As a result of obtaining the assistance of a military research specialist, I have updated (and in some cases corrected) my story for my great uncle Herman Bartels. Therefore, I have deleted previous post related to his story.
I just watched the 4th week of "Who do you think you
are", an 8 week long mini-series on NBC sponsored by Ancestry.com.
Although the celebrities featured were able to discover some very interesting
facts about their family’s roots, I have the same interesting information as I
also have a couple of heroes in my family tree.
One definition of a hero is: “One who fights for, and gives
his life for his fellow soldiers and his country, so all mankind can remain
free.” This definition of a hero is typically given by a veteran who fought in
a war and returned home. My great uncle Herman John Bartels life and death
matches this definition.
I first became aware of Herman as a kid growing up on a
small farm in rural Ottawa County Michigan. Long before the Bartels owned it,
the 80 acre farm had about 4 acres cut out of a corner of the land for the
establishment of the Olive Township cemetery. It was a favorite past time for
this simple farm boy to ride his bike around the 2-track paths inside the
cemetery fence. This was especially true just after a rain that always resulted
in deep mud puddles in the potholes of this crude path. This was irresistible
to an 8 year old boy. This routine got me rather familiar with the layout of
the graveyard and I therefore knew where all the Bartels were buried. I first
noticed Herman’s grave one year in late May when it was tradition for all the
families in the area to spruce up the cemetery for the observance of Memorial
Day. Herman’s grave had a white post about 5 feet tall next to it with a small
American flag mounted at the top. I paid no specific attention to the grave
other than to know we had the same last name, and to note that from the dates
of the headstone, he had died young. I was told that “he was killed in the
war.” At that young and innocent age, I was much more interested in playing war
than to dig into my family’s genealogy. I now regret this.
Today when I reflect back on those times on the farm or even
my young adult years, I wish that I had quizzed my great grandmother about her
son. Great grandma Clara died at the significant age of 100 years when I was 20
years old, so I had the opportunity to talk to her about Herman; I was just not
interest in genealogy at that time of my life. Neither did I ask my grandpa
about his big brother in an attempt to learn what kind of a personality he
possessed? Was he quiet, outgoing, a loner, a practical joker; and did he have
a girl friend back home when he was drafted? His life that ended over 90 years
ago was a complete mystery to me. As this is being written, there is only 1
living U.S. veteran remaining of the over 2.5 million men and women who served
in our armed forces in Europe during WWI. Therefore my quest to find out all
that I can about Herman is a challenging one.
Uncle Herman was the firstborn son of John and Clara
(Troost) Bartels. John and Clara arrived in the United States from the
Netherlands in 1881 and 1882 respectively. They were married on October 28,
1892. Herman John Bartels entered the world on October 1, 1894. Very little is
known of Herman’s early life in Olive Township. It is suspected that as a youth
he aided his father on the farm that the Bartels owned on Tyler Street. As a
young man, Herman worked as a hired hand on other farms in West Michigan. When
President Wilson called for the Draft, Herman registered on June 5, 1917. He
recorded his place of residency as Olive Michigan and his occupation as “farm
laborer”. At that time of his life, he was employed on a farm in Fillmore
Township in Allegan County. I did learn from an elderly relative that Herman
was known to have a sweetheart, but her identity is unknown.
Herman reported for active duty
at Camp Custer near Battle Creek, Michigan for his basic training in the fall
of 1917. Undoubtedly, tearful goodbyes were said before leaving. The troops
were pushed to the physical limits at this camp. Many of the officers who
trained the men were veterans with combat experience from the Spanish American
War. These officers strived to build
pride in each of the companies. Herman was originally assigned to the 338th
Infantry, Company C of the 32nd Division. A postcard sent by Herman
to his cousin Levi Bartels that is postmarked Dec 5, 1917 references his
marksmanship training and a comment that “I hope the war is over before we have
to fight”
Following his training, Herman, along with many other West Michigan men trained at Camp Custer travelled by train to Camp MacArthur in Waco, Texas. After arriving at Camp MacArthur he was transferred on Deember 21, 1917 to the 119th Field Artillery, Battery C of the 32nd Division.
Sixteen weeks of training were completed at this camp as required by the “Infantry Training Manual”. On January 12, 1918 Herman was transferred into the126th Infantry, 1st Battalion, Company D
The infantry training included all the various weapons, digging trenches and gas training. The gas training included walking through a gas chamber filled with deadly gas, wearing a gas mask.
Following his training, Herman, along with many other West Michigan men trained at Camp Custer travelled by train to Camp MacArthur in Waco, Texas. After arriving at Camp MacArthur he was transferred on Deember 21, 1917 to the 119th Field Artillery, Battery C of the 32nd Division.
Sixteen weeks of training were completed at this camp as required by the “Infantry Training Manual”. On January 12, 1918 Herman was transferred into the126th Infantry, 1st Battalion, Company D
The infantry training included all the various weapons, digging trenches and gas training. The gas training included walking through a gas chamber filled with deadly gas, wearing a gas mask.
Herman took his next step toward war on January 20, 1918 as he traveled by train to Camp Merritt in Hoboken, New Jersey. Here the unit was plagued with measles, mumps and scarlet fever, resulting in most of the men being quarantined and their passes to New York City cancelled. However, it appears Herman escaped quarantine. The Muster Roll for February 19 shows many of the men “in quarantine at Camp Merrit N.J.” Herman’s info also indicates this but a line stiking this comment was replaced by a hand written note that reads “ Left U.S. for France 2/19/18.” So, on February 19, Herman shipped out for Europe on the U.S.S. Grant, a renamed seized German vessel. Fifty-three hundred men were aboard for the more than 2 week journey.
Company D disembarked in France on March 6th and boarded a train for St. Nazaire, France where they temporarily put aside their training and worked as construction crews to build roads, railroad yards and docks to support the war effort. On April 8, the 126th Infantry was sent to Divisional Training in Champplitte. On May 14, Herman’s training ended abruptly and the first Battalion headed for a secret destination toward the front lines. The first evidences of war were bombed out buildings and the sight of French and German planes battling in the air behind the lines. Finally, on the night of May 20-21, the yanks moved into the trenches, replacing French troops.
Also on May 21, Herman along
with about 3 dozen other privates from Company D were promoted from private to
private first class whereas about 115 remained privates.
From May 21 through July 18 the 126th Infantry occupied the trenches in the Alsace Sector with little action. There were 225 men in Company D at this time. During this almost 2 month period of time, the unit suffered its first deaths, primarily from enemy artillery.
Trench life during WWI was horrific. Death was a constant companion. Constant artillery fire randomly took lives as well as snipers and disease. Three of the biggest enemies within the trench itself were the rats, the lice and an invisible foe. Rats by the millions infested the earthworks during the war. There were two main types of rats; the brown and the black rat. Both were despised but the brown rat was especially feared. Gorging themselves on human remains they could grow to the size of a cat. The men, exasperated and afraid of these rats (which would even scamper across their faces in the dark), would attempt to rid the trenches of them by various methods: gunfire, with the bayonet and even by clubbing them to death. It was futile however: a single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and contaminating food.
In addition to the rats, Herman would have had to deal with the lice (the soldiers called them cooties). Lice were a never-ending problem, breeding in the seams of filthy clothing and causing men to itch unceasingly. Even when clothing was periodically washed and deloused, lice eggs invariably remained hidden in the seams; within a few hours of the clothes being re-worn the body heat generated would cause the eggs to hatch, and the cycle would continue.
The third enemy in the trench was the smell. Many of the trenches were used for months and in some cases, years. The tragic fact was that sources such as rotting carcases (both men and horses), overflowing latrines, men who were not able to bath for the months, the use of chemicals such as creosol (used to stave off the threat of disease), and the odor of the poison gases used by the enemy, combined for an absolute horrendous odor.
Following the 10 days of rest behind the lines, the 126th were trucked to Chateau Thierry (part of the 2nd Battle of the Marne). On July 31st, Herman and the rest of the 1st Battalion made their first attack against the Germans. It was over open ground toward Hill 212, advancing from shell hole to shell hole that they spent the night without sleep. The next morning, August 1, was a memorable day, bringing the hottest fighting of the war for the 126th Infantry. Herman’s Company D along with Company C led the attack. It was launched at 3:30 in the morning and lasted most of the day. From Company D alone, there were 80 battle casualties (15 killed and 65 wounded). Historians state that many brave deeds were performed that day that have never been recorded.
For the remainder of the first week of August, the 126th continued to press the enemy. They experienced continual small arms engagements, artillery bombardments, gas attaches and went without hot food. Food was obtained by using reserve rations or taking rations from the German and American dead. During this week of constant battle, approximately 1/5 of the 126th Infantry Regiment was killed (76) or wounded (671). The Morning Reports for Company D during this week indicate the “total absent and present” decrease from 205 to 103. The regiment was relieved on August 7 and rested until August 11.They then began training in new formations from August 12 through the 24th when they were trucked to a new sector of the front lines near Juvigny France. On the morning of August 28, the 126th was part of a full scale attack that left 67 killed and 120 wounded.
On August 29, 1918, the attack was resumed. It was on Thursday, August 29, 1918 that Herman Bartels was killed during the fighting for Juvigny. Two separate official US Army records for Herman John Bartels, Private First Class, Company D, 126th Infantry state the following:
From May 21 through July 18 the 126th Infantry occupied the trenches in the Alsace Sector with little action. There were 225 men in Company D at this time. During this almost 2 month period of time, the unit suffered its first deaths, primarily from enemy artillery.
Trench life during WWI was horrific. Death was a constant companion. Constant artillery fire randomly took lives as well as snipers and disease. Three of the biggest enemies within the trench itself were the rats, the lice and an invisible foe. Rats by the millions infested the earthworks during the war. There were two main types of rats; the brown and the black rat. Both were despised but the brown rat was especially feared. Gorging themselves on human remains they could grow to the size of a cat. The men, exasperated and afraid of these rats (which would even scamper across their faces in the dark), would attempt to rid the trenches of them by various methods: gunfire, with the bayonet and even by clubbing them to death. It was futile however: a single rat couple could produce up to 900 offspring in a year, spreading infection and contaminating food.
In addition to the rats, Herman would have had to deal with the lice (the soldiers called them cooties). Lice were a never-ending problem, breeding in the seams of filthy clothing and causing men to itch unceasingly. Even when clothing was periodically washed and deloused, lice eggs invariably remained hidden in the seams; within a few hours of the clothes being re-worn the body heat generated would cause the eggs to hatch, and the cycle would continue.
The third enemy in the trench was the smell. Many of the trenches were used for months and in some cases, years. The tragic fact was that sources such as rotting carcases (both men and horses), overflowing latrines, men who were not able to bath for the months, the use of chemicals such as creosol (used to stave off the threat of disease), and the odor of the poison gases used by the enemy, combined for an absolute horrendous odor.
Following the 10 days of rest behind the lines, the 126th were trucked to Chateau Thierry (part of the 2nd Battle of the Marne). On July 31st, Herman and the rest of the 1st Battalion made their first attack against the Germans. It was over open ground toward Hill 212, advancing from shell hole to shell hole that they spent the night without sleep. The next morning, August 1, was a memorable day, bringing the hottest fighting of the war for the 126th Infantry. Herman’s Company D along with Company C led the attack. It was launched at 3:30 in the morning and lasted most of the day. From Company D alone, there were 80 battle casualties (15 killed and 65 wounded). Historians state that many brave deeds were performed that day that have never been recorded.
For the remainder of the first week of August, the 126th continued to press the enemy. They experienced continual small arms engagements, artillery bombardments, gas attaches and went without hot food. Food was obtained by using reserve rations or taking rations from the German and American dead. During this week of constant battle, approximately 1/5 of the 126th Infantry Regiment was killed (76) or wounded (671). The Morning Reports for Company D during this week indicate the “total absent and present” decrease from 205 to 103. The regiment was relieved on August 7 and rested until August 11.They then began training in new formations from August 12 through the 24th when they were trucked to a new sector of the front lines near Juvigny France. On the morning of August 28, the 126th was part of a full scale attack that left 67 killed and 120 wounded.
On August 29, 1918, the attack was resumed. It was on Thursday, August 29, 1918 that Herman Bartels was killed during the fighting for Juvigny. Two separate official US Army records for Herman John Bartels, Private First Class, Company D, 126th Infantry state the following:
“Killed instantly by machine gun
bullet in the attack with tanks near Juvigny, August 29th, 1918.
Buried close to the railroad east of Juvigny in the vicinity of Val Prez Farm” Henry E. Dye, Corporal, Company D
“We found Herman Bartels with
two of his comrades upon the brow of the hill ½ mile West of Juvigny which is
about 5 miles North of Soisson. We buried him with Gustave Baranowski, Company
G and Henry Watson Company D/ both of the 126th Infantry not far
from the road running from the west into Juvigny and a few hundred yards from
the railroad. His grave was well marked. I did not know him personally as I am
the Chaplin for the 128th Infantry”. John J. Shanaban; Chaplin, 128th
Infantry
Herman died next to 2 other
soldiers from Michigan as they attacked the enemy. Although when he was initially
drafted he wished that he did not have to fight, he did his duty for his
country and his fellow comrades in the 126th Infantry (and for all
of us).
Herman’s body was buried on
September 3, 1918 in the temporary grave mentioned above. His body was
transferred on an unknown date with the other slain soldiers of the 126th Infantry to a military cemetery in France.
His body remained interned in this cemetery until late 1920.
On September 8, 1920, John and
Clara Bartels filled out the necessary War Department forms to have the remains
of their son returned to Holland Michigan. After several documents were
exchanged, his body was exhumed. A
“Report of Disinterment and Reburial” indicates that he was in a “5 foot deep
grave, no box or blanket, in a US Uniform. Body badly decomposed.” His body was returned to Holland Michigan in late
December 1920 where a military memorial service was held on Tuesday, January 4,
1921 to remember and honor him.
