These Prussians surely are menacing...

Tuesday, December 3, 1918:

Zweibrücken, 2010

Up at 6 o’clock. Cars loaded & running at 9 A.M. It sure is a lot of work with six men’s baggage extra, four cars on detached service, and much food to pack. Every car is loaded with about 700 pounds in behind. By 11 A.M. McEnness was ready with a new motor and we started out. I took the lead & Risley the rear. More hills to climb, but we all got to Zweibrücken about 1 P.M. We are billeted in the caserne [barracks] here. The quarters are wonderful--about 5 men in a room each one equipped with a stove and plenty of coal. We will stay here for some time so we unloaded everything. I don’t like these German towns. The people are too cold & ugly looking.


Wednesday, December 4:

We all worked on our cars this A.M. An order came about noon for us to move to Ottweiler this afternoon. We aren’t very sore at this Army. Move, move, move! ! ! We decided to break the order and move tomorrow morning instead.


Thursday, December 5:

Ottweiler, 2010

Pulled this A.M. at 8:15. Reached Ottweiler by noon -- every car, even the truck and kitchen. Our barracks are poor, 16 men being quartered in two rooms over a cafe on the main street and the rest of us in a theatre about a block away. Our cars are parked in the town square. We have been warned to guard everything we own as we have stationed an armed guard over the cars and kitchen night & day. This is not as good a town as Zweibrücken and these Prussians surely are menacing. They are nicer to us however than they are to the French. I’m afraid we are too easy on them and receive them too much on our own level.