Letters from the Great War, 1917-1919

My great-grandfather Glenn M. Kaiser served during World War I, serving in the 127th Infantry, 32nd “Red Arrow” Division of the Army. He was drafted in September 1917, and was sent overseas in February 1918. His company fought in France and Germany, and he was part of the occupying army after the war was done. He was a Private, and was later transferred to a cook. He was honorably discharged on 19 May 1919. While he was in the Army, he sent frequent letters back home to his mother Jennie (Holbrook) Kaiser and siblings Katie, Floyd, and Anna in DeKalb, IL. Some of his letters survive, as well as some letters from his brother Alfred Kaiser and a friend named Harry Aument. I have scanned the collection of 45 letters and transcribed them below.

Transcriptions may include minor spelling corrections, added punctuation, and clarifications in brackets to improve readability.

Click on the link for each letter to read it. Then, click on the image of the letters to see them full-size. Full-size letters are large files and may take longer to load, depending on your connection speed.

• 1917 – Training and Preparation
  • September ?, 1917 – Glenn to his mother – Camp Grant, Rockford, Illinois
  • October 19, 1917 – Glenn to his mother – Camp Grant, Rockford, Illinois
  • December 22, 1917 – Glenn to his mother – Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas
  • December 29, 1917 – Glenn to his mother – Camp MacArthur, Waco, Texas
  • January 25, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – Buffalo, NY (just before arriving at Camp Merritt, New Jersey)

• 1918 – Glenn fights in France
  • March 6, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – Brest, France (just after arriving in France)
  • March 29, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – Brest, France
  • April 30, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – Training near Brest, France
  • April 30, 1918 – Glenn to his mother (published in the DeKalb Daily Chronicle on May 31, 1918)
  • May 14, 1918 – Alfred to his mother – Kenosha, Wisconsin
  • June 29, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – Haute Alsace, France (includes a photo!)
  • July 2, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – Haute Alsace, France (fragment of a letter)
  • July 4, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – Haute Alsace, France (just before leaving to join the Aisne-Marne Campaign)
  • July 17, 1918 – Harry Aument to his friend – Puget Sound Navy Yards, Washington
  • July 29, 1918 – Harry Aument to his friend Floyd Kaiser – Puget Sound Navy Yards, Washington (includes photos!)
  • August 9, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – Château-Thierry region, near Marne, France (just after the Second Battle of the Marne)
  • August 12, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – Château-Thierry region, near Marne, France
  • September 12, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – near Joinville, France (just after the Oise-Aisne Campaign)
  • September 12, 1918 – Glenn to his sister – near Joinville, France
  • September 14, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – near Joinville, France
  • September 14, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – near Joinville, France (extra note with envelope)
  • September 20, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – near Joinville, France (as published in the DeKalb Daily Chronicle on October 25, 1918, in article titled “On the Trail of the Kaiser.”)
  • October 28, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – near Meuse, France (just after the Meuse-Argonne Campaign)
  • October 29, 1918 – Glenn to his sister – near Meuse, France
  • November 12, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – near Meuse, France

• Nov. 1918 – 1919 – After the Armistice
  • November 26, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – near the German border on the Saar River
  • December 15, 1918 – Glenn’s notes on the 32nd Division’s March into Germany
  • December 17, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – near Coblenz, Germany
  • December 18, 1918 – Alfred to his mother – Camp Knox, Kentucky
  • December 25, 1918 – Glenn to his mother – near Coblenz, Germany
  • January 12, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Coblenz, Germany
  • January 16, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Coblenz, Germany
  • January 19, 1919 – Glenn to his father (postcard) – near Coblenz, Germany
  • January 19, 1919 – Alfred to his mother – Camp Taylor, Kentucky
  • January 19, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Goddert, Germany
  • January 27, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Goddert, Germany
  • January 28, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Goddert, Germany
  • January 31, 1919 – Glenn to his sister – near Goddert, Germany
  • January 31, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Goddert, Germany
  • February 18, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Goddert, Germany (includes map!)
  • February 19, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Goddert, Germany
  • February 23, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Goddert, Germany
  • March 26, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – near Goddert, Germany
  • Undated postcard, 1919 – Glenn to his mother – along the Rhine, Germany
  • Undated postcard, 1919 – Glenn to his family – near Eisenberg, Germany
  • Undated letter fragments, probably 1919-1920 – possibly from Mildred Lawrence to Glenn (includes newspaper clippings)

[Please note: some of these letters contain offensive terms and/or otherwise objectionable and outdated language. This language does not reflect my own views or values. These terms may be omitted from the transcription, but are not censored from the original letters.]

Sources:

• Kaiser family photos, original; Kaiser Family papers, privately held by E. Weil, Kingston, Ill.
• Kaiser, Glenn, letters, originals, 1918-1919; Kaiser Family papers, privately held by E. Weil, Kingston, Ill.
• “The 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Division in World War I, From the ‘Iron Jaw Division’ to ‘Les Terribles’” by The 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Veteran Association, revised 26 Feb 2017. http://www.32nd-division.org/history/ww1/32-ww1.html

Interested in reading more about Glenn’s experience in WWI or the Kaiser family? Read more stories here:

• Letters from a Kaiser in the Great War
• Christmas on the German Front – 100 years ago
• A Kaiser at the War’s End: 100 Years Ago
• A Kaiser in the Great War
• Floyd, the youngest Kaiser Brother
• Two Brothers Operate Tinning Shop
• Nana was a WWII veteran
• The History of the 32nd “Red Arrow” Division in WWI (information provided by The 32D ‘Red Arrow’ Veteran Association)