During the carnage of World War I, ambulance companies were essential, carrying casualties off the battlefield on litters, dressing wounds, and rushing the wounded to the rear, often amid intense fire and poison gas. As part of the 26th "Yankee" Division--the first full American division to arrive in France in 1917--the 102nd Ambulance Company spent 193 days at the front and carried more than 20,000 men in its ambulances. Based on the company diary of Sergeant Leslie R. Barlow and letters by other company members, this narrative follows the unit through its inception in Bridgeport, Connecticut, its National Guard training, passage overseas, and winter of adjustment in France; describes its contribution to British trench fever experiments and role in disinfesting the division of "cooties"; and offers vivid descriptions of its combat experiences in five sectors between February and November 1918. The work is heavily illustrated with photographs of the company and includes a detailed roster.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Developing an Ambulance Service
2. Forming the 102nd Ambulance Company: March–September 1917
3. To France: October 1917
4. A Winter of Training: November 1917–January 1918
5. Under Fire on the Chemin des Dames: February–March 1918
6. Running Dead Man's Curve: April–June 1918
7. Forward from Belleau: July 1918
8. Off the Line: August 1918
9. Luggin' Litters on the Edge of the Woëvre: September–October 1918
10. A Bloody Business on the Heights of the Meuse: October–November 1918
11. Ready to Go Home: November 1918–April 1919
Postscript
Appendix. 102nd Ambulance Company Roster
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
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