France Trench raider

[Chris Boonzaier]

A document with a great citation...

Read here for a description of the action...

http://www.kaiserscross.com/40029/180901.html

[Bison]

Yes, this kind of document are always very interesting... and we hardly imagine this kind of actions nowadays.

I also proposed the same kind of citation in another post :

"-24th Infantry Division-

Is mentioned to the division level (silver star) :

Private DELOMENIE Jean

ID Nr 2060

C.H.R (special Company) of the 126 Infantry Regiment

Very good soldier, brave and courageous.

The 24th October 1918 during a raid, he was tasked to clean the enemy trenches and shelters. He completed its mission with much entrain, contributing to capture number of prisoners"

I display with it a French trench knive, model 1916, often known as "le vengeur". This one is marked "Le Chinois"-"Bourgade" and you can see the chinese head on it.

On your document, the soldier was also appointed to the C.H.R. which stands for "Compagnie Hors Rang", we could translate as a special company in which the trenc raiders were...

[peter monahan]

Nice one, Chris! As you say, the level of violence recorded and implied by the description is unlike anything in modern (post WWI) warfare, except in rare cases.

I've just started looking at the WWI stuff again, while tracking down the career of a great-uncle who served with the Canadians in 1918. He went into the trenches in March 1918, just after an Allied attack which cost his unit 85% casualties, and was invalided out (to England) on 1 November 1918 just before another attack, which again cost the battalion 75-85% casualties. And, incredibly, there were 120 or so of the original 1200 who served 4 years and marched into Germany at the end. In World War II a unit with 40-50% losses would have been pulled out of action. These guys got a week or two in a "quiet sector" in support then went back into the front line with reinforcement drafts. Mind boggling! :speechless1:

[Chris Boonzaier]

Yes, this kind of document are always very interesting... and we hardly imagine this kind of actions nowadays.

I also proposed the same kind of citation in another post :

On your document, the soldier was also appointed to the C.H.R. which stands for "Compagnie Hors Rang", we could translate as a special company in which the trenc raiders were...

That is a superb one indeed!

What a pity it is in the wrong collection!! ;-)

I more and more begin to think the CdG certificates are the greatest collecting field out there!