Steele's Battalion

<p><strong>A scholar finds diaries in an old steamer trunk. </strong>The diaries tell the story of a young man Ned Steele who embarks on a journey from Detroit to Germany.</p><p>Ned joins the Army in 1914 earns a commission in 1917 leads a machine gun company on a Flanders hill and then a machine gun battalion in the AEF in France. In between Ned finds romance terror exhaustion friendship death and the misery of<strong><em> World War One...</em></strong>.</p><p></p><p><em>23</em><sup><em>rd</em></sup><em> November Colline Mortelle..</em></p><p><em>I have seen the Inferno from the edge of Purgatory...mud wire holes water and the remains of man beast and civilization. There is no sadder sight than a ruined town...No training can get anyone ready for this [expletive].</em></p><p><em>I could never have imagined what a howitzer shell landing so close could have felt like.... machine-gun bullets hum like giant bees or kazoos in the air and sound like meat hooks hitting a side of [expletive] beef when they hit...Sgt. Thorsten and I went down to the front line...like [expletive] animals in unbelievable filth and indescribable stink...in the forward posts we endured a small bombing raid...Don't think I've ever been so [expletive] humiliated in my life....</em></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Get ready...</em></strong> the voice on the telephone said softly....the night stillness was ever-so-gently broken by the rumbling of heavy guns followed by the <em>crack</em> of light howitzers...then the <em>shush-shush-shush</em> of shells passing overhead...then the ground seemed to <em>explode</em>...</p><p>The Maxims opened fire the <em>bzzz-bzzz-bzzz </em>of the bullets ending abruptly in a muddy torrential blizzard of <em>thut-thut-thut</em> as they hit the hill...Half of Steele's guns were on the west side of the hill...where most of the bullets were falling...</p><p>The telephone crackled again.... <em>Steele!</em></p><p>On our left and right the voice said. Missions 6 and 9.</p><p><em>Out</em> Steele answered grabbing his company phone and Missions List. 1<sup>st</sup> Platoon fire Mission 6 <em>standing</em>; 2<sup>nd</sup> Platoon Mission 9 <em>standing</em>...<em>Forward</em> post <em>now!</em></p><p>His machine guns opening fire...and <em>kept firing</em>...</p><p>Fire Mission 5 <em>sweep left to right</em>...</p><p>B Boy Company: my flank is open. Give me your Mission 12 and a <em>lot</em> <em>of</em> <em>it</em>.</p><p>Fire Mission 12 <em>standing</em>. <em>Split fire</em>.</p><p>B Boy again. Shift east two hundred; you're too bloody close...</p><p><em>Out</em>. Give me 1<sup>st</sup> Platoon...<em>sweep</em> <em>left</em> two hundred...</p><p>Give me 3<sup>rd</sup> Platoon...Mission 9 <em>standing</em>... Steele's guns kept firing...he kept adjusting...Give me 2<sup>nd</sup> Platoon...Mission 7 <em>standing bump left</em>...</p>