Use of a C&R Handgun in WW1

THE USE OF A C&R HANDGUN IN WW1

MY FATHER’S LAST BATTLE IN WW1

My Father , John William Bowser (1893-1960) and his younger brother, McKinley “Mack” Bowser, joined the US Army on April 7th, 1917. That was one day after President Wilson asked Congress to Declare War on Germany. They were attached to the 42nd Infantry Division “Rainbow”, 3rd Ohio Machinegun Battalion. It was not unusual for Brothers to be assigned to the same units in WW1. The WW2 tragedy of the Sullivan Brothers on the USS Juneau had not occurred as yet. The War Department gave an order after the 5 Sullivan Brothers were killed on the Juneau, that no Brothers would serve in the same combat units. My Father and his Brother were trained at Camp Mills on Long Island, New York.

The 42nd Division had 4 Battle Stars to their credit: Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, Battle of St. Mihel and the Meuse Argonne Offensive. They served 267 days in combat in these battles.

It is the Meuse Argonne Offensive where this story comes from. The US Forces had 550,000 men in this Offensive. 117,000 of these men were either killed or wounded. This was also the battle that Sgt. Alvin York won his Medal of Honor.

Dad told me it was the end of October and the Germans had launched Gas Canisters into the area. He said the gas masks made it difficult to see. The gas was Phosgene. Phosgene is a derivative of Chlorine Gas and it turns the fluid in your lungs to Hydrochloric Acid. He was a gunner on a Colt-Marlin (Browning Designed) .30-‘06 Model 1895 Air Cooled Machine Gun. It was originally manufactured as a .30 US Army (.30-40 Krag) and was called a Potato Digger, because of the gas piston arm that flipped down from the bottom of the barrel when each round was fired. (See notete at the end of the article.

The gun was used with cloth belts and required a two man crew, a gunner and a loader, to operate at full efficiency. The Germans attacked through the gas and his loader was shot in the neck. My Father had to load his own belts and try to fire the gun at the same time. This was not an easy task. For whatever reason, the gun jammed and he drew his 1911 .45. A German soldier came into his position and thrust at him with a bayonet on his rifle. The thrust cut him on his cheek and tore open his gas mask. The German Soldier was going to give him a horizontal butt stroke and he pointed the .45 at the German’s chest. He fired and hit the German three times. This individual fight was over. He quickly grabbed the German’s gas mask and put it on. He said to me: “He had no more use for it”. Dad was taken to the Field Hospital due to Phosgene Gas Poisoning. He was shocked to see his loader there. Although he was shot through the center of the side of his neck, he was still alive. The bullet passed through without touching anything vital.

My Father’s War was over, the ceasefire was declared on November 11, 1918. Because my Father’s Family in Pennsylvania was of German Descent and they spoke German in their home, he was kept in Europe as an interpreter, until 1919. They called it the “Army of the Occupation”. He returned from Europe on the USS Oklahoma. When the Japanese sunk the Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor, he tried to enlist in the Army in 1941. He was 51 years old and was told he could not serve due to his age. He wanted to get back at the Japs for sinking “HIS” ship.

Doug Bowser



NOTE: I realize the “Potato Digger” was not usually used in Europe but this is what my Father told me. The story was told to me over 40 years after the incident happened.