World War I: A Soldier's Diary - Essay Example

Our aerial balloon scouts have told us that there are artillery proof trenches and concrete machine-gun emplacements, which is never a good thing. But mark my words, this will not be another Somme, Major General Currie is too smart for those Kraut bastards. Our division and the rest of the Canadian Corps have created miles of tunnels so their artillery shells will not reach us before we are prepared and organized for attack. The hard part is the waiting. We were playing euchre tonight and John from Edmonton couldn't keep his hands steady enough to hold his cards.

I can't say I blame him, he just found out that his wife had a baby boy and children need fathers. But the bastard cost me a pack of smokes because everyone else could see his cards. As the battle looms, I am having a tough time sleeping. My dreams drift back to "No Man's Land," there is no escape from this war. Water is scarce, I haven't shaved in weeks and I forget what dry socks feel like. There are more rats than there is food rationswhat a way to spend Easter Prime Minister Borden ("Mobilization" 1).

I have never seen anything like what I witnessed today. It is a miracle that I am alive. We had God on our side. I have been up since before dawn and I don't know if I will ever sleep again. It was a haze of blood, mud and pain and I will do it again in a few hours. I think Jenny and the girls back home have been doing a great job at the munitions factory because we are giving these Krauts one hell of a fight. It was freezing cold today and rainingI still can't feel my feet and I am afraid to look at them.

The thing is, I think the weather was on our side today. Major General Currie had a tremendous plan. Over 1,100 cannons were either mounted on railway cars, or moved by horses just behind our lines. These cannons fired continuously and provided a screen for us. When the shells landed, there was mud everywhere, Jerry couldn't see us, but we couldn't see anything at all. The artillery advanced every few minutes and if the soldiers didn't keep up, the Krauts up on the ridge had target practice. But if we went too fast our own artillery would get us (Graves 1).

So many died, I would guess hundreds, probably thousands. Field ambulances couldn't handle all the bodies. They like everyone else, seemed overwhelmed, I don't think anyone was prepared for today. For a bunch of civilians with very little training I am proud of our division ("Mobilization" 1).This place is destroyed. I could have only dreamed of this area back home, the rolling hills and small townsnow it is the worst place one earth. I just can't help thinking that tomorrow could be my last day.

Major Jeff Robinson1st Canadian DivisionVimy Ridge, France April 17th, 1917My leg is killing me. I took some shrapnel on my left shin, but I am one of the lucky ones. The doc and nurses say I will be fine, which is more than I can say for most of the guys around herethey're dropping like flies. I just hope I don't get the "green" and they get me the hell back to Calgary. I still am kind of shocked that we took the ridge. Four days of fighting and John from Edmonton says that we took most of it on the first day (Graves 1).

To be honest, it is all a blur to me right now, and I can only hope it stays that way.I am one of the lucky ones. A nurse told me that many are still unaccounted for. She said that there are so