12 September, 1917
As I write this, the enemy is shelling the trench I’m sitting in. The enemy has been
shelling us sporadically for the past several days. The enemy will shell us for several hours, then
stop and then resume the shelling later. Heavy shelling has left the area surrounding the trench
pock marked with craters. Rainwater has filled many of the craters. Everything is dirty from the
dirt that was kicked up from the explosions of the shells. Some sections of the barbed wire line in
front of the trench are mangled from explosions. The trench itself is left relatively unscathed with
the exception of places where shells landed nearby. Being in a trench keeps me and my fellow
men relatively safe during the shelling. Although, …show more content…
If you poke your head out, a sniper or
shell fragment could kill you. Every once in a while, a patrol will be sent out. I generally sign up
to break the boredom, unless it’s a particularly dangerous patrol. I have to say that I didn’t
anticipate this stalemate in trenches. I hope that the stalemate will break soon. Every so often,
there will be a rumor of a major offensive against the enemy. I hear of the Eastern Front, where
the fighting is mostly open and full of maneuver. I wish that my unit was sent to the Eastern
Front. At least I wouldn’t be sitting in a trench.
The overall morale is shaky. We are tired of the wet trenches. Our platoon leader often
sits with us and reassures us. He talks to us and does work with us to keep the men in good
spirits. He tells us many positive things to keep our spirits up. We have better morale knowing
that we at least have a good leader. One man has deserted from our unit. Another man attempted
to desert, but was caught and shot. The desertion has hurt our morale. I have become very
homesick in the past several weeks and I know you worry about me. This is why I am writing a
letter to you, my family. I hope you can worry less now that you know I am
As I write this, the enemy is shelling the trench I’m sitting in. The enemy has been
shelling us sporadically for the past several days. The enemy will shell us for several hours, then
stop and then resume the shelling later. Heavy shelling has left the area surrounding the trench
pock marked with craters. Rainwater has filled many of the craters. Everything is dirty from the
dirt that was kicked up from the explosions of the shells. Some sections of the barbed wire line in
front of the trench are mangled from explosions. The trench itself is left relatively unscathed with
the exception of places where shells landed nearby. Being in a trench keeps me and my fellow
men relatively safe during the shelling. Although, …show more content…
If you poke your head out, a sniper or
shell fragment could kill you. Every once in a while, a patrol will be sent out. I generally sign up
to break the boredom, unless it’s a particularly dangerous patrol. I have to say that I didn’t
anticipate this stalemate in trenches. I hope that the stalemate will break soon. Every so often,
there will be a rumor of a major offensive against the enemy. I hear of the Eastern Front, where
the fighting is mostly open and full of maneuver. I wish that my unit was sent to the Eastern
Front. At least I wouldn’t be sitting in a trench.
The overall morale is shaky. We are tired of the wet trenches. Our platoon leader often
sits with us and reassures us. He talks to us and does work with us to keep the men in good
spirits. He tells us many positive things to keep our spirits up. We have better morale knowing
that we at least have a good leader. One man has deserted from our unit. Another man attempted
to desert, but was caught and shot. The desertion has hurt our morale. I have become very
homesick in the past several weeks and I know you worry about me. This is why I am writing a
letter to you, my family. I hope you can worry less now that you know I am