Lewis war diary, August 1917-March 1919 / James Ray Lewis - Page 96
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[Page 96]
a deep cutting to enter the town from Amiens. Near the cutting is a deep quarry. In April Fritz advanced so quickly to Brettoneux that the people left their breakfasts on the table and fled.
After he had taken the town, his men had become disorganised, and got down into the wine cellars where they became some more disorganised. Then the British shelled the town with gas; of course the Vin Blanc made them far too stupid and brave to be afraid of the British gas. When our men attacked in April and drove him out many Fritzs were found dead in the cellars and they are rotting there still, as the town is dangerous to work in. On the edges of the towns are german tin hats and other oddments scattered about, along with dud shells and other waste and rubbish of war.
Our papers made as light as possible of the March retreat, but it fairly broke the men up especially the old hands, who were disgusted with the whole buisness, and many declared we would never beat him, a few tried to be optimistic. Men declared there was something wrong up above, his organisation was better than ours or something. Some blamed the tommies. For he took 900 guns 250,000 men big stores, and he advanced in 3 days over that which took 3 months to take, even our wounded