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Note: Ft Lewis, WA Custom Field:<_FA#> 52nd Ammunition Battalion-WW I Fred father , Peter Jensen, was born and married in Denmark. His father was at one time a member of the kings quard. He must have been athletic because he told of standing on his head on top of a windmill. Peter and his wife , Dorothy, came to the US and settled in the state of MN on a truck farm near Minneapolis. Fred worked hard on the farm until he became sixteen, when he left home. From there on he was on his own. He went into the service on Dec 11, 1917 by enlisting. He did not wait to be drafted. He was first stationed at Ft. Snelling, MN. While he was at Ft. Snelling a terible flu epidemic swept the country killing thousands of civilians and soldiers. Fred said they slept on cement floors at that time. Fred made notes in a small note book he carried with him during the war. He made notes of the movements of his battalion. The following information was taken from that note book. "Left Jefferson Barracks Jan. 3, 1918 and arrived at Ft McArthur, CA Jan. 7. Trained there at Ft McArthur until May 13, then boarded train for the east coast, arrived at Camp Merrit, NJ May 19. Got fully equiped for overseas. Sailed for France May 24." Quotation from Battalion History of the 52nd Ammunition Train. "The batallion boarded the UUS Von Steuben at Hoboken, NJ May 25, 1918 and sailed May 26 with nine other transports and one destroyer. It was necessary during the entire trip to observe every precaution and enforce strict discipline. No lights after dark, abandon ship drill twice daily, no waste of any kind thrown overboard, port holes closed at all times juring the night and at times during the day, no smoking on deck after dark." "Upon entering the danger zone june 3, 1918 orders were issued forbidding the removal of clothes at any time, to wear life preservers at all times, everyone to be on deck one hour before sunrise and to stay on deck forty-five minutes after sunset." These were the times submarines were most active. Three days prior to landing, the convoy was met by mine destroyers which escorted the convoy to the port of Brest. Quotation from Fred's note book. "Hiked to Pontennezen Barracks. Trained there until Aug. 25 then moved to Treez. More drilling until Sept. 21, 1918. Received orders to the front at once. Arrived at the front in the Argonne Forest on the first day of the Argonne drive. Took part in the Argonne and Meuse offensive and was under fire practically all the time from Aug. 25 until Nov. 11 when the Armistice was signed." Quotation from Battalion history. " Ammunition truck- in the open road the range which the enemy always knows and at which he always aims and the target which he always knows and is absolutely unprotected. The ammunitions must be delivered in the dark without lights." Fred drove an ammunitiona truck. There were times when they were called upon to go without food from twelve to sixty hours. The 52nd Ammunition battalion left the Argonne for the rear on Nov 26, 1918. They marched the 74 miles in heavy marching order in three and a half days. These men had not marched for eight months and been under constant shell fire for 46 days. Eighteen miles with heavy equipment for seasoned troops is considered a forced march. On Dec. 25, Christmas Day, they ate canned willy. They left for Brest after waiting 23 days. They arrived in Brest on Dec. 29, stayed at Fontenezen for 15 days. On Jan. 13, 1919 they set sail for the USA. They arrived in Hoboken, NJ on Jan. 23, 1919. They sere sent to St. McArthur, CA. They stayed there for 6 days and then Fred was sent to Ft. Dodge, IA where he was discharged Feb. 17, 1919. Fred suffered from shell shock so the doctor told him that travel might help, so he came to British Columbia where
Note: Custom Field:<_FA#> Buried at Tacoma Cemetary Custom Field:<_FA#> Engineer at
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