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one a chance of surprising him.

But here it is all ruined houses mud shell holes and full of all kinds of obstruction. The Boche it is true shows a good fighting spirit and he has a well-organized and trained fighting patrols & raiding parties. Gas is another thing which, used freely by both sides, spoils one's pleasure.

We have picked up some wonderful German messages which if they show the real state of affairs in Germany are most encouraging. Of course I can't allude to them further but if they are considered reliable you will probably see them in the papers. All these battlefields are littered with aeroplanes of both sides but it is extraordinary how often machines are crashed without killing the occupants. Sometimes they are practically uninjured. I think it depends greatly

BC Archives, MS-0055 Box 15 File 4 / CREASE FAMILY / Letters from Arthur Douglas Crease to his brother, Lindley Crease, 1918.