April 19, 1918 - Day trip to Verdun to see the 5th and 6th Marines, 2nd Division

Don Martin diary entry for Friday, April 19, 1918:

Gregg [St. Louis World], [Franklin P.] Adams [Stars and Stripes] and I went to Verdun. Left at 9:30 a.m., returned at 6. Got pretty close to Verdun. Went well over to the 2^nd [Division] line to see the 5^th and 6^th [Brigades] Marines. Adams is very much a bore. He, Gregg and I had luncheon in a French officers’ club in Touilly. Opened especially for us after hours. Spent evening in the club at Neufchateau talking with American fliers, one of them young Gude of N.Y. who also plays the piano very well.

French holding well against Germans. British falling back a little.

As Don Martin travels daily to locations near the front lines, it is helpful to have a map showing where the American expeditionary Force fought. James H. Hallas prepared the following map, which is in his book, "Doughboy War, The American Expeditionary Force in WWI", Stackpole Military History Series (2000), on page vi. Neufchateau, where Don Martin is currently based, is south of Toul in direction Chaumont.

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