German atrocities from German evidence

CORNELL

UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY

Given in Memory of
JACOB AND MARY TUVIN

BY

JULIUS H. TUVIN, '12

STUDIES AND DOCUMENTS ON THE WAR

German Atrocities

from German evidence

by
JOSEPH BEDIER

Professor at the « College de France »

Translated

by

BERNHARD HARRISON

Cornell University Library
D 626.G3B41 1915a

German atrocities from Gerinan evidence.

3 1924 027 864 259

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LIBRAIRIE ARMAND COLIN

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STUDIES AND DOCUMENTS ON THE WAR

PUBLISHING COMMITTEE

MM. Ernest LAVISSE, of the « Academie franjaise », President.

Charles ANDLER, professor of German literature and
language in the University of Paris.

Joseph BEDIER, professor at the « College de France ».

Henri BERGSON, of the « Academie franjaisen.

Emile BOUTROUX, of the « Academie franjaise ».

Ernest DENIS, professor of history in the University
of Paris.

Emile DURKHEIM, professor in the University of Paris.

Jacques HADAMARD, of the « Academie des Sciences ».

GosTAVE liANSON, professor of French literature in the
University of Paris.

Charles SEIGNOBOS, professor of history in the Uni-
versity of Paris.

Andre WEISS, of the « Academie des Sciences morales
et politiques ».

All communications to be addresssed tho the Secretary of the Committee :
M. Emile DURKHEIM, 4, Avenue d'Orleans, Paris, i4">.

German Atrocities

from Qerman evidence

The original of tliis bool< is in
tine Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924027864259

STUDIES AND DOCUMENTS ON THE WAR

German Atrocities

from German evidence

by
Joseph BifeDIER

Professor at the "College de France"

Translated

by

BERNHARD HARRISON

LIBRAIRIE ARMAND COLIN

103, Boulevard Saint-Michel, PARIS, 5«.
191 5

German Atrocities

from German evidence

Pudor inde et miseratio.

Tacitus.

I intend to prove that the German armies cannot
wholly escape from the reproach of sometimes violating
the law of nations, and I mean to prove my case according
to French custom from absolutely trust worthy sources.

I shall make use only of documents most rigorously
examined, and I have taken care to criticize their text as
minutely as if in times of peace I were questioning the
authority of some old chronicle or the genuineness of some
old chart. And I shall do so perhaps from professio-
nal habit, perhaps impelled by an inward longing to get
at the truth, in any case for the good of the case I am
pleading : for these pages are intended for every one for
the casual reader, for the indifferent, and indeed for llie
enemy of my country. I wish that the casual reader wlio
may by chance open this pamphlet in an idle moment
should be struck by the genuineness of the documents,
if he has eyes to see, just as their sordid character will
touch his heart, if he has a heart tliat feels.
My aim has been that these documents whose authenti-

city is obvious should carry an equally obvious authority.
It is easy to make accusations difficult to prove them! No
belligerent has ever been at a loss to bring against his
enemy a heap of evidence, true or false. But though the
evidence may be collected in accordance the most solemn
forms of justice by the highest magistrates, it will unfor-
tunately long remain useless, so long as the adversary has
not had an opportunity of disputing it, everyone is entitled
to consider statements as lies, or at least as open to refuta-
tion. That is why, I shall abstain here, from quoting
French or Belgian testimony true though I know it to be.
I have preferred that the evidence which I shall call shall
be of such a nature that no living man, not even in Ger-
many shall attempt to refute it. German atrocities shall
be proved by German documents.

r shall take the evidence chiefly from those war diaries,
which Article 75 of the Rules for Field service of the
German Army advises soldiers to keep on the march,
which we have confiscated from prisonners i, as being
military papers. It goes without saying that their num-
ber increases daily. I should like some day the complete
collection lo be deposited in the collection of German
manuscripts in the Bibliotheque Nationale for everyone's
instruction. In the meantime, the Marquis of Dampierre,
a former student of the Ecole des Chartes, archivist and
paleographer, is preparing and will shortly bring out a
book in which the greater part of these roadside journals
will be minutely described, copied, and brought into the
full light of day. For my part I have examined but forty.
They will suffice for my task. I shall make some extracts
from them, taking care that each quotation bears suffi-
cient proof of its genuineness.

In what order shall I arrange them? For many reasons,
but chiefly because some of these document only ten lines
long contain proof of crimes of many kinds, I shall not
attempt to adopt any rigid order of classification. I shall dip

1. Seizures foreseen and authorised by art. 4 of the Hague Convention
of 1907.

— 7 —

haphazard into the heap; certain associations ot ideas
or pictures, and a certain similarity in tlie texts will alone
enable me to
group them. "' 7 - j^ _ .,^^„ ,,

/X/

1 '■

■-r'/\

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. .»?r^^

.^yyKa,,,t^^«^4«ivW^*»iM'n^

,.,-<.,,?— feBWKe«5«'

I

I open hapha-
zard the Diary
ot a soldier of
the Prussian
Guard, Gefrei-
ter Paul Spiel-
mann (I Kompa-
gnie, Ersatz-Ba-
taillon, I Garde-
Infanterie - Bri-
gade). Here is
his account of a
night alarm in a
village near Bla-
mont on the
f' September. At
the bugle call,
the Guard wa-
kes, and the
massacre begins
(Plaits 1 and 2.)

« The , inhabi-
tants fled through the village. It was horrible. Blood was plas-
tered on all the houses, and as for the faces of the dead, they
were hideous. They were all buried at once, to the number of
sixty. Among them many old men and women, and one woman
about to be delivered. It was a ghastly sight. There were three
children who had huddled close to one another and had died
together. The altar and the ceiling of the church had fallen in.
They had been telephoning to the enemy. And this morning,
2 September, all the survivors were driven out and I saw four
little boys carrying on two poles a cradle in which was a child
of 5 to 6 months old. All this was horrible to see. A blow for

f.t^Aa^Wifcai^-*^-^-.^'-*)'

/'

^.^y

Plate i.

a blow. Thun-
der for thunder.
Everything was
I pillaged. And I
also saw a mo-
ther with her
two little ones :
and one had a
large wound in
the head, and
had lost an
eye. » *

« They had
been telepho-
ningto the Ene-
my)) says this
soldier, the pu-
nishment was
deserved. Let
us remember
,^^^, the terms of

4 i^ /J.^.-,,.f,Ut Art. 50 of the
^^ .^^,™_ Hague Con-

vv.,.-- ^..<-, / <:,,.// ;,.^-p-,/. ventionofl907
fA:.JS^^.^. . .,-^.,-,._;i2a3^1^i , signed in the

Plate 2. name of the

GermanEmpe-
ror by a gentleman, Baron Marschall von Bieberstein.
« No collective punishment, pecuniary or other, can be

.*^:A<4^^'^

1. « [Die Einwohner sind gefliichtet im Doif. Da sa es] graulich aus.
Das Blut glebt an alle Baute, und was sa man fiir Gesichter, grasslich
sa alles aus. Es wurde sofort samtliche Tote, die Zahl 60, stifort beer-
digt. Fiele alte Fraueri, Vater, und eine Frau, welche in Entbindung
stand, grauenlaaft alles anzuselieu. 3 Kinder batten sichzusammengefast
und sind gestorbe. Altar und Decken sind eingcstiirtz. Halte auch
Telefon-Veibindung mit dem Feind. Und heut morgen, den 2. 9., da
wurden samtliche Einwohner hinausgetrieben, so sah ich auch 4 Kna-
ben, die eine Wiege trugen auf 2 Stabe mit einem kleinen Kinde 5-6
Monat alt. Schrecklich alles mitanzuseben. Schuss auf Schuss ! Donner
auf Donner 1 Alles wird gepliindert... (on the verso ;) Mutter mit ihren
beiden Kinder, der eine batte eine grosse Wunde am Kopf und ein
Auge verloren. »

inflicted upon a community lor individual acts for which
they cannot be held responsible as a body. »What tribu-,
nal, during this night of horrors took the trouble to make
sure of the guilt of the community at large?

II

In an unsigned note-book of a soldier belonging to the
32"'' Infantry (IV Reserve Corps) we come across the
following statement.

« 3'''i September. Creil. The iron bridge has been blown up.
Consequently we burnt the streets and shot the civilians. » i

" The regular French troops alone — the Engineers — had
blown up the iron bridge at Creil ; the civilians had nothing
to do with it. To excuse these massacres, when they condes-
cend to make any excuse these note-books usually say :
" civilians " and " sharpshooters " had fired on our men.
But the Convention of 1907, that " scrap of paper ", signed
by Germany, stipulates that by its first Article the laws,
rights, and duties of war apply, not only to the army, but
also to the militia and volunteer corps, adding certain con-
ditions, the chief one of wh ich is the bearing of arms openly
and in Art. 2. " The population of unoccupied territory,
who, at the approach of the enemy, spontaneously take up
arms against the invading forces without having had time
to organize according to the conditions of Art. I, shall be
considered as belligerent, if the population bears arms
openly and respects the laws and customes of war. Read
in the light of this text the savage stories which follow
will take their true proportions :

a) Diary of P^" Hassemer Ylll Corps.

1 « 3.9. 1914. Creil. Die Briicke (eiserne) gesprengt. Dafur Strassen in
Brand gesteckt, Civilisten erscliossen. »

BEDIBR, ANG. - 2

— 10 —

3. 9. 1914. Sommepy (Marne). Horrible massacre. The village
burnt to the ground, the French thrown into houses in names,
civilians and all burnt together. » '

fc) Diary of Lt Kietzmann (2"^ Company, P' Battalion of
the 49* Reg' of Infantry), dated 18'" August (Plate 3).
« A little in front of Diest ^ lies the village of Schaffen-. About

^, ji...-.^/./ jr-/^ ^^^y^Aj /.-.....- 4/C^.

Plate 3.
50 civilians had hidden in the church tower and had fired on

1. « 3.9.1914. Ein schreckliches Blutbad, Dorf abgebrannt, die Fran-
zosen in die brennenden Hauser geworfen, Zivilpersonen alles mitver-
brandt. »

2. « Kurz vor Diest liegt das Dorf Schaffen. Hier batten sich gegen
50 Civilisten auf dem Kirchturm versteckt and schossen von hier aus
auf unsere Truppen mit einem Maschinengewehr, Siimtliche Civilisten
wurden erschossen. »

— 11 —

our men with a machine-gun. All the civilians were shot. *

c) Diary of a Saxon officer {unsigned) (178'" Reg* XII Army
Corps, I Saxon Corps).

" 26"' August, The pretty village of Gu6-d'Hossus in the
Ardennes has been burnt, although innocent of any crime, it
seemed to me. I was told a cyclist had fallen off his machine,
and that in doing so his gun had gone off : so they fired in
his direction. Thereupon, the male inhabitants were simply
consigned to the flames. It is to be hoped that such atrocities
will not be repeated. "^

The Saxon officer however had already seen such " atro-
cities " the previous day, 25"' August, at Villers en Fagne
(Belgian Ardennes). " Where some Grenadiers of the Guard
had been found dead or wounded ", he had seen the priest
and other villagers shot; and three days earlier the 23 Au-
gust, in the village of Bouvignes to the norlh of Dinant, he
had seen things which he describes as follows :

" We got into the property of a well-to-do inhabitant, by a
breach effected in the rear, and we occupied the house. Through
a maze of rooms we reached the threshold. There was the
body of the owner on the floor. Inside our men destroyed
everything, like Vandals. Every corner was searched. Outside
in the country, the sight of the villagers who had been shot
defies all description. The volley had almost decapitated some
of them.

" Every house had been searched to the smallest corner, and
the inhabitants dragged from their hiding-places. The men
were shot ; the women and children shut up in a convent, from
which some shots were fired. Consequently, the convent is

IT 1. It may be incidentally mentioned, and merely for greater precision,
that the i"' Report of the Belgian Commission enumerates some of the
" civilians " killed at Schaffen on the IS"" of August. Amongst others
" the wife of Frangois Luyckz, aged 45 wittt tier daugliter aged twelve
who were found in a ditch and shot " and " the daughter of one Jean
Oogen, aged nine who was shot " and one Andre Willem, the sacristan
who was tied to a tree and burnt alive ".

2. « 26.8. 1914. Das wunderschone Dorf Gued'Hossus soil ganz uns-
chuldig in Flammen gegangen sein. Bin Radfahrer soil gestiirlz sein
und dabei sein Gewehr losgegangen, gleich ist auf ihn geschossen wor-
den. Man hat mannliche Einwohner einfach in die Flammen geworfen.
Seiche Scheusslichkeiten kommen holTentlich nicht wieder vor. »

— 12 —

to be burnt. It can be ransomed however on the surrunder of
the guilty and on payment of 15.000 francs. " *

Sometimes, as we shall see, the diaries supplement one
another.

d) Diary of Private Philipp. (Kamenz, Saxony. P' Com-
pany. 1'' Battalion of the 178'" Regt.) The same day
23'"'* August, a soldier of the same regiment saw a similar
scene to that described above, probably the same, but the
point of view is a different one (Plate 4-).

" In the evening, at 10 o'clock the first battalion of the ITS""
regt went down to the village that had been burnt to the north of
Dinant. A sad and beautiful sight, and one that made you
shudder. At the entrance of the village there lay about 50 dead
bodies strewn on the road. They had been shot for having fired
on our troups from ambush. In the course of the night, many
others were shot in the same way, so tliat we could count
more than two hundred. The women and children, lamp in
hand, were obliged to watch the horrible scene. We then ate
our rice, in the midst of the corpses, for we had not tasted
food since morning. " ^

A fine military subject indeed, and worthy to compete
at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arls. One passage in
the text however is obscure, and might embarass the

1. (( Wir besetzen nach Durchbrechen einer Mauer das Haus eines
anscheineiid wohlsitulrten Einwohners vorn an der Maas. Nachdem
ich durch ein Labyriath... (two words illegible) bis in das vorderste
gedrungen war, traf ich in (?) an der Schwelle auf die Leiche des
Besitztrs. In den Raumen batten unsre Leute bereits wie die
Vandalen gehaust. AUes war durchstobert worden. Der Aublick den
die uberall umherliegender Leichen der Erschossenen Einwohner
geben spottet jeder Beschreibung. Die Nachschiisse haben meist den
Schadel halbweggerissen. Jedes Haus im ganzen Tale ist durchstoberl
w[orden] uLnd] dabei einige d[er] Einwohner aus den unmoglichsten
Scbluppwinkeln hervorgezogen. Manner erschossen. Frauen und
Kinder ins Kloster. Aus diesem wurde heraus geschossen : belnahe
ware deshalb das Kloster in Brand gesteckt w[orden]. Nur durch
Auslieferung der Schuldigen und Zahl[unlg von 15.000 francs konnte
es sich losen. »

2. « Gleich am Eingange lagen ca. 50 erschossene Burger, die meuch-
lings auf unsre Truppen gefeuert batten. Im Laufe der Nacht wurden
nocb viele erschossen, sodass wir iiber 200 zahlen konnten. Frauen
und Kinder, die Lampe in der Hand, mussten dem entzetzlichen
Schauspiele zusehen. Wir assen dann immitten der Leichen unsern
Reis, seit Morgen batten wir nichts gegessen. »

— 13

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Plate 4.

— 14 —

competitors. " The women and children lamp in hand
were obliged to watch the horrible scene ".

What scene ? The shooting, or the counting of the
corpses ? Painters, who wish to elucidate this point need
only consult the colonel of the 178"' Regt. What a gallant
soldier !

He did, that night, but carry out the spirit of his supe-
riors and comrades in arms. He who wishes to be
convinced need but read in the Sixth Report of the Belgian
Enquiry Commissionon the violation of the laws of nations
(Le Havre, 10 Nov. 1914) the base proclamations which
the Germans placarded in Belgium. Three short excerpts
will suffice.

Extract from a Proclamation of_ General von Biilow
posted up at Liege on the 22""* of August 1914 :

" The inhabitants of the town of Andenne, after having
protesled their peaceful intentions, treacherously surprised
our troups. It is with my full consent that the general
in command had the whole place burnt, and about a hundred
people were shot. " *

Extract from a Proclamation of Major Commander Dieck-
mann ^ posted up at Grivegnee on the 8"' of September 1914 :

" Everyone who does not at once obey the word of com-
mand " Hands up I " is guilty (szc) of the penalty of death. "

Extract from a Proclamation of Marshall, Baron , von

1. « Les habitants de la ville d'Andenne, apres avoir proteste de
leurs intentions pacifiques, ont fait une surprise traitre sur nos
troupes. G'est avec mon consentement que le General en chef a
fait briiler toute la localite et que cent personnes environ ont ete
fusillees. »

The Belgian Report questions whether the inhabitants of Andennes
committed any hostile acts against German troops, and adds : « In
reality, more than 200 persons were shot. Everything almost is
ravaged. The houses have been burnt over a distance of nine miles. »

2. « Celui qui n'obtemplire pas de suite au commindement « Levez
les bras 1 » se rend coupable (sic) de la peine de mort. »

15 —

der Gollz posted up in Brussels on the 5"' of October 1914 :

" In future, all places near the spot where such acts have
taken place (destruction of railway lines or telegraph wires) —
no matter whether guilty or not — shall be punished without
mercy. With, this
end in view, hos- -
tages have been
brought from all
places near rail- t
way lines exposed
to such attacks,
and at the first
attempt to des-
troy railway li-
nes, telegraph or
telephone lines,
they will be im-
mediately shot. "*

III

This (Plate 5)
is they first page
of an unsigned A''4i't^^iy
note-book :

A' 'P'P/>'->.ii y? '?-' '</ i^y^^l:

) 1 -.'.

" Langeviller,
22 August. Village
destroyed by the
ll'h Battalion of
the Pioneers.
Three women
hanged on trees: -^"S^iife
the first dead
I have seen. " ^

/

v*/'":cr-

I',' H

Plate 5.

1. « A I'avenir, les localites les plus rapprochees de I'endroit oil de
pareils faits (destructions de voies ferrees et de lignes telegraphiques)
se sent passees, — peu importe qu'elles soient complices ou noii —
seront punies sans mlserlcorde. A cette fin, des otages ont ete eramenes
de toutes les localites voisines des voies ferrees menacees par de
pareilles attaques, et, a la premiere tentative de detruiie les voies de
chemin de fer, les lignes telegraphiques ou du telephone, ils seronl
immediatement fusilles. »

2. « Langewiller, 22. Dorf durch die 11. Pionniere zerstort. 3 Frauen
an den Baumen erhangt: hier die ersten Tote gesehen. »

- 16 —

Who are Ihese^thre e women ?j:rim inals surely, guilty
lio^ doubl ot having" fired "om the German troops, unless
Ihey had been telephoning to the enemy; and the
11'" Pioneers had no doubt punished them justly. But

they have expia-
r~7 ^ ted their crime

.^'

"x:^.

now, and the
11"' Pioneers ha-
ve gone by, and
ot their crime, the
newly advancing
troops know no-
thing. Among
these new troops
will there be a
commander, a
christian, to or-
der the cords to
be cut and to
release these
dead women. No,
the regiment will
march by under
the gibbets, and
the flags will
brush by these
corpses; they will
pass along Colo-
nel and officers,
gentlemen and

Kulturtragtr .
And they know
full well what
they are doing : these dead women must remain these,
as an example; as an example, not for the other women in
the village — these had already no doubt understood — , but
as an example for the regiment, and for other regiments
who were to come afterwards. These must be made

f-y^'y^.

, / f

/iA^-yy.-r>V

Plate 6.

/

/7.

■/

— 17 —

warlike, they must be taught their duty, that is to shoot
women when the opportunity occurs. The lesson bore
fruit indeed. Here is sufficient proof: the young soldier
who had that day seen and told us of " dead for the first
time " makes the following note on the 10"' and last page
of his diary {Plate 6) .

" In this way we destroyed 8 houses with [their inmates.

^ £ » ' • y J ■ ' '/ '■^ / / y Q^

)

PZafe 7.

In one of them two men with their wives and a girl of eighteen
were bayonetted. The little one almost unnerved me so inno-
cent was her expression. But it was impossible to check the
crowd, so excited were they, for in such moments you are no
longer men, but wild beasls. " '

And to prove that this murder of women and children

1. « So haben wir 8 Hauser mit den Einwolinern vernichtet. Aus
einera Hause wurden allein 2 Manner mit ihren Fraiien und ein
18 jahriges Madchen er.stochen. Das Madel konnte mirleid tun, den [n]
sie machte solch unschuldigen Blick, aber man konnte gegen die
aufgeregte Menge nicht [s] ausrichten, denn dann sind es Iseine
Menschen, sender [n] Tiere. »

BEDIGR, ANG. 3

" ii'-'M'

*

/;/

— 18 —

is all in the days work of the German soldier, here is
further evidence.

a) The author of an unsigned note-book (Plate 7) relates
thatatOrchies (Nord)a woman was shot for not having stop-
ped at the word

' r ^.J^kwi ^^■^^>^^-' MO' ' °f command

^' ] Halle! Thereu-

1^, A ., ,,- I pon, he adds, the

whole place was

< burnt. *

b) The officer
already mentio-
ned ol the 178'"
Saxon Regt re-
ports that in the
outskirts of Li-
sognes (Belgian
Ardennes) " a
scout from Mar-
burg havingpla-
cedthreewomen
one behind the
other brought
them all down
with one shot ".

"'If it/- t-ii

4/

''ii-Y^ ,~'..w'' /si- ^^j,^;^

i/vi£. vwv'l ^^^'r"
P/a/e S.

c) Let us now
quoleafewlines
from the diary
of a reservist a
certain Schlau-

ter(3'-d Battery of the 4"^ Regt, Field Artillery of the Guard

{Plate 8):

25"' August (in Belgium): Ttiree Iiundred of the inhabitants
were sliot and tlie survivors were requisitioned as grave-diggers.

1. « Samtliche Civilpersonen werden verhaftet. Eine Frau wurde
verschossen. we,l s,e auf <c Halt >, Rufen nlcht hielt. sondern ausreisseii
wollte. Hierauf Verbrennen der ganzen Ortschaft. »

— 19 —

You should have seen the women at this moment! But j'ou can't
do otherwise. During our march on W'ilot, things went betti r :
the inhabitants who wished to leave could do so and go where
they liked. t But anyone who fired was shot. When we left
Owele, shots were fired : but there, women and everything
were fired on^

IV

Often when German troops wish to carry a position,
they place civilians, men, women and children before
them, and take shelter behind this shield of living flesh. As
the stratagem consists essentially in speculating upon
the noblemindedness of the adversary, ot saying to him :
" You will not fire upon these unhappy people, 1 know,
and I hold you at my mercy, disarmed, because I know you
are less cowardly than 1", as it implies a homage to the
enemy, and humiliation of oneself, it is almost inconcei-
vable (hat soldiers can resort to it, and that is why it
represents a new invention in the long list of human cruel-
ties, and the most fearful Penitentiels (Summie peccatorum)
of the middle ages have not recorded it. And it is also
why, in presence of accounts, French, English or Belgian
accusing the Germans of such practices I for a long time,
doubled, I admit if not the truth of the evidence, at least its
importance: such acts must, it seemed to me, prove only the
unavowed crimes of officers, individual acts which do not
dishonour a nation, for a nation on learning tiaem would
repudiate them. But now can we doubt that the German
nation accepts such ruffianly exploits as worthy of her, that
she recognizes and acquiesces in them, wlien the following
narrative, signed by a Bavarian officer, Lt. A. Eberlein is

1. « Aus der Stadt wurden 300 erschossen. Die die Salve iiberlebten
mussten Totengraber sein. Das war eiii Anbli.li derWeiber, aber es gelit
niclit anders. Auf dem Verfolgungsmarscli nach Wilot giiig es liesser. Die
Einwohner, die verzielien wollten, lioniiten sicli nadi Wunsch ergeben,
wo sie wollten. Aber der schoss, der wurde erschossen. Als wir aus
Owele marschierten, knatterten die Gewehre : aber da gab es Feuer,
Weiber, und AUes. »

2. The meaning of this sentence may perhaps be : « but there, fire,
women and everything. »

20 —

laid before us in one of the
Germany, in the issue of 7

unit: bTQticr Dffiiier'jiteflactlr-.'tcr 3P. t>at \a nitt

' uf!i iiitfftvr belJtiiiiflfcri iZnflc cniiadjt; n w\it
I iooitl niitf) uiiBijfiilii: uuflci^:6cH fnibcn, in u>e[(ftcm
I &nu& lair utt? ouf^altcn, iJinii Uc&«ri"luB ft'tiden
I mir Gusfi iiorfi fin utcigc? Seining obtn 311m J^arf't
^ fcrftcr '^inaus. ■

; 5" Mt-fer i?afl<;, DoKftoiibij n&RcItfiii-.iun ooii
I uii[crcr ^tigabs, nwdjltjii u)ir iDfihl fliuei duiibtii
j Pu-sfii;^art<n Iin.'i'Mi.'brt jiiirjen pUfjlif^ i?Lirrf) tin
I gcliffnetes (}fen(tct — bte ffiriifnitig \\t Qon^ niibtx
. — ntoci clegctiic iungc 3)oincn ^■tin. icciBS *Sctt=
I tiidKr in fecit Sidnfctn fffttDtngcnb, iinb fi^ mtt j^u
: (viificrt ircrfcnb. X'ic Situation mat mir. man
] ncrtctfjc mir bicfrn '3ii5brud. I}Di^iMr.inatifti). Vic
j ciiic iprtii^t beutl't^. b. if. f"-" i'lJfit rin.ielnc lillfrrtc
' ^craus, bie id) inii ;u[Qmm':i:rcimr, jftrc WuUcr
! urb (3(f)iDr]let finb !;-;fangci? pcii ben TcutfifiCii,
I fie ieit>[t JLiUc;! bpK ;'0f iiirc iipu 3t Sit; Iiolcn.
! tcinif rocrbtii bi: Scrbcn als Qjcifcfn ciiiiiriftin. CEnic
.■Jialbt: (=hj!ibc fict ihnen bcu §ctr (general 3''*
geflcbcn. -Uun futb I'ie cuf bcr Sufi>c tn unfcE
^ Sitincrte: unb 3MiiU'tcii«f«ueE pcfomtn^n iinb
; finb tiicK brc 2ciificn bee llnjctigpn IrinttMg in
[uiUec &aU5 gciprurLpcir.

! '^ IcSJc ftG in bcit Bombcixitcoercn SJeinlcDft
' I}inmiIcTfiiijren. Scriii.>rgun(V H^iitbc igiitet nvit
i bem Stnrt ffieitcinl perRDnUch Ipretfjcn. 9Iu^rbem

■ niiifitc iift fiifiw langrt, ha^ izt f>nt 9JEaiic mib.
: ja:iit br;i '3p!l,^:c■b^/•^^Tt pctbuft-t i|i._ct>cnio n'r-

imier ntriqiV'^iifT-f ^icborpiiii'^, bcr vc iwib^'.^
I Ijaitn iylUt . ■ . .^,..^. ^ . ^,. .

3r6ci Bret oiiMie BiuiUflea ^al^n roit uer«-'
fioftrt f.irb ba (fl'nmt- mii tin qutet ©cbaitfo- Src
vii^-tbcn Ruf Stfil;!? .■^■tfetsi; Lr!b iftiTcti bcbcuM. '
liMtt Sitipln^ mntetcin b<ri:;trafec .^i,
i!i;I)mcn. iiaubciiriffcn unb (vtcljcn oui b'T cincn,
Lirt (icar (^cD.i.:f|T!nIb.:ii auf ircr r.nbfr^n Gcthv
lyian mtrb nllmiiMifl} fun^Bar ficrt. 3>auu
jii^en (ie tiiaup:ii ouf bcr 6tt(if|C. SBie ciflc Stcife*
^jbctc Tic fo^gclaijeii, njei^ id) ntff)t, ci&€c i^rc
J>riiibf iir.b bic gQn,5e 3<it (rampfffaft gcfi^,Uct.
3o kio F'*^ mir fun, cih'r bas Wittcf iMlIt fo[int.
?05 J^!r:titc!iicU':u au? bcu Jinujern liiiit fofort
tTa(^, roU .'iJmu'iT \\^t auc^ bao gcgcniJ.t>;rUcg^nbc
6hu9 biicti^n uiib tinb bcnnt lie .fVcti'cn bei
ijAuptfiniiji'. SfUa-j li<6_Te§t r.fd) auf b«T Sivoh?
firigt, mitb nti!bcTftcicI)0||eii. 9[iitf) bic Strtitlcn^
t>flt imtcrbi'ifcn trdftlg gcat&^ilrt, inib nl5 g-cflvn
'/ U^c rtl>cucis bic Srigab: ^nm Sturm octrOdt,
' urn uiiG ,Mi I'cfrcicn, fcnn i^ bic SJfdbung crftcl'
' tcii : „S t, X i 6 p m tfi c g 11 c i f r e i '"
I Vine ifi) IpiitcT crjuljr. Ijat bae . . , ^^cFcro^lK^.

■ iiimeivf, bi)5 nptbiifh non ims in St. 3>i(i ri«-
fltang, gaii.*) Qt}nli(f)c Grfc^rtingeit ^cmfLtfit ipi'-
ipiE. 3^tt iiict 3tuili[ten. bic )ic cbcrttatts niiv
bie Stra'fle k^tcii. rourbcn Jcbodi uon ben o'l^fin
■ofcn cticjciic-jL ^ft &a6e fie hiiAi am itianfcn
,>au3 ttiittcit iit be; Slrag; li^Rcn Ul)c\h

^un ncCT c:nc tuiTobc utin bicrem Tag. bii'/ni
luciK. njcldici (S^tft unfcts Sclbatcn, aud) in iolo')
Fttiiftftcr Sityatipn fic^Eiifdit. tfy loav go.t^^c in
b^ni 3iiig?!iSHrf, in bcm Tcirtcr uort itns fijr jdn.
"cbftt rin^it ''.iCfif;cr[inB nt-e^r gcgcfccn ijtit-Jf'. bit
tiitl-nnfcr ^i^^ii'lt -- ec tit bcr Xnpus p.inrs brnii-^
rifitcn iHcji'icicmdnncft — auf niidi ^n, in bet
&Qnb — Gin (Tilns Siei. .,Sicv gcftinig, ^/-xi
DbEitcutncnt?" — l£r ^t In iiDcr Scclcnrufic
Hn«T bcin Suffct tin „3qSI" ^'ci cnQc^apft unb
ieb;m fin (>5Ias ticbcn^t, Qiid) ir.omffcm, bcm hies
bet le^ic S*Iutr Rwrbcn f^^Ilt^.

30, jo, ba? ilc&cu fcctacgi: firf) in (5cgcniahii:ii,
am meiftcn ;m 5ttteR.

Dbevkutnanl S. ttbwle>u (m.)

Plate 9.

best known newspapers in
'h Oct. 1914 (n° 513 Vora-
bendblatt p. 2 of the
Miinchner Neueste Nach-
richten) ? Lt Eberlein
describes the occupation
of St Die at the end ol
August. After entering the
town at Ihe head of a
column, he was obliged
lo ban-icade himself in-
side a house until rein-
forcements came up (Pla-
te 9):

We had arrested tliree
civilians, and suddenly a
good idea struck me. We
placed them ort chairs and
made them understand that
they must go and sit on them
in the middle of the street.
On one side entreaties, on
the other blows from the
butt-end of a gun. One gets
terriblj' hardened after a
while. At last they were
sealed outside in the street.
I do not know how many
prayers of anguish they
said; but they kept their
hands tightly clasped all
the time. I pitied them ;
but the devise worked
immediately. The shoo ling
at us from the house at the
side stopped at once ; we
were able to occupy the
house in front, and became
masters of the principal
street. Every one after that
who showed himself in the
street was shot. The artil-

— 21 —

lery, too did good work during tliis, and wlien towards seven
in the evening, tlie brigade advanced to free us, 1 was able to
report that " St Die is free of tlie enemy ".

As I learnt later on, the... regiment of reserve which had
entiered St Die more from the north had had similar expe-
riences to ours. The four civilians that had been made to sit
in the street had been killed by French bullets. I saw them
myself, stretched out in the middle of the street, near the Hos-
pital.

Article 28 of the Hague Convention of 1907, signed by
Germany, runs thus " It is forbidden 1o pillage a town or
localily even when taken by assault. "Article 47 runs : "(In
occupied territory), pillage is forbidden ".

This is how the armies of Germany interpret these
articles.

Private Handschuhmacher (of the 11 battalion of Jagers,
reserve) writes in his diary :

" 8"^ August 191-1. Gouuy, (Belgium). There as the Belgians had
fired on German soldiers we at once pillaged the Goods Station.
Some cases, eggs, shirts and all eatables were seized. The safe
was gulted and the money divided among the men. All
securities were torn up. " *

This took place on the fourth day of the war and
enables us to understand why in a technical article on the
Military Treasury (der Zahlmeister im Felde) the Berliner
Tagtblatt of llie 26"' Nov. 1914 (1 Supplement) notices as a
mere incident an economic phenomenon which is however
curious : " As it is a fact that far more money orders are
sent from the theatre of operations to the interior of the
country than vice versa... " « Da nun aber Erfahrungsgemdss

1. Hier hatten Belgier auf deutsclie Soldaten gescliossen, und gingen
wir sofor daran den Giiterbalinhof zu pliindern. Einige Kisten : Eier,
Hemden, und alles was zum essen war wurde aus den Kisten lieraus-
gesclilagen... Der eiserne Geldschrank wurde eingeschlagen und das
Gold unter die Leute geteilt, Werthpapiere wurden zerrissen. »

— 22 —

viel mehr Geld vomKriegsschauplatz nach der Heimat gesandt
wild... »).

But as, according to the common practice of the German
armies, pillage is hut the prelude to incendiarism, non-
commissioned-officer Hermann Levith (of the leO'" Regt.
VIII"' Army Corps) writes :

. " The enemy had occupied the village of Bievre and the skirts
of the wood. The S'"* Company advanced in first line. "We carried
the village and pillaged and burnt nearly all the houses. " '

And P"= Schiller (133 Inf. XIX"' Corps) writes.

" It was at Haybes (Ardennes) on the 24"" of August that we
had our first battle. The 2""* Battalion entered the village*
searched the houses sacked them and burnt all those from which
shots had been fired. " ^

Private Seb. Reishaupt (3 Bavarian Inf. 1"' Bavarian
Corps) writes :

" Parux (Meurthe-et-Moselle) is the first village we burnt;
then the dance began : villages one after the other ; by field
and meadow on bicycle to Ihe ditches by the roadside, there
we ale cherries." ^

They vie with one another in stealing, they steal
everything and anything, and they keep a record of their
loot : " Schnops, Wein, Marmelade, Zigarren " so writes this
plain soldier; and the smart officer of Ihe ITS"" Saxon, who
at first was indignant at the " Vandalismus " of his men,
confesses in his turn, that the P' of September at Rethel
he stole " in a house near the Hdtel Moderne, a splendid

1. « 23.8.1914. Der Feind hat das Dorf Bievre besetz und den Wald-
rand dahiiiter. Die 3. Kompagni^ ging in 1. Linie vor. Wir stiirmten
das Dort, plunderten und brannten fast samtliche Hauser nieder. »

2. « 24.8J914. Haybes. Hier kamen wir in das erste Gefecht (Dorfae-
fecht). Uas 2. Bataillon liintin in das Dorf, die Hauser unterauclit
gepliindert, und wo lieraus^eschossen wurde, abgebrannt. »

3. « 10.8.1914. Parle (sic) das erste Dorf verbrannt, dann gings los :
1 Dorf nacli dem andern in Flaramen ; uber Feid und Acker mit Rad
bis wir an Strassengraben kamen, wo wir dann Kirschen assen. »

— 23 —

, mackintosh and a camera for Felix". Without distinction ot
grade, nor ot arms, nor of Corps, tliey steal, and even
in the ambulances tlie doctors steal. Here is an example
from the diary of Private Johannes Thode (4. Reserve-
Ersatz Regiment) :

" Brussels 5.10.14. A motor arrives at the hospital with booty,
a piano, two sewing machines, a lot of albums and all sorts of
other tilings. " '

Two sewing machines, ns « booty » (Kriegsheule). Stolen
from whom? No doubt trom two humble Belgian women.
And tor whom?

VI

I must admit that out of the torty diaries I liave examined,
there are six or seven that tell of no exactions, either from
hypocritical reticence or because certain regiments wage
war less vilely. And I even know of three diaries, whose'
authors, as they narrate sordid details, are astonished,
moved to indignation, saddened. I shall withhold their
names, because they deserve our consideration, and lo
spare them the risk of being one day blamed or punished.
The first, P"=X..., who belongs to the 65'" Inf. of the Land-
wehr, says ot some ot his fellow comrades {Plate 10):

" They do not behave like soldiers, but like common thieves,
highwaymen and robbers,and are a disgrace to our regiment and
our army. ""■'

The second, Lt Y..., of the 77"' Inf. Reserve, says :

"No discipline... The Pioneers are not worth mucli ;

1. « 5.10.1914. Ein Auto kommt ins Lazarett und brlngt Kriegsheule :.
1. Klavier, 2 Nahraascliinen, viele Alben, und allerlei sonstige Sachen. »

2. « HitT hatte gestern die 6. Kompagiiie gehaust, nicht als Soldaten
sondern als gemeine Diebe. Einbrecher und Riiuber, die eine Unehre
fur unser Regiment und unser Heer sind. Schon voriier batten unsre
Truppen Champs halb gestort. »

24 —

as for the artillerymen they are a gang of robbers. "

And the third, Private Z..., 12"

L..

Inf. Reserve (1 Corps
Reserves) writes
.._._ {Plate 11) :

I '^"■^-^ z^'^*^'^ ^-^ ^''^//r/i~\

^

!-?^^

«?■

\ ^/i?-*#j»<i /,y /^ /5>J--4-«i, (fx-UvTC/r-j

%

t^/--^^

«-lt-jE.-t --J^!

P/afe fy.

.J

" Unfortunate-
ly, I am obliged
to mention some-
thing which
ought never to
have happened ;
but there are even
in our army ruf-
fians who are no
longer men, swi-
ne to whom no-
thing is sacred.
One of them ente-
red a sacristy that
was locked, in
which was the
blessed sacra-
ment. Out of res-
pect a proteslant
avoided sleeping
there; hepolluted
the place with his
excrements. How
can there be such
beings ! Last

night, a man of the
Landwehr.a man of thirty-five, and a married man, tried to rape
the daughter ef a man in whose house he had been quartered
she was a child; and as the father tried to interpose he kept
the point of his bayonet on the man's breast. " -^

1. « Schliram sind die Plonniere; die Artillerie, eine Kauberbande. »

2. « Leider muss ich in Vorkommnis mitteilen, das nicht haH^
stattfinden soUen und diirfen. Aber es gibt auch in unserm' Heere ent
mensch[t]tf Kerle, Schwelnhunde, denen nichts heihg ist Ein soldi
hat in die mlt dem Schliissel verschlossene Sakristei in der d!^
Allerhfeiligste stand und in welcher ein Protestant aus Ehrfurcht vn
demselben sich nidit sclilafen legte, elnen grossen Kaktus gesetzt Wip
^^"'1^.1^°}''^'' '^^'"<='^'^n geben? In der vorigen Naclit hat ein mehr
als 35jahriger Landwelirmann, verheiratet, die noch iunge TorhT.
seines Quarlierwirtes vergewaltigen wollen ; dem Vater, der dazu U,,^
setzte er das Bayonett anf die Brust. » ™

— 25 —

/i <*'- ■'"" 1--' ■ '"^ '"»/■■' ■ . «,

^'^ -, ,^""' If '^''' ^

/ r<

St*.— ^' / ^ . >\-' /^\m^ / ■*■' '^

■t*'^"'*' '/%.-vt''V^

^yiVA''

'!-'V^_.

7

►-i>.<'*«**»'*'****»*»*i^i^jw»f?-? x^ .

-^ v'^ V;'

'.-^S^

f

- -/'T^ .'JL-^.'-V^-* ■■•!

'.,--^ ^s

BEDIER, ANG.

— 26 —

With Ihe exception of these soldiers, who are worthy of
the name, the thirty other writers are the same, and the same
soul, if Ihe word be allowed, seems to animate them all,
uncontrolled and low. They are all alike, yet wilh some
shades of difference. There are some who make distinclions,
like subtle lawyers, sometimes blaming, sometimes disap-
proA'ing: " Dort war ein Exempelam Platze ". And there are
some who sneer : " Krieg ist Krieg " ; or in French, by prefe-
rence to add to their scorn " Ja, ja, c'est la guerre" ; and
there are some who having done their ugly work, open their
Hymn Book, and sing psalms : for instance the Saxon
officer Rieslang, who relates how one day he left a teasl to
go to " Gotlesdienst ", but was obliged to leave hurriedly,
having eaten and drunk too much; or again Private Moritz
Grosse of the 177"' Inf. who after describing the sack o
St Vieth (22"'' August) and that ot Dinant (23'"^ August)
writes this sentence {Plate /2) :

Throwing of bombs in the houses. In tlie evening, military
chorale : Nun danket alle Gott (Now, thank ye all God). '

They are all alike. Now, it we consider that I could
substilute for the preceeding examples others similar and
no less cynical, taken for instance from the diary of the
reservist Lautenschlager, of the P' Battalion ot the 66"'
Inf. Reg' , or from the diary of P'' Eduard Hohl of the
VIII Corps, or from the diary of non-commissioned officer
Rheinhold Koehn, of the 2"" Battalion of Pomeranian Pio-
neers, or from Ihe diary of the non-commissioned officer
Otto Brandt of the 2"'' section of the ambulance corps
(reserves) or from the diary of the Reservist Martin Muller,
of the 100"' Saxon Reserves, or from the diary of Lt Karl
Zimmer, of the 55"' Inf. or from the diary of P'"= Erich
Pressler of the 100"' Grenadiers, 1'^ Saxon Corps, etc. ; and
if we notice, that among the extracts already given, there
are very few isolated cases of brutality (as can be and are
found, alas in the most noble minded of armies) and that I

1. « Einschlagen von Graaaten in die Hauser. Abends Feldgesang :
Nan danket alle Gott. »

27 -

have scarcely noted here any crime that was not done by
order, any crime that does not implicate and dishonour
not onlj^ the individual soldier, but the whole regiment^
the officer, the

very nation ;
and if we con-
sider that these
thirty diaries,
whether they
be Bavarian or
Saxon, Baden
or Rhenish,
Pomeranian or
from Branden-
burg, taken ha-
phazard must
represent hun-
dreds and
thousands of
similar ones,
all of a tearful
monotony, we
shall be obli-
ged to allow, 1
think, that,
M. Rene Vivia-
ni in no way
overstated the
casewhenfrom
the French tri-
bune he spoke
of " this sys-
tem of collec-

;. <?r

A*

%/x>in,'i if iirfJ'

() J

^i.'r-tl

'..I'^^f

'/•'On. dH'H^

,'f.> r/.n,i-

f-r.f

■yciAi.

FlaU n.
live murder and pillage which Germany calls war

VII

H. M. the German Emperor, in ratifying the Hague Con-
vention of 1907 agreed (Article 23) "that it is forbidden (c)

— 28 —

to kill or wound an enemy, who having laid down his arms
and having no means of self-defence, gives himself up as a
prisoner; (d) to declare that no quarter will be given ".

Has the German Army respected these conventions? In
the French and Belgian reports, evidence is plentiful resem-
bling the following which comes from a Frenchman cap-
tain in the 288'" Infantry: " On the evening of the 22°'^ I
learnt that in the wood a hundred and fifty metres from the
cross-roads formed by the intersection of the great
trench at Calonne, and the road from Vaulx-les-Palameix
to St Remy there were some dead bodies of French soldiers
whe had been shot by the Germans.

I went there, and saw some thirty soldiers in a small space,
forthe most part lying down^ some however on their knees
and all having the same kind of wound, a gun-shot in the ear.
Only one, very severely wounded was able to speak. He
told me the Germans had, before leaving, ordered them to
lie down, then had killed them by a shot through the head ;
that he had been spared on telling them he was the father
of three small children. Their brainpans had been blown
some distance away the guns broken at the stock were
scattered here and there, and the blood had so besiiatte-
red the bushes that as I came out of the wood the front of
my cape was all smeared with blood; it was a real charnel-
house.

I have quoted this man's testimony, not to rely on it as
evidence but merely to make clear the nature of my indic-
tment ; as for justifying it I shall take care not to depart from
the rule I have laid down to resort to German sources of
information only.

Here is an order of the day given on the 26'" August by
General Stenger commanding the 58"" German Brigade to
his troops :

Von heute ab werden keine Gefangene mehr gemacht. Sam-
tliciie Gefangene werden niedergemacht. Verwundete ob niit
WafTen oder Wehrlos niedergemacht. Gefangene audi in gros-
seren 6 gesclilossenen Formatlonen werden niedergemacht. Es
bleibe kein Feind lebend hinter uns.

- 29 —

Oberlieutenant vind Kompagnie-Ghef STOY;'Oberst und Regi-
ments Kommandeur Neubauer; General-Major und Brigade-
Kommandeur Stenger.

Translation. After to-day no more prisoners will betaken.
All prisoners are to be killed. Wounded, with or without arms,
are to be killed. Even prisoners already grouped in convoys are
to be killed. Let not a single living enemy remain behind us.

Some thirty soldiers of Stenger's Brigade (112 and 142"" Reg'
of the Baden Infantry), were examined in our prisoners
camps. I have read Iheir evidence, which Ihey gave upon
oalh and signed. All confirm the statement that this order
of the day was given them on the 26"' August, in one unit
by Major Mosebach, in another by Lt Curtius, etc. ; the
majority' did not know whether the order was carried out ;
but three of them say they saw it done in the forest of
Thiaville, where ten or twelve wounded French soldiers
who had already been spared by a battalion were despat-
ched; two others saw the order carried out on the Thiaville
road, where some wounded found in a ditch by a company
were finished off.

No doubt, I cannot produce the autograph of General Sten-
ger, and it is not for me to communicate the names of the
German prisoners who gave this evidence. But I have no
difficulty in producing here German autographs in proof of
crimes precisely similar.

For example (Plate 13), here is an extract from ?'"= Al-
bert Delfosse's diary (III Inf. Reserve, XIV Reserve Corps) :

" In the forest of St Remy, 4"i or 5*'' September, saw a fine
cow and calf destroyed and once more corpses of Frenchmen,
frightfully mutilated. " «

Are we to understand from Ihislhatthese dead bodies had
been mutilated in fair fight torn to pirees for example by

1. « In Wald, eine sehr schone Kuh ne'bst ein Kalb eingeschosseii
gefunden : und wieder franz. Leichen schrecklich verstummelt. » j

30 —

./

y .,-<:i

^-7- /•,

f /

^^7^y:..-^>..z^:.>,.;>^'X /fc^^^

A. -, -^_„

P/afe i5.

— 31 —

shells? It may be; but thiswouldbeakindly interpretation
which the documents (Plates 1 A and iS) disprove :
;^ Here is a fac simile on a reduced scale from a newspaper
picked up in the German trenches, the Jauersches Tage-
blalt of the 18'" October 1914. Jauer is a town in Silesia,
about 50 kilometres west of Breslau; two battalions of the
154"' regiment ot the Saxon Infantry are stationed there.
One Sunday (Sonntag, den 18 Oklober) no doubt a the
hour when the inhabitants with their women and children
were going to church, this local newspaper was distributed
in the peaceful little town and in the hamlets and villages
of the district, bearing these headlines.

EIN TAG DER EHRE FUR UNSER REGIMENT.
24 SEPTEMBER 1914.

(A day of honour f'tr our Regiment.
24-'^ September 19U.)

It is the title of an article of two hundred lines, sent
from the front by a soldier of Ihe regiment. Non-com-
missioned-officer Kiemt. 1. Komp. InfanterieReg' 154.

Klemt tells how on the 24"' of September his regiment
which had left Hannonville in the morning and supported
on the march by Austrian batteries was suddenly received
by a double fire from artillery and infantry. The losses
wereenornious. Andyet the enemy was invisible. At last,
however, it was seen that the firing came from above,
from trees where French soldiers were posted. From now
on I shall no longer summarise, but quote. (Plate 16).

We brought them down like squirrels, and gave them a warm
reception, with blows of the butt and the bayonet : they no
longer need doctors ; we are no longer fighting loyal enemies,
but treacherous brigands. ^

1 Is there any need to remark that it no more " treacherous " than
't is lawful to shoot from the bows of a tree than from a window or
from the bottom of a trench? On the contrary, the rest of the narra-
tive will moreover prove it, it is as courageous as it is dangerous.

— 32 —

" By leaps and bounds we got across the clearing. They
were here, there, and everywhere hidden in the thicket. Now it

la«erfd|C0 f a0la(l

1 1'ltiitliriicr

J iur "i tit uiib

ftteis Souct ___!—.■

■, 18. orto6i-t ifli4.

%kxum m eflfliliriija ireuier um\%\tl

^io U)i(i'r|ceUoof? e.'tciit (ux bci- airbeit.

i'ilif)i(iijiiii.l). '^.-rliii, M.Z'U. ;'lii3 t'luinvi^ 'irft nm!!u^ niiia-m )(l. Cn. iimdtif!: %i\\\ V<. Cft.,
mul;ii!rtlii(!->. ^iltr^:.■ rn cnftliiilK SCrcir^cr „ttntU'i" hi &cr niirblMicit Jlorbjcc biirrfj ciucit
5uryi^^)il^!(lf; cuio Uiucvii-d'iuilfS vt"i 'Shifcu ;etirniiM- 1 Cifi,;ifr, 10 ^Imw uiavOdi wicliel
liiib ii[ Vili'.-v^Kii i:;'liTui:u!. ('■■'uui i}50 'AfJntiti •.ivrSea-wcrmlht- ,'iii iilndtcv ,^cii iinnbc hfi:
Jjvfii,\er „3:(|tt;iiw" (inctcnriffcii, iififr nl)iu- t^rf; d.

!il-ir til. Z.^3?. Bun awiUfiitr ZuWt Dilftirlfill luirb,

t t)f|riitlfliiiifl biuv nrHtfrfKr 2(11' uldjl U

S^er nciteftc rtmt(, iicutfdic 3d)liiriitcubcriri)t.

Sllnfftr.Pfiitr In ^Iriidac, CfifnOc iihB fcfl 2ilj|rwi,iBt. ,ln mmalti oOcS riii(ln- Sl'Vl^al[fr !wr flriuiyir id liliiiridion,
?!■ '?(iimiil). ('-■\riifji"i^ ■*>nitvtn"rtrtlcv, 17. Cd^tier, nuniiiltnii. 3n 'i^riiBRc iniD Cftciibc mixX't
roir^lirficd Jtittfl^ninJeviuI erbeiitcl. ii. o. em nrofje '}tii,fal)l ^vi'f«"*ft'if WcJiieljre tiub
iViirntipn, (uluic :iOO yitJditniHtirti,

^^ni ihuiiDeviTniifiif siitninlfi inTljiflieu firf) Mf ;llnffcii niii iifftriijEri Iihk t'l'ljio* iit^jflli' lici

liti 5(iiu-tutiitH lU'itiiidilnr (.9cFnti[\ciieR iiciiifrk fid) m\ 4000," fbcufo ipiir&fii iioit) iTiclfrcvc Oc'
Mltilfc neuoiitriicn.

Tit ftniiivifc hti iiiib fublicft '.^idvfffirtii bniitni norf) for*, 2B, S i^.

(<^iu Xag iiev (^^Ijrc fiir uufci* ))Jcfiimciit

Urr.ti CIt
1*. «)f

k.(r onr ■«■;

PZafe /i.

is down with the enemy ! And we will give them no quarter.
Every one shoots standing, a few, a very few fire kneeling. No

- 33 -

one tries to take shelter. We reach a little depression in the
ground : here the red trousers dead or wounded lie in; a. heap

Bb Una Ulniijnjt trt i'

JouiTloifl IiigoMuli.

1 Utflln i lAnn fuiijCt (.,: a

$^t.:f£S,:.,'

S«D][>'(!! . . ._ , — .„- ...

'^iifcA cjn Tu B nM) iiiD loll ciufltn un l..;iq

B liilT nitl HnDJiici

VZtS'i

0(llr)anniI»|Ht iJ.mc.iituv iUii-.ii.«[

.n^.'l« OB unlr.
■..i:<l rind cri.

(PrliljlihUliiicf SuiTbllrf.

IDcc mln&crt Mc Hoi in ©ftprciiftcn?

T<\t *(|4iWiil<lit if I ,3™ti|4ito loBtbimitt'

;;;..;:/ -jC^;:;

lidinfciii vsn narnfi.

Plate 15.

ground. We knock down or bayonet the wounded, for| we
know that those scoundrels fire at our backs when we have gone

BEDIER, ANG.

— 34 —

by. There was a Frenchman there stretched out, full length, face
down, pretending to be dead. A kick frrim a strong fusilier
soon taught him that we were there. Turning round, he asked
for quarter, but we answered : " Is that the way your tools work,
you, — and he was nailed to the ground. Close to me 1 heard
odd cracking sounds. They were blows from a gun on the bald
head of a Frenchman which a private of the 154'h was dealing
out vigorously ; he was wisely using a French gun so as not
to break his own. Tenderhearted souls are so kind to the
French wounded that they finish them with a bullet, but others
give them as many thrusts and blows as they can.

" Our adversaries had fought bravely, we had to contend
with picked men ; they let us get within thirty, even ten metres
of them — too near. Sacks and arms thrown away in quan-
tities showed that they had try to run, but at the sight of the
" grey phantoms " fear paralyzed them, and on the narrow
path they had to take, German bullets brought them the word
of command. Halt. At the .entry into the screen of branches,
there they lay groaning and crying for quarter. But whether
wounded slightly or severely, the brave fusiliers spare their
country the cost of caring for many enemies. "

The] narrative goes on, lull ot literary ornaments. The
writer reports that H. R. H. Prince Oscar of Prussia who
had been told of these brave deeds (perhaps too of others)
of the 154"" regiment, and of the regiment of grenadiers
who were brigaded with the 154"' declared that they were
both worthy of the name of Konigsbrigade, and ends up
with this sentence " When evening came, after a prayer of
thanksgiving we fell asleep in the expectation of the mor-
row ". Then the autlior having added as a postscript a
few more touches in verse takes his composition to his
lieutenant, who affixes his seal thereupon.

Certified to be exact
De Niem, Leutnant ^und Kompagnie Fuhrer.

Then he addresses his article to the town of Jauer,
where he is sure that an editor will accept it, compo-
sitors will print it, and an eittire population will delight
in it.

-35 -

fedt olle. ■ 6d)on meiben bie erfien gransmdnnet ent"
bectt. !Con ben 'Bdumen merben fie fjcrunteigefnallt
roie (iid)!)ornrt}en, unten niit ^olben iinb SeiteiigetDnl)r
„cDarm" empfangen, braucftcn fie feinen Slrat mii)t,
tuir tdmpfen niti)t meljr gcgen ebrlic^e t^Pii^f/ fonbern
geg?n tiitfifd^c Slduber. Epringenb gent's iiber bie
Gictitung ^iniiber — bal bort ! in ben i)ecten ftecfen
fie brin, nun aber brauf, *^arbon oirb nid)t gegeben.
Stebenb, freiF)dnbig, t)od)ften5 tnieenb totrb gcfdjoffen,
an Detfung benft niemanb met)r. 2Btr fommen an
eine DJiuIbe, tote unb oertounbete 5Roil}ofen liegenj
mcffcnbaft umber, bie SSennunbeten merben erfc^lagcn
ober erftodien, benn fd)on ojijfen roir, bo^ biefe Cumpen, j
iDcnn roir oorbei ftnb, un« tm 3iucten befeuern.
2HH bee groftfcn GtbUferung roirb gefdmpff. '
IDort lieyt tin grananionn Iniig luegfflred't, bas
(Befidjt auf bem SSoben, er ftctit fid} aber nur tot. Dec!
tJuBttitt eincs ftrammen iUJusfetiers belelirt itjn, bag
tuir ba finb. 5id) umbretjenb, ruft er ?Parbon, aber
fcf)on ift er mit ben SBorten : „Siet)ft bu, bu 53 . . .,
fo ftedien eure Singer" auf ber ©roe feftgenogelt.
D^eben niir bas unfjeimlidje Srartjen fomint oon ben i
KoIbenid)Idgen t)er, bie ein 154er rouctjtig auf einen
fran36fifd)en ^ai)lfop\ nieberfaufen IdBt. 2Bol)ftDeislit^
benu^te er 3U ber »2Irbeit ein franjofifdjes Oetcebr^'um
bas fetnige nid)t 5U 3ertd}Iagen. Ceute mit befonbers
tDeicfjem ®emiit gcben oerrounbefcn g-an^ofen bie
(Snabenfugel, bie anberen t)ouen unb ftedjen nod) 2Rog«'
Ii(i)teit. iapfer fiaben fid) bie ©egner gefdjtogen, es
rooren Glitefruppen, bie nsir oor uns tjatten, ouf 30—
10 SKeter liefeen fie uns f)eranfommen, bonn mor'a
aUetbingg 5U fpdt. TOaffent)aft roeggctoorfene Sornifter
unb ffioffen aeugen baoon, bo& fie fliel)?n woUien,
aber bas Gntfefeifn bcim SInblid ber felbgrauen „Un»
t)o[be" i)at tbnen bie gii&e Qtlaljmt unb miifen im
fdjmnlen Stege l)at itmen bie i3cuifd)e Xtugel if)r „6topp"

Plate 16.

— 36 —

Now, I ask m)'^ reader, no matter of what nationality :
can he imagine such an article being printed in his own
language, in the town in which he lives, and read by his
wife and children ? In what country, except Germany is
such a thing conceivable ? Not in France, at least.

Here is still one further convincing proof of how usual it
is for the German army to mutilate the wounded. It is
taken (Plates 17 and 18) from the diary of P'" Paul Glode,
of the 9'" Battalion of the Pioneers (IX Corps) :

" 12"' August 1914. In Belgium. — It is easy to imagine the
state of fury of our soldiers, when you see the villages that
have been destroyed. There is not one house left undamaged.
All eatables are requisitioned by the soldiers no longer com-
manded. We have seen heaps of dead men and women who
had been executed after trial. But the righteous anger
of our soldiers goes hand in hand with sheer vandalism. In
some villages which had 'already been deserted they " set up
the red cock " on all the houses (burnt them). The inhabitants
sadden me. If they use disloyal weapons, after all they are but
defending their country. The atrocities that these civilians
have been and are guiltj' of are avenged in a savage manner.
Mutilation of the wounded is the order of the dag. " '

This was written on Ihe 12"' of August, only eight daj's
after innocent Belgium had been invaded, and the wounded
who were tortured were only defending, against German}^
that land, their native land which Germany had sworn to
respect and if necessary to defend. But in many a coun-

1. « [Von tier Wut der Soldaten kanu man sich eiii Bild maclien,
wenii man die zerstorten] Dorfer sielit. Kein Haus ist nielir ganz. Alles
essbare wird von einzelnen Soldaten requiriert. Mehrere Haufen Mcns-
clien sail man, die standrechtlicli erschossen wurden. Kleine Schwein-
chen liefen umher und snchten ihre Mutter. Hunde lagen an der Kette
und hatleii nichts zu fressen und zu saufen und iiber ihnen brannten
die Hiiuser.

« Neben der gerechten Wut der Soldaten schreitet aiser auch purer
Vandalismus. In ganz leeren Dorfer setzen sie den roten Halin ganz
willkiirlich auf die Hauser. Mir tun Idle] Leute leit. [Wenn sie auch
unfaire Waffen gebrauchen, so verteidigen siejdocb nur ihr Vaterland.
Die Grausamkeiteu die veriibt wurden und nocli werden voh^seiten
der Burger werden wiist geracht,

« Verstiimmelungen der Verwun<ieten sind']an Tat/fsordnung.'j)

— 37^

> y

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''i^i-Cl'.'SZ

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r I.

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z

P/afe i7.

-38 —

r^^-r-

try, the Pharisees who having read these lines will calmly
go to their churches or Chapels, their bank-parlours or
their chancelleries murmuring : " In what way do these
things concern me ? Ja, Ja, it is war ".

Yes, it is war, but a war such as was never waged by the
soldiers of Marceau, nor ever will be waged by the soldiprs
of Joffre, such as never has been nor ever will be waged
by France, " mother ot the arts, of arms and of law ".
Yes, it is war,but such as even Attila would not have waged,
had he agreed to certain engagements, for, to agree to them
would have been to awake to the conception which alone
dislinguishes the civilized man trom the barbarian — the
nation from the horde — the respect of the given word. —
Yes, it is war, but a war whose insolent principles could
be constructed only by pedantic megalomaniacs the Julius
von Hartmanns, the Bernhardis, the Treilschkes; prin-
ciples that presume to authorize the people elect to blot
out from the laws and customs of war all the humanity
that centuries of Chi'istianily and chivalvy have with diffi-
culty introduced ; principles ot systematic ferocity, the
odious side of which is already obvious enough; but still
more the senseless and ridiculous side. Is it not indeed
ridiculous that they should be already obliged to deny it
at least in words, — they the burners ot Louvain,
Malines and Reims, they the assassins of women, children,
and wounded men ! and that they should have imposed
upoH their slavish ninety-three Kulturtrdger the denials
which we know so well : "It is not true, say j they,
that we wage .war contrary to the laws of nations, and

— 39 —

our soldiers do not commit acts ofindisciplineoi- cruelty'",
and again. " We will carry on this war to the bitter end
as a civilised people, for this we will answer in our name
and on our honour". Why this pitiful and humble denial?
Perhaps because their theory ol war presupposes as a pos-
tulate their invincibility, and asat the first shudder of their
defeat on the Marne it collapsed, they now repudiate it at
the first threat of relalialions.

I shall draw no conclusion : the allied armies who are
marching on towards victory will do that.

ADDITIONAL NOTE

General Stenger's order of the day, mentioned on'page 29
was communicated orally by various officers in various
units of the brigade. Consequently the form in which we
have received it may possibly be incomplete or altered.
In face of any doubt, the French government has ordered an
enquiry to be made in the prisoners' Camps. Not one
of the prisoners to whom our magistrates presented the
order of the day in the above mentioned form found a
word to alter. They one and all declared that this was the
order of the day which had been orally given in the
ranks, repeated from man to man ; many added the names
of the officers who had communicated the order to them ;
some related in what a vile way it had been carried out

1. The pamphlet entitled « Appel aux nations civilisees » which the
german government spread abroad, says : « II n'est pas vrai que nous fas-
sions la guerre au mepris du droit des gens. Nos soldats ne commettent ni
actes d' indiscipline ni cruautes. » This is the text of our translation.
The German text published under the title « An die Kulturweli » says :
« Es ist nicht wa ' r dass unsre Kriegsfiihrung die Gesetze des Volkerrechts
missachlet . Sie kennt keine zuchtlose Grausamkeit». There is, as will
be seen, a nuance between these two versions, both equally official.
The German version seems to admit as legitimate « die zuchimassige
Grausamkeit y> "cruelty exercised on service ".

— 40 —

under their eyes. All the evidence ot these German soldiers
was collected in a legal manner, under the sanction ot an
oath, and it is after reading their depositions that I wrote
the order ot the day.

The text of all this evidence was transmitted to all
the French embassies and legations in foreign countries on
the 24'" of Oct. 1914. Every neutral wishing to clear his
conscience is at liberty to obtain it from the reprensata-
tives ot the French Republic who will certainly respond
willingly.

Imp. de Vaugirard, H.-L Motti, dir., i3-i3, Impasse Ronsia, Paris.

I