One hundred years ago today, Americans at home and abroad celebrated Thanksgiving. In Europe, war had ended but most of the Doughboys were still in France, many headed to Germany.
Now in Luxembourg, Jay and A Company, now filled with sick and dying soldiers, somehow got through the day.
Maybe this was the menu “Somewhere in France” but it’s very unlikely it would have been what Company A dined on as they were still under quarantine on this 1918 Thanksgiving Day. Anything beyond basic rations was not available.
“The Army sent turkeys and fixings over for Thanksgiving 1917, but there was a small number of guys over there at the time and they weren’t by and large in active combat at the time. In November 1918 there was over two million guys in France and the Army didn’t even try to provide a Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving 1918 was just whatever the cooks decided to make that day. Also note that aside from that 1917 Thanksgiving dinner, the Army didn’t provide any other poultry as part of the ration.”
– Alan Crane
Jay in the Great War 