  THE GERMAN ARMY THE WHITE BOOK OF MAY 1915 TRANSLATED BY E.N. BENNETT Late Capt. 4th Batt. Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, WITH A front NEW YORK FOREWORD The Allied case against Germany with respect to the conduct of the Kaiser's troops in Belgium rests mainly on four publications. (1) "The Report of the Belgian Commission of Inquiry." (2) The Belgian "Rapports sur la Violation du Droit des Gens en Belgique." (3) The Belgian "Reply to the German White Book." (4) The "Bryce Report." It was the last of these which mainly influenced British and American opinion. This famous compilation owed much to the reputation of the eminent scholar who presided over the Enquiry, and to the names of Messrs. Fisher, Harold Cox and others who were members of the Commission. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that our experience during the storm and stress of the war does not indicate that our literary and intellectual leaders have as a class shown either greater fidelity to principle or less susceptibility to the evil influences of war-fever, than the ordinary man in the street; and now that the more salient symptoms of this fever are abating and prejudice is slowly being replaced by reasoned judgment, the Bryce report can no longer retain unchallenged its claim to present a critical and convincing record of unquestioned facts. The numerous statements which it embodies were mainly derived from Belgian refugees who had reached our shores. Very many of these men and women were naturally in a state of nervous excitement and full of bitter indignation against the invaders of their soil. Such mental conditions are never conducive to the presentation of accurate and veridical evidence. Further it is obvious that some of these refugees were not eye-witnesses of the outrages they describe, for they had fled from their homes and merely record their own inferences as to events which had occurred during their absence. Another serious weakness in the Report arises from the fact that the various barristers and others who were sent round to interview these refugees were with very few exceptions quite unable to converse fluently in French and wholly ignorant of Flemish. Finally, none of the evidence was taken on oath. Here then we have an ill-digested mass of unsworn statements—some merely at second-hand—made by excited and angry Belgians, and transmitted by interpreters, themselves unsworn, which is presented to the world as final and conclusive proof of Germany's guilt, while at the same time the publication in this country of a plain translation of Germany's official defence against these charges was forbidden by the Censor. The testimony of the Bryce Report served its purpose and aroused a volume of indignant and scandalised opinion which provided one of the sharpest weapons employed against our chief enemy; but it must be admitted that the methods by which it was compiled were so lax and uncritical that the results sink far below the level ordinarily demanded by the serious historian. The definite and fundamental contention of both the Bryce and the Belgian Reports is that, with the possible exception of a very few and very doubtful cases, no civilian attacks were made on the German troops. This point is strongly and repeatedly emphasised. "The German Government" says the Bryce Report, page 31, "have sought to justify their severities on the ground of military necessity and have excused them as retaliation for cases in which civilians fired on German troops. There may have been such cases in which such firing occurred, but no proof has ever been given, or to our knowledge attempted to be given of such cases, nor of the stories of shocking outrages perpetrated by Belgian men and women on German soldiers." The Belgian Reply to the White Book (p. 7) is still more emphatic. "As a matter of fact the so-called Belgian francs-tireurs were non-existent.... The theory of an armed resistance on the part of the Belgian civil population to the German troops is utterly opposed to the facts." The following statement of Monseigneur Haylen is quoted: "We declare in concert with the whole Belgian people that the story of Belgian francs-tireurs is a myth, an invention and a calumny. We do not hesitate most solemnly to defy the German Government to prove the existence of a single group of francs-tireurs.... We have no knowledge even of an isolated case of civilians having fired on the troops.... In no single case was the supposed culprit named." Such is the position definitely taken up by the official Reports and adopted by an overwhelming majority of people in Great Britain and America, to go no further. Nevertheless I have always found it difficult to accord unquestioning acceptance to the popular belief. From an a priori point of view it is difficult to believe that German troops, probably the most sternly disciplined and best educated soldiers in the world, should have deliberately gone out of their way to shoot innocent civilians in Belgium and destroy their property for no apparent reason at all. To embroil themselves wilfully with the civilian inhabitants at a time when every minute was precious in their scheme of a rapid advance against the Anglo-French forces was obviously the last thing the invaders would desire. The supposition that the Germans indulged in appalling and indiscriminate acts of terrorism against quite innocent people in order to secure the safety of their lines of communication is ridiculous on the face of it. In short, the current view of "Belgian atrocities," admirably as it served its purpose as valuable propaganda, contains within itself so many difficulties that no fair-minded historian of the future could accept it as it stands. We have seen the evidence adduced to prove Germany's misdeeds in Belgium. Why have we been prevented from seeing Germany's defence against these charges? In any civilised society, even the vilest criminal is allowed to defend himself. What is the use of "defying Germany" to prove a single case of franc-tireur action and at the same time depriving the public of all access to the German White Book with its long list of specific outrages supported by sworn evidence? Here then is presented for the first time in Great Britain Germany's official reply to the charges formulated against her troops during their passage through Belgium. The reader can judge of the evidence for himself. To refuse it a hearing on the a priori assumption that, as Mr. Bonar Law declared in the House of Commons, it was "full of lies," or that nothing that a German states could be true, is scarcely worthy of a sane and judicial mind. Nor do I hesitate to say in this respect that any Englishman who knew his Europe in pre-war days would have regarded the sworn testimony of a German as at least quite as trustworthy as the unsworn evidence of a Belgian. But apart from the Bryce and Belgian Reports on the one hand and the German White Book on the other there exists a mass of evidence hitherto almost unknown in Great Britain or America—I refer to the evidence of the Belgian Press in the early days of the invasion. Here are some extracts from well-known newspapers:—
In the face of such evidence, much of it furnished by correspondents who were eye-witnesses of what occurred, the main contention of the Belgian and Bryce Reports falls to the ground. The Belgian criticism of these statements as "taken from second-rate papers," "proving nothing," "unimportant," is obviously futile. That the German troops were confronted with a wide-spread and determined opposition on the part of armed civilians in flagrant violation of the Laws of War must be accepted as a fact established by evidence varied, cumulative and irresistible. On the other hand it is clear that no final verdict can be passed on the vexed question of the Belgian atrocities in general, until the unsworn evidence accumulated against the Kaiser's troops has been met to a much fuller extent. The White Book does not cover more than the incidents which occurred at Dinant, Aerschot, Andenne, Louvain, and the neighbourhood of VisÉ. While therefore it disproves, in conjunction with the Belgian evidence cited above, the propaganda plea that the story of civilian attacks was a myth, it does not of course deal with more than a portion of the ground covered by the British and Belgian Reports. Before any complete decision can be reached we should require official replies from the German Government to a variety of alleged outrages in dozens of villages like Gomery, Latour, Ethe, the horrible charge of the shooting of the Valckenaers family at Thildonck, and so on. There were certain cases, one of them known to the writer, in which mistakes and misunderstandings led to the execution of innocent civilians. Full allowance, too, must be made for the existence in all conscript armies of brutal and criminal types—not confined to the rank and file—and for the demoralising effects to which all the armies of the war were exposed whenever an abundant supply of wines and spirits was easily accessible by purchase or looting. Nevertheless the fact that the main position taken up by the Allied Reports is obviously untenable, coupled with the significant refusal to allow the official German defence access to our shores, and the deliberate and disgraceful circulation of pseudo-atrocity stories during the war, would seem to suggest that as regards some at least of the alleged incidents lying outside the White Book suspense of judgment, pending further researches, may be the wisest attitude. Some day a useful and interesting monograph may be written on the whole question of atrocities in war. Careful investigation would, I am convinced, yield psychological results of permanent value, and establish the fact that the mental attitude which originates or accepts atrocity stories is frequently based on an amazing inter-mixture of credulity, mal-observation, megalomaniac impulses and deception, conscious or unconscious. Meanwhile it is evident that the immense outlay of money and energy expended on the propaganda publications of the Entente fully accomplished their object and contributed most effectively towards winning what President Wilson has described as "a commercial and industrial war." Nevertheless the impartial historian of the future will, I think, present the story of the German invasion of Belgium in a somewhat different light from that in which this chapter of history has been portrayed in the official propaganda of the Allied Powers. The final conclusions arrived at will perhaps be shaped on these lines:— (1) That the Allied propagandists adopted methods of investigation which were often superficial and inadequate and accepted, together with certain evidence which was valid, much that was unsound and worthless. (2) That the official defence put forward by the enemy was to a very large extent ignored or suppressed. (3) That according to the recognised usages of war the German troops were fully justified in taking reprisals on the persons or property of those Belgian civilians who actually attacked them. (4) That in some cases this right was exercised with unreasonable severity, and without adequate discrimination. (5) That in certain instances, e.g., the shooting of the hostages at Les Rivages, the invaders acted in a manner condemned by the general consensus of civilised opinion. The civilised world was invited to condemn the German reprisals of 1914 in Belgium. What verdict will it record with reference to British reprisals in Ireland six years later? The analogies inevitably suggested between the two cases are not as clear as they might at first sight appear to be. (1) The civilians who fired on the invaders in Belgium were irregular combatants wholly distinct from the recognised Belgian Army. They were in fact francs-tireurs and nothing else. The men who are fighting against the troops of the Crown in Ireland constitute the only hostile force we have to meet. They are certainly not francs-tireurs: the question is, are they rebels or, as they have consistently claimed to be, combatants in civil war? If the former, they are technically outlaws and cannot claim belligerent rights. But the Prime Minister has himself definitely stated that "civil war" is being waged in Ireland and this statement appears to be in strict accord with international law, which makes a clear distinction between "rebellion" and "civil war."[1] Rebellion is action undertaken by sporadic groups of individuals with little organisation and hopelessly inferior in numbers to the forces of the existing Government. The Irish Republican troops on the other hand are organised in Divisions, Brigades and Battalions, are controlled by responsible leaders, and greatly outnumber the military and armed police forces opposed to them. Their claim therefore to be combatants engaged in civil war and, as such, to be treated in accordance with the rights and usages of war, seems well grounded. Had this claim been admitted from the commencement, the hideous death-reprisals indulged in on both sides would probably never have occurred. Such acts as the ambushing of troops in lorries or on foot are of course perfectly legitimate methods of offence in ordinary warfare. (2) As far as can be gathered from the White Book, the francs-tireurs who fired on Belgian troops were, even when caught flagrante delicto, usually accorded a drum-head court-martial or summary trial. But many instances have occurred in Ireland when unarmed men have been shot dead in or near their homes and sometimes in their beds, without even the semblance of a trial. (3) Military reprisals in Belgium were, at any rate, regular in one respect: they were carried out under orders. According to the "Manual of Military Law," compiled for the use of our own Army, no reprisals are legitimate unless ordered by an officer. It is obvious that in very many cases Irish reprisals have been executed by the rank and file on their own responsibility, in total disregard of military discipline, but with complete immunity from punishment. Certain of these reprisals, e.g., the shooting down of men, women and children at Croke Park, far exceed in atrocity anything proved against the Germans in Belgium. (4) Although houses were frequently destroyed by the Germans the pretext in every case was that from these houses civilians had fired upon the troops. No parallel, as far as I can see, exists for the amazing Order issued in Cork to the effect that houses with their furniture are to be burnt because the occupants "must have known of ambushes" in the neighbourhood and "ought to have informed the authorities." Nor again is any parallel found in the White Book to the reckless destruction in Cork of public and private buildings, including the Free Library, as a reprisal for an ambush outside the city, or for the burning of creameries, factories, farms and haystacks in a general campaign of vengeance. It seems clear that fresh precedents are here established which are certainly not covered by the rules of civilised warfare, and run counter to the ordinary laws of reason and humanity. (5) The use of hostages has been adopted in Ireland, as in Belgium, for there is little discrimination in principle between shooting hostages and exposing them to death on military lorries from the fire of their compatriots. Although the question of hostages is not covered by the Regulations of either Geneva or the Hague, the claim to inflict injury or death on innocent persons in order to bring pressure to bear on an enemy force is now generally condemned as a barbarous and obsolete usage of war, and as such is expressly discountenanced by our "Manual of Military Law" (page 306). [1] Vide Sir T. Barclay, "Laws of War" (Encyc. Brit.). Even rebels, when fighting for a political object, are, according to high authorities like Bluntschli and Fiore, entitled to belligerent rights, and must not be treated as a "crowd of criminals" (eine Masse von Verbrechern). Cf. Bluntschli (Das moderne VÖlkerrecht VIII. 512).—Wird sie dagegen nur strafrechtlich verfolgt, so wird dadurch der tatsÄchliche Kampf verwildert und es ist Gefahr dass die beiden streitenden Parteien in die Barbarei versinken und einander mit grausamen Represalien zu Überbieten suchen. What a prophetic picture of Ireland in 1921! PREFACE Immediately after the outbreak of the present war, the Belgian civil population began a wild contest against the German troops, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, and resulted in the most serious consequences for Belgium and its people. This struggle of a populace governed by the rudest passions raged during the entire forward march of the German Army through Belgium. When the Belgian Army had retired before the German troops, after obstinate combats, the Belgian civil population in the unoccupied parts of the country endeavoured to hinder the German advance by every possible means; moreover, even in the places which had been in possession of German troops for a long time, the inhabitants had no hesitation in trying to damage and weaken the German forces by cowardly and treacherous attacks. The full extent of this armed popular resistance can be gauged from the accompanying sketch-map (App. 1), wherein the German lines of advance and the Belgian places in which the civilian fighting took place are marked. That along these routes and at these places the Belgian civil population of every grade, age, and sex took part with the greatest bitterness and fury in the fights against the German troops can be proved from existing and weighty material, supported by official documents containing the results secured by examinations on oath and official reports. A selection from this material is given in the various Appendices, which, however, only deal with the most important events, and can be supplemented at any time by further extracts. According to the accompanying material the Belgian civil population fought against the German troops in many places in the provinces of LiÈge (Apps. 2-10), Luxembourg (Apps. 11-30), Namur (Apps. 12, 17, 31-42), Hainault (Apps. 3, 7, 10, 40, 43-46, 49), Brabant (Apps. 47-49), East and West Flanders (Apps. 49, 50). The fights were of a particularly dreadful character in Aerschot, Andenne, Dinant, and Louvain, and about these places special reports were delivered by the Military Court of Examinations, instituted by the Ministry of War for the purpose of inquiring into the violations of the laws of war (Apps. A, B, C, D). According to these reports, men in all stations of life—workmen, factory owners, doctors, teachers, even priests, not to speak of women and children—were arrested with weapons in their hands (Apps. 18, 20, 25, 27, 43, 47; A5; C18, 26, 29, 31, 41, 45, 48); in districts from which the Belgian regular troops had long since retired the Germans were fired on from houses and gardens, roofs and cellars, fields and woods. In the fighting, methods were employed to which regular troops would certainly not have resorted, and large quantities of sporting-guns and ammunition, out-of-date revolvers and pistols were also found (Apps. 6, 11, 13, 26, 36, 37, 44, 48, 49; A2; C52, 81; D1, 2, 6, 20, 37); in consequence, there were numerous cases of wounds caused by small-shot, and also by scalding with hot tar and boiling water (Apps. 3, 10; B2; C5, 11, 28, 57; D25, 29). In view of all these facts, there can be no doubt that the uprising in Belgium was not undertaken by isolated civilians, but by large masses of the population. The methods of fighting employed by the civilian population were absolutely incompatible with the universally recognised rules of international law, as laid down in Articles 1 and 2 of the Hague Convention (Laws and Customs of War on Land), which had also been accepted by Belgium. These rules differentiate between organised and unorganised civilian warfare. In an organised People's War (Article 1) the militia and volunteer corps, in order to be recognised as belligerents, must observe the four following regulations: They must have responsible leaders at their head; they must wear a distinctive badge, also visible at a distance; they must carry their weapons openly; and must conform with the laws and usages of war. The unorganised People's War (Article 2) need not fulfil the first two of the above conditions, but must strictly adhere to the two latter ones: it may only be carried on in territory not yet occupied by the enemy, and only then if no time has been left to arrange for an organised People's War. The two special conditions laid down for organised civilian warfare were certainly not carried out by the Belgian francs-tireurs, because all the German military reports are unanimous in stating that the civilians found fighting had no responsible leaders, and wore no military badges (Apps. 6, 49; C4-7, 12, 15, 22, 24, 25, 31; D). The Belgian francs-tireurs can therefore not be looked upon as organised militia or volunteer corps according to the meaning of the laws of war. The fact that apparently Belgian soldiers and members of the Garde Civique also took part in their enterprises does not alter the case, because, as these persons too did not wear military badges, but mingled with the population in civilian dress (Apps. 6; A3; C25; D1, 30, 45, 46), they forfeited the rights of belligerents. The whole of the Belgian People's War can therefore only be regarded as an unorganised armed opposition of the civilian population. Being as such only permissible in unoccupied territory, it was without doubt absolutely against international law, when carried out in places already in the possession of German troops, as, for instance, in Aerschot, Andenne, and Louvain. But also in those places not yet occupied by German troops unorganised civilian war was not permissible, as the Belgian Government had had ample time to organise civilian war in accordance with international law. The Belgian Government had reckoned with the fact for many years, that in the event of an outbreak of war between Germany and France they would be drawn into the conflict; the preparations for their mobilisation were, as can be proved, commenced at least a week before the entry of the German troops. The Government were therefore in the position to provide those members of the civilian population they proposed to make use of for fighting purposes with military badges, and give them responsible leaders. If the Belgian Government made known to the German Government through the mediation of a neutral Power that they had taken the necessary measures, this only proves that they were in a position to comply with the conditions as laid down; in any case, however, such steps were not taken in those parts of the country traversed by the German troops. The requirements of international law for an unorganised People's War were, according to this, quite disregarded in Belgium, and, moreover, it was carried on in a manner which alone would have sufficed to have put those who participated in it outside the laws of war. For the Belgian francs-tireurs regularly carried their weapons in a concealed fashion, and failed to observe the laws and usages of war throughout. On unimpeachable evidence it has been proved that, in a large number of cases, the German troops were received by the inhabitants on their arrival in an apparently friendly manner, and then, when darkness set in, or some other opportunity presented itself, were surprised by an armed attack; such cases occurred especially in Blegny, Esneux, Grand RosiÈre, BiÈvre, Gouvy, Villers devant Orval, Sainte-Marie, Les Bulles, Yschippe, Acoz, Aerschot, Andenne, and Louvain (Apps. 3, 8, 11-13, 18, 22, 28, 31, 43; A, B, D). All these surprise attacks obviously offend against the precept of international law that weapons are to be carried openly. The chief burden of blame which rests on the Belgian people is, however, their unheard-of violation of the usages of war. In several places, for instance LiÈge, Herve, Brussels, Aerschot, Dinant, and Louvain, German soldiers were treacherously murdered (Apps. 18, 55, 61, 65, 66; A1; C56, 59, 61, 67, 73-78), which is absolutely against the prohibition which forbids the "treacherous killing or wounding of individuals belonging to the enemy people or army" (Article 23, Section 1 (b) of the Hague Convention: The Laws and Customs of War on Land). Further, the Belgian population did not respect the sign of the Red Cross, and thereby offended against Article 9 of the Geneva Convention of July 6th, 1906; in particular, they did not hesitate to fire upon the German troops under the protection of this sign, and also to attack hospitals in which there were wounded, as well as members of the Ambulance Corps, while they were carrying out their duties (Apps. 3, 4, 12, 19, 23, 28, 29, 32, 41, 49; C9, 16-18, 32, 56, 66-70; D9, 21, 25-29, 38, 47). Finally, it is absolutely certain that German wounded were plundered and killed by the Belgian population, and indeed in many cases horribly mutilated; and that even women and young girls took part in these shameful actions. In this way the eyes of German wounded were torn out, ears, noses, fingers, and sexual organs cut off, or their bodies slit open (Apps. 54-66; C73, 78; D35, 37); in other cases, German soldiers were poisoned, hung on trees, deluged with burning fluid or otherwise burnt, so that they died a particularly agonising death (Apps. 50, 55, 63; C56, 59, 61, 67, 74-78). This bestial behaviour on the part of the population is not only absolutely contrary to the express obligation laid down in Article 1, Section 1 of the Geneva Convention regarding the "respect and care of" the wounded and sick of the enemy army, but also to the first principles of the laws of war and humanity. Under these circumstances, the Belgian civil population who took part in the fights could of course make no claim to the treatment due to belligerents. On the contrary, it was absolutely necessary for the preservation of the German Army to have recourse to the sharpest measures against these francs-tireurs. Individuals who fought against the German troops had therefore to be cut down; prisoners could not be treated as prisoners of war, according to the laws of war, but as murderers. All the same, the forms of judicial procedure were complied with, in so far as they were compatible with the necessities of war; the prisoners were, when the circumstances permitted, only shot after a hearing in accordance with the regulations, or after sentence by a military court (Apps. 19, 20, 37, 40, 41, 43, 44, 48). Old men, women, and children were spared to the widest extent, even when gravely suspected (Apps. 49; C5, 6, 25, 26, 28, 31, 35, 41, 47, 79); and indeed the German soldiers, although their patience was put to an extremely hard test, looked after such people, whenever possible, sometimes in the most self-sacrificing manner, taking the helpless under their protection when in danger, sharing their bread with them, bringing the sick and weak to places where they could be cared for (Apps. C45, 47, 51-53, 55, 58, 80-86). That the Belgian Government are largely to blame for the illegal attitude of their population towards the German Army is indisputable. For apart from the fact that a Government has, under all circumstances, to bear the responsibility for actions of this kind, which are the expression of the popular will, the serious accusation must be made against them that they did not put an end to this guerilla war, although they could have done so (Apps. 33, 51-53; D42, 43, 48). It would certainly have been easy for them to give the necessary instructions to their officials, such as the Burgomasters, members of the Garde Civique, and the soldiers, in order to check the passionate excitement of the people, which had been artificially aroused. Therefore the full responsibility for the terrible blood-guiltiness which rests upon Belgium must be attached to the Belgian Government. The Belgian Government have made the attempt to free themselves from this responsibility by attributing blame for the occurrences to the destructive rage of the German troops, who are said to have committed deeds of violence without any reason. They have appointed a Commission for the investigation of the alleged German outrages, and have made the findings of this Commission the subject of diplomatic complaint. This attempt to pervert the facts has failed utterly. The German Army is accustomed to make war only against hostile armies, and not against peaceful inhabitants. The incontestable fact that from the commencement a defensive struggle was forced on the German troops in the interests of self-protection by the population of the country cannot be argued away by the investigations of any Commission. The narratives of fugitives gathered together by the Belgian Commission, which are characterised as being the result of scrupulously impartial investigations, bear the stamp of untrustworthiness, if not of malicious misrepresentation. In view of the existing conditions the Commission was not in a position to test the correctness of the reports brought before it, or to grasp the connection of events. Their accusations against the German Army are therefore nothing but low calumnies, which cannot stand before the documentary evidence possessed by us. The struggle of the German troops with the civil population of Aerschot did not arise because German officers attacked the honour of the Burgomaster's family, as is suggested on the Belgian side, but on account of a well-thought-out attack on the Commanding Officer of the place by the civil population, who treacherously murdered him (App. A). At Dinant it was not innocent, peaceful inhabitants who fell victims to the German arms, but murderers, who treacherously attacked German soldiers, and in this way involved the troops in a struggle which destroyed the city (App. C). In Louvain the fight with the civil population did not arise because fleeing German troops were involved by mistake in hand-to-hand contests with their comrades who were entering the town, but because a deluded population, unable to grasp the course of events, thought they could destroy the returning German soldiers without danger (App. D). Moreover in Louvain, as in other towns, the burning torch was only applied by German troops when bitter necessity demanded it. The plan of the destruction of Louvain (App. 50) shows clearly how the troops confined themselves to destroying only those parts of the city in which the inhabitants opposed them in a treacherous and murderous manner. It was indeed German troops who took care, whenever possible, to save the artistic treasures, not only of Louvain, but of other towns; a special German Commission has shown to what a large extent German troops protected the art treasures of Belgium. The Imperial German Government believe that by the publication of the material contained in this work they have proved in a convincing manner that the action of the German troops against the Belgian civil population was provoked by the illegal guerilla war, and was required by the necessities of war. On the other hand, they level a solemn and emphatic protest against a population which has, by the most despicable means, waged a dishonourable war against the German soldiers and still more against a Government which, in complete perversion of its duties, gave rein to the senseless passions of the population, and now does not scruple to endeavour to free itself from its own heavy guilt by mendacious libels upon the German Army. Berlin, May 10th, 1915. THE GERMAN ARMY IN BELGIUM APPENDICES 2-66— App. 2.
I took part in the sudden outbreak of hostilities at LiÈge as Reserve officer of my battalion. When during the advance upon LiÈge a stoppage occurred on the line of march, I rode out through the village of Battice to discover the cause. At the very first houses, I was fired upon, and saw clearly two civilians shooting from a window in the roof, whose fire I returned. One of them I must have killed with my Mauser carbine, for he fell to the ground at once. I believe I hit the other also. At the same time from different sides—in my estimate there were at least from 15 to 20 guns—fire was opened on myself and the cavalry men, who had in the meantime arrived on the scene. I received a light gunshot wound in the lower part of my body, while many pellets passed through my valise. The persons who fired were certainly civilians. The houses, from which they had been fired at, were set alight by the troops who had arrived. I myself had meanwhile ridden on farther. The incident must have occurred on the 4th or 5th of August. During later motor-car journeys on military duties I was fired at by civilians on countless occasions. In France up to the present nothing of the kind has ever happened to me. Signed: v. Amelunxen. App. 3.
Guignicourt, September 29th, 1914. On the 5th August 1914, just before dark, violent gun-fire was directed against our heavy baggage from many windows by the inhabitants of the village of Blegny. Lieutenant Hahn deposes that troops were fired upon at night by the inhabitants from the very same houses in Blegny in which they had been entertained during the day. Musketeer Gocheln of the 6th Company was killed in this way; Musketeer Hochgrafe of the 7th Company was wounded by a shot in his shoulder. Both companies were witnesses to this. These incidents were repeated during the night, and in this way Musketeers Maiworm and Epping of the 5th Company were wounded. Lieutenant Edler von Daniels testifies that in a Belgian village near Blegny his patrol was fired upon from ambush. This took place in a street where the 9th Company had bivouacked for a day and a night. At Troisfontaines the 11th Company was fired upon from the houses by civilians. Musketeers Meister and Schwaffertz were wounded. In this same place men belonging to this company were in the daytime entertained with cigars and food, and particularly by an elderly man; this same man fired by night and wounded a man of the company. Staff-Surgeon Dr. Falk, who, with the ambulance party of the 1st Battalion, wanted to push forward to the wounded on August 5th, 1914, was fired upon by civilians, so that he was forced to take shelter. Non-commissioned Officer Voss of the 4th Company was killed by three shots from civilians. He could not be fetched, as the street had been brought under fire by the inhabitants. Lieutenant Hahn was an eye-witness of what took place. In Anderlues shots were fired from a house by a French soldier and a civilian. An Acting-Sergeant-Major and non-commissioned officer were seriously wounded, a musketeer of the 11th Company was killed. A witness of this occurrence is Captain Eckhardt. The soldier and civilian were shot. Signed: von Gottberg. App. 4.
Cherisy, November 23rd, 1914. Court of the 7th Infantry Division. There appeared as witness Staff-Surgeon of Reserve Dr. Rehm, 3rd Battalion, Infantry Regiment No. 165, who, after the importance of the oath had been pointed out to him, made the following statement: On the 6th of August 1914 I reached at Retinne a military ambulance station, where the staff was very busily occupied. The character of the station was clearly made known by its Red Cross flags, and in view of the whole nature of its activities no doubt could exist as to its real character. In the immediate vicinity no fighting had taken place; on the contrary, our troops had already advanced to Bellaire. Nevertheless our ambulance station was persistently fired upon; continually, for the whole day long, single shots fell amongst us, coming from the houses close at hand, and mostly, as a matter of fact, from the roofs. The shots which fell upon the hospital could only have proceeded from civilians, as there were no longer any enemy troops in the place. As I could not for the time being secure any troops for the protection of the ambulance station, I armed the lightly wounded and allowed them to return the fire—for the moment, however, with little success, as we could not see our well-concealed adversaries. When in the evening some detachments of troops arrived at Retinne and were also fired at, the houses were systematically searched. From some houses dozens of men were dragged out. It was noticeable that in the houses were only one or two women and no children at all, so that I formed the impression that the firing had been arranged beforehand. The men fetched out of the houses were without exception civilians of various ages. Read over, approved, signed. Signed: Staff-Surgeon Dr. Rehm. Proceedings closed. Signed: Dr. Welt. Signed: Lorenz. App. 5.
Waldrieder, August 17th, 1914. 1. At VisÉ the inhabitants carried out a surprise attack upon the 18th Pioneers on the night of the 15th-16th August. 2. Between VisÉ and Warsage my platoon was continuously fired at from the immediate surroundings from about 10 o'clock in the evening till 3 in the morning. A column of army bakers retired from VisÉ and was also fired at. We could see nothing of the inhabitants. When in the morning I passed through Warsage in order to secure provisions, it was empty, with the exception of one or two houses. Signed: Zielsche, Lieutenant. App. 6.
Hanover, November 20th, 1914. Present: There appeared as witness Dentist Rasch, Non-commissioned Officer of Reserve, now in Reserve battalion, Infantry Regiment No. 74, who stated: As to Person: My name is Gustav. I am 29 years old; Lutheran. As to Case: When the mobile Infantry Regiment No. 74 was marching on LiÈge in August 1914, I received the order to remain behind with a detachment of the 9th Company for the protection of the baggage collected in the market-place at Poulseur. There were also available a few infantry soldiers and hussars as escort. Amongst the officers personally known to me was an Artillery Lieutenant of Reserve, Hildebrandt, who came from Hanover. When the regiment itself had already advanced from Poulseur in the direction of LiÈge, and night had fallen, the baggage and the escort beside it in the market-place were suddenly fired upon from all the surrounding houses. This hostile firing had clearly been planned and concerted beforehand, for immediately before the fire began the lights in the surrounding houses were simultaneously extinguished, and at the same moment came firing from all sides. We did not know what was happening to us. Moreover, we were not only fired at from the houses, but assailed with cartridges of dynamite or some similar explosive, which possibly were derived from one of the mines in the neighbourhood of Poulseur. The firing continued, with certain intervals, the whole night through. We on our side of course opened fire and tried as far as possible to find shelter behind the baggage waggons. Nevertheless we had dead and wounded; among these was a Lieutenant of Reserve of a hussar regiment, whom we placed in an inn belonging to a German. I myself took part with my men in storming a number of houses. During this process persons who actually opposed us in the houses with weapons in their hands were shot down. Where we found arms and munitions in the houses, we brought the occupants into the market-place. I can affirm with absolute certainty that all those who resisted us or were brought to the market-place wore no uniforms; on the contrary, they were, without exception, civilians. Next morning when we had proceeded with the baggage to the outskirts of the town there arose from the town an extremely violent series of crackling sounds which served to indicate the existence of thousands of cartridges. Some of the men said that the countless cartridges which had been found in the Burgomaster's house were exploding. Further, when the baggage of Regiment No. 74 withdrew on the following day through Poulseur from the direction of LiÈge, we were again fired upon. Read over, approved, signed. Signed: Rasch. The witness was sworn. Verified. Signed: Lindenberg. Signed: LÜhe. App. 7.
At midday on August 14th, at LouveignÉ, an artillery munitions column marching behind the commissariat column was fired on by civilians. The number of the column I cannot now remember. On August 28th, at Gerpinnes, Driver Pook, who was looking for food in an abandoned house, was fired at from a neighbouring house, and wounded slightly in the hand. The search among the neighbouring houses for the assailant was unsuccessful. Signed: Haupt, Captain and Column Commander. App. 8.
Pontgivart, November 12th, 1914. Present: There appeared as witnesses the under-mentioned persons, who, after the importance of the oath had been pointed out to them, made the following statement: 1. Sergeant-Major MÄvers, 4th Company, Infantry Regiment No. 73. As to Person: My name is Wilhelm MÄvers. I am 27 years old; Protestant. As to Case: On the afternoon of August 7th, 1914, somewhere between 6 and 7 o'clock, our company had to secure the eastern exits of LouveignÉ. We took up a position before a farm at the exit of the village. Suddenly—it was still quite light—a shot was fired near us; the bullet whistled close past my ear. The shot was evidently the sign for a general firing upon the company and on the baggage which remained behind us in the village, for there now commenced a violent fire from the houses, especially from the roofs and upper storeys. The company speedily took up a position on the slope of a garden near the farm where we were posted. While this was going on, I looked round and noticed that several shots were fired from the first storey of a corner house; one saw the smoke rise up after the shot was fired. I am quite certain that I saw that those who fired wore civilian clothes. The company replied to the firing for about ¼ hour, and directed their fire against a house near the above-mentioned farm. In our neighbourhood the fire slackened, while in the village shooting still continued. Read over, approved, signed. Signed: MÄvers. The witness was sworn. 2. Non-commissioned Officer Kielholz, 2nd Company, Infantry Regiment No. 73. As to Person: My name is Paul. I am 23 years old; Protestant; bank employÉ at Husum. As to Case: On the 7th August 1914 I was one of a field outpost, which was placed about 300 metres west of LouveignÉ on the road. Suddenly as it began to grow dusk we were fired on from the village, and shots were directed against us from trees and from a rather high-lying cornfield. We skirmished out and lay down in a field of roots, and some of us replied to the fire. We then noticed that a number of people in civilian clothing who had been lying in the cornfield were running away. We were under fire for about half an hour, and at least 100 shots were fired at us. Read over, approved, signed. Signed: Kielholz. The witness was sworn. 3. Corporal of Reserve Fruth, 9th Company, Infantry Regiment No. 73. As to Person: My name is Friedrich. I am 26 years old; Protestant; hairdresser. As to Case: On August 5th, 1914, I found myself near the campaign baggage of the company. In the afternoon we reached Esneux, where we halted in the village street. The inhabitants were very friendly to us, and the people came out of the houses and gave us food and cigarettes without taking payment. Towards evening we left this place and marched in the direction of LiÈge. We then noticed that the people looked at us from the windows and laughed ironically. About a kilometre in rear of Esneux we had to halt. Suddenly fire was opened upon us from some ground near us on our left, whereupon we received the order to turn back. Up to the present only single shots had been fired at us, but as soon as we regained the village a hot fire was opened from the houses. Shots came from almost every house; it was impossible to select any in particular. From the sound of the shots one could recognise that the guns were of different patterns. Several of us were wounded, one horse was shot dead, another was wounded. We searched the houses and found guns of various kinds. I did not see any of military pattern. Read over, approved, signed. Signed: Fruth. The witness was sworn. 4. Acting-Sergeant-Major Horn, 7th Company, Infantry Regiment No. 73. As to Person: My name is Friedrich Horn. I am 28 years old; Protestant. As to Case: On the 6th August this year I was in charge of the baggage of the 2nd Battalion of my regiment. When I arrived in the neighbourhood of Poulseur I sent forward three men of the cyclist company of the 10th JÄger Battalion, who had joined us as stragglers, as a cyclist patrol, towards the village ahead, in order to see if the battalion was already there. However, one man of the patrol soon returned with the news that he had lost both the others; they had apparently fallen, as the patrol had been fired at from houses in Poulseur. When I reached Poulseur with the baggage, I and my men also came under fire. I placed the two foremost waggons across the road for defence, and led my men forward. We also made preparations in a house for our own defence. Then things became quiet. After a short interval the firing broke out again, so that we were compelled also on our side to fire into the houses. The sound of the assailants' shots was altogether different from that from our rifles. There were no enemy troops in the place; it could therefore be only civilians who had fired. Several cavalry patrols also declared that they had been fired at by civilians. Read over, approved, signed. Signed: Horn. The witness was sworn. 5. As witness, Corporal Niebeln, 7th Company, Infantry Regiment No. 73. As to Person: My name is Ernst. I am 25 years old; Lutheran; by calling a merchant in Hanover. As to Case: On the day of the fight near LiÈge our regiment, as we were leaving Esneux, was under fire from the houses. Further, when outside the town we were fired upon from the hill-sides on the right and left, and also from trees. Our troops at once forced a way into the houses from which shots had come, and some civilians were brought out. A number of weapons were also discovered. I myself saw the civilians. There were no Belgian troops in the houses. Two days after the battle of LiÈge, when we were leaving the village of LouveignÉ in the evening, a hot fire was opened on us from the houses. One man was wounded, and I saw the pellets in his back. We replied to the fire and drove the people from the houses. Only civilians emerged, and these were shot. Read over, approved, signed. Signed: Niebeln. The witness was sworn. Signed: Fuhse. Signed: Hensen. App. 9.
Alsfeld le Ville, November 25th, 1914. Present: With reference to what took place at the surprise attack at LouveignÉ, the under-mentioned witnesses, after the importance and sanctity of the oath had been pointed out to them, made the following statements: 1. Non-commissioned Officer Gruber. As to Person: My name is Fritz Gruber. I am 35 years old; Protestant; non-commissioned officer, 1st Infantry Munitions Column, X. Army Corps; implement-smith in a machine factory in Hanover. As to Case: On the second day of our march through Belgium we passed through LouveignÉ. The place was already burnt down. We halted here, and orders were given to water the horses. As we were waiting for the command to make ready, a shot was suddenly fired at us from a house in the street on our right, and after this a number of other shots followed from other points. I was standing by the last waggon in front of the supplementary convoy, so pretty nearly at the end of the column. We forced our way in the direction of the shots into the garden belonging to the house, and here caught two civilians, one of whom had his hand in his pocket full of cartridges. He was hidden in some bushes, and tried to escape on our approach; the other was standing close beside him. Read over, approved, signed. Signed: Fritz Gruber. The witness was sworn. 2. Captain Neumann. As to Person: My name is Wilhelm Neumann. I am 45 years of age; Lutheran; Captain and Leader of the 1st Infantry Munitions Column, X. Army Corps; Police-Court Councillor at Syke, near Bremen. As to Case: On August 14th, 1914, my column was marching with others through LouveignÉ. A halt was made here for watering the horses. I was near the head of the column when I heard shots behind me. Subsequently I was informed that the rear of the column had been fired at from the flanks. Soon after, before I could make any definite arrangements, two civilian men were brought forward by soldiers belonging to my column, with the information that these were caught in trying to escape after they had fired on the column. After a brief trial these persons were shot because they had been caught in the act. Read over, approved, signed. Signed: Neumann. The witness was sworn. Signed: Maack, Lieutenant. App. 10.
On the night of the 11th-12th August at Hockai, in the quarter in which I lay with my platoon together with a platoon of infantry, two infantry soldiers were wounded in the head by small shot which had been fired from outside through the open door down the passage. As I myself, too, stepped out of the house a shot was fired at me in the dark, apparently from a revolver. As there were no enemy troops in the vicinity, it is only the action of civilian inhabitants which comes into question here. When on the evening of the 22nd August, during an advance, I entered with my detachment the apparently deserted village of Aiseau, near Tamines, in the middle of the village, at a bend of the street, a vigorous fire was opened on the detachment from the houses on every side. This had the appearance of a surprise attack, thoroughly prepared beforehand; and this was afterwards confirmed by the fact that on searching the houses we discovered a considerable collection of ammunition on the window-sills, amongst it a large number of French cartridges. As cartridges of military pattern were found in the houses of four of the inhabitants, we may accept it as certain that the inhabitants had taken part in the firing. The four inhabitants were arrested and led away by a platoon of pioneers who had carried out the search of the village. Signed: Helmke, 1st Lieutenant. App. 11.
On the 10th August, Dragoon Regiment No. 8 arrived at Grande RossiÈre (2½ kil. N.W. of Nives) and there bivouacked for the first time on Belgian soil, i.e. four squadrons of the regiment bivouacked in two detachments quite close to the village. The staff of the 11th Cavalry Brigade took up its quarters in a house. Here we found two elderly women and a young man who received us in a markedly cordial manner and exerted themselves most willingly in looking after us. We noticed that during the course of the evening young men came into the house for a short time and soon afterwards disappeared, and in the same way the young man belonging to the house disappeared. Towards 11 o'clock in the evening I betook myself, accompanied by an orderly officer, to the bivouac of the 4th and 5th squadrons of Dragoon Regiment No. 8, which lay some 300 metres from my own quarters. When, after about 10 minutes, I wanted to return from this spot, I heard shots in various places; one could distinguish the reports of the sentries' rifles from those of other weapons. At this moment the Adjutant of Dragoon Regiment No. 8 came to me and reported that he had just been fired upon at the door of his house from a house lying opposite and ostensibly abandoned. I at once made the 4th squadron take up their rifles, and ordered Lieutenant Baron von Richthofen to surround the house from which the shots had come, and make prisoners of the persons found inside. Some minutes later the firing was renewed. Lieutenant Baron von Richthofen received a shot in the body, and died next day from the wound. Two civilians were fetched out of the house with pistols in their hands which had just been discharged; we also found in their possession both discharged and loaded cartridges. Later in the course of the night the bivouacs of Dragoon Regiment No. 8 were repeatedly fired at. According to the report of Lieutenant Nikisch there were found in the houses a considerable number of pistols, guns, and ammunition; also loose powder and quickfires, more especially in the house occupied by the 11th Cavalry Brigade. Signed: von Wentzky, Colonel and Brigade Commander. App. 12.
At Petite-RosiÈre, the first quarters occupied by the regiment in Belgium, the inhabitants received the troops, and especially the officers, with the utmost cordiality and goodwill, so that not the slightest difficulty was experienced in securing food and forage. At Grande-RosiÈre, distant about 1½ kil., lay Dragoon Regiment No. 8, and also the staff of the 11th Cavalry Brigade. At this place the inhabitants waited until the officers assembled in the evening for the issue of orders, and then opened fire upon them as they left the house. Very soon after this shooting, shots were fired by the inhabitants of Petite-RosiÈre at the bivouacs of the squadrons and at the pickets. This firing only ceased completely when every inhabitant had been brought out of the houses and had one and all been locked up. The inhabitants of the village were not irritated in any way whatever, but were treated throughout with kindness. On August 23rd at BiÈvre the 3rd squadron acting as reconnoitring squadron found facilities for watering the horses placed at its disposal in a very obliging manner. Then after a short time the inhabitants fired at the squadron from the houses. In this place at the same time one of the inhabitants shot a trooper of the 8th KÜrassiers dead, and severely wounded an infantry soldier. At the fight of Les Rivages the regiment had to leave behind some of its wounded on a very thickly wooded hillside. When the surgeons and the ambulance men of the regiment approached the wood over open ground, shots were fired at them by the inhabitants in spite of the waving of two large Red Cross flags. On the nearer approach of our men the assailants withdrew; nevertheless, the ambulance men while still in the wood were again fired at, even when engaged in succouring the wounded. Signed: v. Giese, Lieutenant-Colonel and Regimental Commander. App. 13.
October 8th, 1914. On the 5th August of this year the 64th Infantry Brigade entered Gouvy. The population at first gave us the appearance of being well disposed to the Germans, and was extremely cordial. Pails of water, e.g., were provided for the troops as they marched through, without any previous request for this service. The stationmaster was especially prominent in welcoming the troops; the parish priest, in apparently friendly fashion, took pains to make the officers comfortable. Despite all this, the behaviour of the inhabitants seemed to the brigade to be suspicious, and for this reason the place was searched for weapons. The search of the station buildings also took place in the presence of the stationmaster. To the question whether goods of any kind, weapons, explosives, etc., were to be found in the place, the stationmaster returned a most decided negative. His assertion, nevertheless, turned out to be false. For in a small room, lying hidden away, which, according to the stationmaster's statement, served for the storing of his furniture, we discovered, underneath a good deal of rubbish, boxes which contained about 300 Browning pistols. In addition to this there was concealed in the room a hundred-weight of dynamite. As the stationmaster could give no credible explanation as to the use which was to be made of these weapons and explosives, he was arrested. Further, on the night of 8th-9th August 1914, the orderly officer of the 64th Infantry Brigade, Lieutenant of Reserve Schmidt, was ordered to ride to Vielsalm and there give the alarm to the Guard-JÄger Battalion and the 11th JÄgers. On the way there he was fired at by civilians in the neighbourhood of Bovigny. At this time no enemy troops were to be found in that locality. At Leffe it was established unquestionably by the Brigade Staff that, after the capture of this place, the civil population fired on the troops of the 64th Infantry Brigade from cellar windows and barricaded houses, to some extent even using small shot. In consequence, we lost a number of men, including officers. Signed: Morgenstern-DÖring. App. 14.
Montaigu, October 3rd, 1914. On the morning of August 20th the Field-Bakery Column No. 1, III. Army Corps, had begun work near Marche, almost as far up as the village of Hollogne-Aye. The occupants of the houses in the vicinity displayed throughout the day no hostile intentions. Nevertheless, when towards evening a munitions column wished to drive up into position, quite close to the bakery, shots were fired at them from the neighbouring woods and gardens, which contained some single houses. On searching these houses no arms were found on the inhabitants, but some of them were still in possession of cartridges loaded with large shot. These persons were taken away. Signed: Marggraf, 1st Lieutenant and Column Commander. App. 15.
Ferme Fleuricourt, October 3rd, 1914. The Heavy Commissariat Column No. 2 reports that the column on the 20th and 23rd August, before and after its entrance into Marche, was fired at by the inhabitants. Signed: Burkhardt, Captain and Column Commander. |
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