1918 Letter to Harry L. McClarran
This document is a letter from Frank Gerlach to Harry L. McClarran regarding Col. Gerlach's recent trip to Germany. The letter is dated December 12th, 1918 and is the sixty-eighth document in the Frank Gerlach file.
Transcription
Item #207
Quadeypre [sic], France.
Headquarters, 145th Infantry,
American E. F.,
12 December, 1918.
Mr. Harry L. McClarran,
Wooster, Ohio, U.S.A.
Dear Harry:
Your letter of November 21st at hand and was very glad to hear from you. I hope you received my letter giving full details of our activities during the war. It was written since the armistice. It is more of a pleasure now to write by reason that it is possible to give details that are of considerable interest.
I just completed a trip to Germany, which I must say was the most interesting and pleasing trip I have made since coming to France. It was a part of officers and men from the 91st Division and the 37th Division, the two American Divisions now in Belgium. There were twenty officers and two hundred men from each division, the colors of each regiment, with a guard with them. It was a trip that lasted five days, and was made in automobiles. We covered a greater part of northern and easter Belgium, and went into Germany at least twenty miles.
En route though Belgium it was just one round of applause. Every town was bedecked with flags and bunting and all sorts of evergreen decorations. Many triumphal arches were built on the road we traveled. The people greeted the Americans. We, of course, has flags on our autos and they were not slow in recognizing them, our flag being so different from any of the other nations; but when we crossed the boundary line into Germany it was just the opposite, there was no sign of enthusiasm or street decorations. Everybody was as calm as they could be. The people treated us quite courteously, and doffed their hats to all the officers, and quite frequently to the enlisted men.
I billeted in Aix-la-Chapelle over night, and was very nicely entertained by a German family. My German came in very useful, and I was able to converse with them quite well and learned a great deal about conditions in Germany.
I have written to Florence more in detail and I wish you would get in touch with the letter and look up the towns through which we traveled. It will give you an idea of the many important cities we saw. I will try and write you more in detail. Hoping you are in the best of health, I remain
Yours very truly,
Frank
Frank C. Gerlach,
Colonel, 145th U.S. Infantry,
American E. F.,
A. P. O. No. 763