R. A. F. Bomers Overhead

We were hit by the Allied heavies and it was while we were on this trip that we were bombed by the R. A. F.The Germans had about 3,500 of us and had pulled us into the marshalling yards at Limburg, Germany. We had been there some time waiting for an engine to return. Of course, we were crowded as usual. They placed forty to sixty-seven men in one box car. A sign on the outside read "40 men or 8 horses" and I am sure that 8 horses would have crowded the little cars. They were not the kind of box cars we have in America. They were much smaller and had only two small wheels at either end. At one time they put thirty-two in one end of a car and placed eight guards in the other end. Barbed wire separated us and it was most uncomfortable. We couldn't lie down very well so most would sit up all night and try to sleep. We had but little water and I saw many melt the frost which formed on the bolts that came through the car for drinking water. We had very little food from the time we got on the cars from December 21 to December 25. I believe it was two-sevenths of a loaf of bread, about two spoonfuls of dark syrup and water. You can use your imagination and think of our sanitary conditions. It was severely cold and all of us had travelled under much more pleasant conditions.

On the night of December 23 we heard the air-raid alarm and soon the R. A. F. planes were overhead. We heard their flare bombs coming down and then the whole place lit up. One officer in our car was from the Air Corp. He had come to visit his doughboy brother and he was trapped with us. He told us that the British flares had marked the target and we were the target. We knew the bombers would soon be over and drop their bombs. The excitement ran high for a few seconds and then different ones of us began to call out that we were officers and should make some decision as to what to do. We got the door open but decided not to break out. We heard a shot and later found that one fellow broke out and was shot by the guard. We felt we would be just as safe there as out running around.