Sgt. Edmund Bradley Tells of Fight to Break Hindenburg Line, 1918

From the Hickory Daily Record, Dec. 21, 1918

Sergeant Bradley Tells of Big Fight

Sergt. Edmund H. Bradley has written his father, Mr. J.D. Bradley of Rutherford College under date of November 24 a long and rather stirring account of his activities in France along about the time the Hun was being put out of business, and just before the war closed the young man was sent to school to receive training for an officer. It was “dad’s” day when the young soldier wrote, and he sent a cheering message to the father at home. The Record is permitted to make extracts from the letter.

After reciting various incidents from May 11 when his ship sailed from Philadelphia, the writer takes us rapidly to the Belgian frontier, being the first Yankee troops to enter that country, and he heard that King Albert was going to give all the boys a memento of some kind. On the morning of September 9 Sergeant Bradley was in the push that began in front of Bellecourt, and that broke the Hindenburg line between Cambrai and St. Quentin. The enemy was pushed back about 30 miles here. He did not attempt to describe the fighting, but told of the preparations for it, the great illumination, the rattle of machine guns and the roar of the heavies as both sides sent big shells against the other. That was hard work, and occasionally the men would be compelled to dive for shell holes to prevent a strafing. When the time for attack began, all the noise in the world was concentrated, it seemed, on that one front, and the boys went over the top.

Sergeant Bradley told of a raid by a platoon that proved disastrous and a rescue party by his platoon. The platoon moved up and placed its guns and the enemy seemed to be fighting the Yankees from front and rear. No counter attack developed and the next morning the Americans again went over the top and continued going.

Sergeant Bradley left his company here and was sent to a school, where 17,000 other boys were learning new tricks. He had just begun his training when the war ended.

The young man told his father that he feels that prayers had much to do with saving his life.