montreal where we can only ship one parcel at a time. So, with these tasty thoughts, I hug you gently and remain your affectionate mother.
Blanche
La Clairière, 24 July 1918
My dear boys,
And then there’s the newspaper that one devours if the news is good, although the huge headlines don’t succeed in fooling us, like they do for these wonderful Americans! “YANKS TAKE 20 TOWNS,” the text itself, more exactly, shows how the French, helped by the ambulance men, have taken some twenty villages or hamlets. A little further it’s “AMERICANS TURN THE TIDE OF VICTORY,” and in fact, it’s a story about a brilliant move by Foch! What big children these nephews of Uncle Sam are! There are, however, some more reasonable people who read the sober New York Times, who even shake their heads or smile ironically at the exaggerations of Wilson’s European admirers, this great talker who could after all only be a little great man!
I won’t summarize Dad’s news, as I believe that he is keeping you up to date on his travels. He just sent me a package of newspaper cuttings that show how much he is understood and appreciated. I don’t know if the American optimism is generated by him, but in any case the headlines about his talks are very positive: “Great Victory for Allies, Noted Theologian Expects.” And in fact the newspapers are not denying his statements.
Blanche
BY MID-1918, THE ALLIES’ OPTIMISM GREW DAILY, but a new threat then appeared. The influenza epidemic was spreading around the world. It had reached the Western Front, where it was to cost the British forces over a hundred thousand casualties. The inadequate diet of the Germans resulted in an even greater number of sufferers on their side. It is likely that this had also contributed to their decision to cancel their major Flanders strategy.
