Private Clare Conderman
Clare J Conderman was born on December 3rd, 1892 in Hornell, New York to Netie Wallace and Alson Conderman, their third child. Clare did not attend any local schools and was instead taught how to read and write by his parents. At a young age, he began working at an automobile garage shop as a mechanic, but the outbreak of a World War abroad eventually put a stop to his career. After the United States joined the war in April of 1917, Clare enlisted in the US Army a year later on May 10th, 1918 and was sent to Fort Slocum for recruit training. His expertise with automobiles landed him the occupation of a truck driver until transferring to the 146th Machine Gun Battalion on July 6th. With replacement troops swiftly needed in Europe, Private Conderman joined the Camp Hancock Automatic Replacement Draft and sailed aboard the SS Mauretania on July 30th for France. His war had just begun.
The replacements landed in France in early August and began to be broken up and sent to the units they were needed. Because of his training with machine guns, Private Conderman was allocated to Company C, 108th Machine Gun Battalion, 28th Infantry Division, arriving at their positions in Courville on August 28th. This battalion had suffered heavy casualties during a daylight movement to positions north of Arcis-le-Ponsart in the Fismette sector on August 19th, and required a bolster in manpower before continuing through the Oise-Aisne Offensive. |
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Oise-Aisne
The battalion endured three days of continuous enemy shelling, necessitating Private Conderman and Company C to hide in an ancient tunnel and only emerging at night to harass the enemy. Once the artillery subsided on September 2nd, elements of the battalion crossed the Vesle River on foot bridges and prepared for their assault. At 7 AM on September 5th, the battalion advanced, overtook the 109th Infantry Regiment, and through their losses, captured 24 enemy prisoners. The next day was welcomed by enemy artillery fire meant to root out and weaken Private Conderman and his battalion, but they held until relief by French troops on the 7th. The 108th Machine Gun Battalion, damaged by losses and fatigue, marched back to Arcis-le-Ponsart for a two day rest, then continued onwards to Cheminon-la-Ville for bivouac. Elsewhere on the front, American forces dealt a huge blow to the Germans with their victory at St Mihiel on September 15th, paving the way for the great drive through the Argonne Forest. Private Conderman’s battalion was chosen to participate in this historic attack to end the Great War, however it necessitated one of the most difficult forced marches in AEF history.
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
On September 16th, the men began a thirty five kilometer trek to the woods near Lisle-en-Barrois, arriving after ten hours without food and waited until the 18th for their kitchens to catch up. Two days later Private Conderman and the 108th moved to the edge of the Argonne Forest near Neuvilly and waited for orders. They were received on the 25th and no time was wasted in moving to the front line through congested roadways lined with soldiers doing the same. The following day, the offensive was preceded with the thunderous roar of $180 Million Dollars worth of artillery shells which rained down on the German positions for three hours prior to the infantry assault, which kicked off at 5:30 AM. While Private Conderman’s machine gun battalion began firing in support, the 28th Infantry Division was largely halted by fierce enemy resistance, but managed to capture enemy positions in the town of Varennes, which the 108th moved up to at nightfall. The following day, they independently advanced through the town and portions supported the attack on Montblainville, which was partially successful. On the 28th, the advance resumed with heavy fighting around and in Montblainville.
The battalion endured three days of continuous enemy shelling, necessitating Private Conderman and Company C to hide in an ancient tunnel and only emerging at night to harass the enemy. Once the artillery subsided on September 2nd, elements of the battalion crossed the Vesle River on foot bridges and prepared for their assault. At 7 AM on September 5th, the battalion advanced, overtook the 109th Infantry Regiment, and through their losses, captured 24 enemy prisoners. The next day was welcomed by enemy artillery fire meant to root out and weaken Private Conderman and his battalion, but they held until relief by French troops on the 7th. The 108th Machine Gun Battalion, damaged by losses and fatigue, marched back to Arcis-le-Ponsart for a two day rest, then continued onwards to Cheminon-la-Ville for bivouac. Elsewhere on the front, American forces dealt a huge blow to the Germans with their victory at St Mihiel on September 15th, paving the way for the great drive through the Argonne Forest. Private Conderman’s battalion was chosen to participate in this historic attack to end the Great War, however it necessitated one of the most difficult forced marches in AEF history.
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
On September 16th, the men began a thirty five kilometer trek to the woods near Lisle-en-Barrois, arriving after ten hours without food and waited until the 18th for their kitchens to catch up. Two days later Private Conderman and the 108th moved to the edge of the Argonne Forest near Neuvilly and waited for orders. They were received on the 25th and no time was wasted in moving to the front line through congested roadways lined with soldiers doing the same. The following day, the offensive was preceded with the thunderous roar of $180 Million Dollars worth of artillery shells which rained down on the German positions for three hours prior to the infantry assault, which kicked off at 5:30 AM. While Private Conderman’s machine gun battalion began firing in support, the 28th Infantry Division was largely halted by fierce enemy resistance, but managed to capture enemy positions in the town of Varennes, which the 108th moved up to at nightfall. The following day, they independently advanced through the town and portions supported the attack on Montblainville, which was partially successful. On the 28th, the advance resumed with heavy fighting around and in Montblainville.
“Three of us jumped into a little dugout for protection, but a shell burst right over us. I was lying in the middle. The man on my left was hit and gasped a few times and was gone. The man on my right was hit directly in the head and killed instantly. The piece of shell that hit him hit me on the helmet and tore a hole through and just grazed my nose, making a few scratches and making it bleed.”
Although he was saved from death by his helmet, other pieces of shrapnel tore through his left hip and chest and the concussion from the blast rendered him helpless. Thankfully, he was discovered by his comrades and evacuated from the front line to a field hospital. In a letter to his friends back home, Conderman stated “I am about helpless, only able to move my hands and feet, and am allowed to move in bed only when I have help, but the doctor says this will pass away. So don’t worry about me, for the care and treatment we get at the hospital is certainly fine.” Clare remained in the hospital recovering for the remainder of the war which ended on November 11th, 1918. He eventually began his journey home on December 25th with other sick and wounded soldiers from Base Hospital 6, arriving on January 6th, 1919 for further treatment at Camp Upton. By the time he was discharged from the army on May 31st, Clare had recovered his ability to walk and returned to his parents’ home in New York. Unfortunately, his wounds proved more problematic than anticipated, forcing Clare to be admitted to the National Home for Disabled Soldiers in Chesapeake, Virginia from 1927 to 1930. The shrapnel that pierced his hip lodged itself between his heart and spinal column, permanently disabling him. Regardless of his condition, Clare worked for many years as a milk salesman and later opened a bakery in Casisteo, New York. Sadly, he passed away on September 8th, 1955 at Foote Nursing Home where he had been living for around two years, and never married. |