  In 1902 the Historic Section of the German General Staff published a collection of works for the instruction and guidance of the officers of the German Army. Among these works is a Manual upon “The Laws of War on Land.” (“Kriegsgebrauch im Landkriege.”) The following extracts from this manual show that the ideas of the German General Staff on the conduct of warfare are diametrically opposed to the views generally adopted by civilized countries. It is the systematic carrying-out of these ideas which has caused the devastation and desolation of Belgium. It is by making a deep study of the history of wars that, “one may protect oneself against exaggerated humanitarian ideas.” (Laws of War on Land, pp. 6 and 7) The claims of professors of International Law (in regard to a certain point under discussion) “should be deliberately rejected in principle as being opposed to the rules of war.” (Ibid page 46) The claims of certain professors of International Law in this respect are absolutely contrary to the necessities of warfare, “and should be rejected by military men.” (Ibid pages 44 and 45) An energetically conducted war cannot be carried on solely against the combatant enemy and his defenses, but extends and should extend to the destruction of his material and moral resources. Humanitarian considerations, such as respect for persons and property, can be taken into consideration only provided that the nature and object of the war adapt themselves to that course. (Ibid page 3) The above extracts indicate clearly the spirit of the German military class, namely, To protect themselves against humanitarian ideas, as against a dangerous infection. To cast aside international law if found incompatible with convenience. To strike not only at the enemy’s armed forces, but to terrorise him by striking at his “material and moral resources,” i. e. his home and property, his wife and children. These injunctions of the German Code of 1902 have been fully carried out in Belgium, and have converted the German army into “a horde of barbarians and a band of incendiaries.” The “ethics” of the German Military Code have also been supported by German jurists inoculated with the germ of the same “Kultur.” Meurer, in his book on the Hague Peace Conference, says that there is no violation of international law “when an act of war is necessary to support the troops or to defend them against a danger which cannot be avoided by any other means, or when the act is necessary in order to realize or assure the success of a military operation which is not in itself prohibited.” (“Die Haager Friedenskonferenz,” II Band, page 14) In other words “Necessity Knows No Law.” It is the same doctrine proclaimed by the Imperial German Chancellor, Dr. von Bethmann-Hollweg, and upheld by other German jurists such as Dr. Karl Strupp, who says: “A body of troops may be obliged to let their prisoners starve, if the commander thinks this is the only means of carrying out an order which he has received, for example, an order to reach, at a certain time, a place indispensable for the proper conduct of the operations. “The stipulations of the Laws of War may be disregarded whenever the violation of them seems to be the only means of carrying out a military operation or of assuring its success, or, indeed, of supporting the armed forces, even though it be only one soldier.” (“Das Internationale Landkriegsrecht,” 1914, In short, according to the German idea, the recognized Laws of War, as understood by civilized nations, are to be practised by Germany only when found convenient. The alleged killing of one German soldier in Aerschot led to the destruction of the whole town and the massacre of many innocent citizens. It was contrary to Law, but it was in accordance with the spirit of the German Military Code of 1902. The German Army invaded Belgium with the full intention, in case of resistance, of carrying on a war of terror by means of massacre, robbery and destruction—a war to “destroy the material and moral resources of the enemy.” Moreover, the German officers were provided with forms drawn up in the French language to facilitate them, especially in their work of robbery and arson. They do not seem to have needed anything to facilitate them in their work of massacre. These forms are found in a book published at Berlin by Bath, in 1906, entitled “The Military Interpreter,” destined for the use of German officers “in the enemy’s country,” which seems to be a French speaking country such as Belgium or France, as the forms are drawn up in French. The book contains, to quote its introduction, “the French text of the majority of the documents, letters, proclamations and other forms which may be needed in time of war.” Among these interesting documents we find the following form to be used by officers when wishing to rob a whole city at once. It will be observed that the pretended excuse for the robbery is supplied. The document is as follows: “A fine of 600,000 marks, on account of the attempted assassination of a German soldier by a .........., has been imposed upon the City of O......... by order of........... “Fruitless efforts have been made to secure the remittance or reduction of this fine. “The limit of time fixed for the payment of the fine expires tomorrow, Saturday, December 17th, at noon. “Bank Notes, Coin, or Silverware will be accepted.” The general outline of this useful form was followed by General Baron von Leutwitz when on November 1st, 1914, he imposed upon the City of Brussels “an additional fine of Five Million Francs” on account of an alleged altercation between a Belgian policeman, named De Ryckere, and a German soldier. Here is another form, intended to give an air of justification to an act of robbery: “The German authorities, having demanded a war contribution of two million francs from the city of M........., because its inhabitants fired upon the German troops when entering the city, and the municipality having declared that it has not the necessary funds and that it cannot find such funds among the citizens, the German authorities demand a settlement by bills of exchange.” If the above demand failed to produce the desired results, the German Commanders were provided with another form to be used “I acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 7th of this month telling me of the great difficulties you think you will meet in collecting the contributions. “I can only regret the explanations that you think proper to make on this subject. The order in question (which comes from my Government) is so clear and precise, the orders which I have received (on this subject) are so explicit, that, if the amount due by the City of B......... is not paid the city will be burned without mercy.” The foregoing form seems to have been substantially followed by Lieutenant General von Niebur in his letter to the Burgomaster of Wavre on August 27th, 1914. A fine of three million francs was imposed upon the little town of Wavre for an alleged attack on the German troops, and in his letter of the above date Lieutenant General von Niebur declares that “the City of Wavre will be burned and destroyed if the levy is not paid in due time, without regard for anyone; the innocent will suffer with the guilty.” Here is another form for extorting money from a community: “On account of the destruction of the bridge at F......... I command, as follows: “The district shall pay an additional contribution of ten million francs, as a fine. This information is brought to the knowledge of the public with the following notice, namely, that the manner of distributing the assessment will be indicated later, and that the payment of the said amount will be exacted with the greatest severity. The village of F......... has been at once burned with the exception of certain houses reserved for the use of the troops.” The foregoing form recalls the Proclamation of General von Buelow to the Municipal Authorities of Liege, on August 22nd, 1914, in which he said: “It is with my consent that the Commander-in-Chief has ordered the whole town (of Andenne) to be burned and that about one hundred people have been shot.” The scenes of horror and barbarism depicted in the Reports of the Official Belgian Commission of Inquiry have not been brought about by accident. They are the direct result of the orders given and the doctrines inculcated by the German General Staff. FOOTNOTES: Transcriber’s Notes The use of Roman numerals for the section headings was made consistent. Minor punctuation errors have been corrected. On page 18, “druken” was changed to “drunken.” (drunken orgies, sack of whole towns) |
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