The World War I Journal of Fred Kamphoefner
by Bob Brail

     We would certainly be remiss in this year of observing the centenniel of America's military involvement in World War I, if we did not take the time to look at the experiences of Sergeant Fred Kamphoefner, who was born in the very house that is now the Boone-Duden Historical Society headquarters in New Melle. His granddaughter, Marcia Behr, has in her possession his wartime journal, along with some photographs and his machine gun manual. Fortunately for Kamphoefner, his unit saw very little action which resulted in comparatively few casualties. His journal is brief but interesting.

     Fred Kamphoefner was born in 1890, the youngest of five children. He attended school in New Melle and learned blacksmithing from family members, working in the shed that still stands behind the Kamphoefner House, the headquarters of the Boone-Duden Historical Society. 

Kamphoefner in France

     Kamphoefner was twenty-seven years old when enlisted in the army, serial number 3,226,014. After training at Camp Dodge, Iowa, Kamphoefner eventually became a sergeant in the machine gun company of the 349^th Infantry Regiment, 88^th Division. He served in Europe from August, 1918, through May, 1919, six months after war ended.

     The journal follows, with minor corrections made to spelling and grammar:

Left St. Charles on the 27^th day of May at 9 o'clock in the evening and arrived at Camp Dodge the 28^th at 3 o'clock. Was assigned to Co. C, 349^th Infantry.

Was at the Company 2 weeks then was transferred to M. G. [Machine Gun] Company, 349^th Infantry. Drilled with the Company 10 days and then was assigned as Blacksmith to the Company.

Spent 2 months at Camp Dodge when the 349^th Regiment was transferred to Camp Upton, Long Island, N. Y., where we remained 8 days to draw our oversea equipment. Left Camp Upton the 8^th day of August and sailed for Hoboken, New Jersey.

Arrived at Hoboken at 11:30 in the morning and then boarded the White Star liner “Olympic” to sail for England. Sailed from Hoboken, N. J., the 9^th day of August and arrived at Southampton, England, the 17^th day of August.

There we boarded the United States ship “Yale” and sailed from Southampton in the evening and landed at Havre the next morning the 18^th day of August. We then boarded the train. We were on the train from 11 o'clock the 18^th day of August until 2 AM August 21^st when we stopped at a little village called Changy.

We left Changy the following day at 10 AM and hiked 20 miles and arrived at Eppoisses at 6:30 PM the same day August the 22^nd.

Remained at Eppoisses until the 17^th day of September and marched 18 miles. Marched through a city 8 miles from Eppoisses called Sea More.

We boarded the train at Alaysse for Belfort, about a 12 hour ride, and marched from Belfort to a little village called [omitted word]. Arrived at Belfort the 18^th at 11 o'clock and came to the camp at 2:30 that afternoon.

The night of September 18^th at 11:20 o'clock was our first experience when we saw a German airplane dropping a bomb about a mile from our camp. We were kept indoors until the 22^nd when, our on an drill field, one of the German planes arrived, but no bombs dropped. That was when we saw a real fight. The [anti]aircraft guns were firing at the machine [the plane]for about 40 minutes when all of a sudden it fell to the ground.

     When Kamphoefner's 88^th Division arrived in France, it was ordered to Semur (Cote d'Or) for training. On September 14 the division was moved by rail to the Hericourt near Belfort, where it was “loaned” to the 4^th French Army. In late September the 88^th Division relieved the 38th French Division in the center sector at Haute-Alsace. The division held this sector until early November, when it moved to the Lagney area (Meurth et Moselle) where it was located at the time of the armistice on November 11. After the war ended, the division moved to Gondrecourt (Meuse). Kamphoefner's division saw comparatively little action, experiencing only ninety-nine casualties, including twenty-seven men killed in action.

     Kamphoefner was honorably discharged from the United States Army on June 9, 1919. He returned to the home of Friedrick W. and Wilhelmina (Weinrich) Kamphoefner in New Melle, where he worked as a blacksmith in the shop behind the house. Fred married Hulda W. Bergsieker on December 6, 1922 at the St. John’s United Church of Christ in St. Charles. They had one child, Lee Anna, born January 28, 1926, in the house currently owned by Griffey Construction in New Melle and headquarters of the Boone-Duden Historical Society.

     Fred and Hulda had a home built on the farm of John August and Anna Bergsieker at 1403 Hwy F in Defiance and moved there in 1927. Fred continued to do some blacksmithing, worked jointly on the farm with his brother and sister-in-law, Alvin and Susan Gerlemann, and also served as county road overseer until March 1, 1939.

     According to family members, Kamphoefner was never quite the same after returning home from his service in WWI. By all family accounts he was a hard worker, who loved his family, especially his daughter, Lee Anna.

     Fred Kamphoefner died in 1939 and was buried in Defiance at St. Paul's United Church of Christ Cemetery. Like tens of thousands of other World War I soldiers, he deserves to be remembered for his service to our country.

Sources: The 88^th Division in the World War of 1914-1918 (archive.org); Emails (Marcia Behr); Findagrave.com; Missouri Death Certificates (s1.sos.mo.gov); Missouri Soldiers Database (s1.sos.mo.gov); “Order of Battle – American Forces – World War One” (newrivernotes.com).