Show AID LO NW Y ff 0 0 a e I 1 De seriel written by a brusslan Frus q no parit a th the ra ing 0 ig and ahat pillaging n 9 of belgium k conyl conom at by vitt adma fm aw fw CHAPI chapler ER 1 I I 1 am a german soldier naturally i fit at the time when the war mar started we e did not know that there would mould be such a war mur cs r 3 being waged maged today dally daily we soldiers were told that france and russia wanted to attack us and that the kaiser was waa doing ev ery grything thing possible for our protection already on july 20 we were armed to the teeth find prepared pic pared ared to march away during these preparations which I 1 showed honed us all that war had bad to come I 1 18 S men of nay my company deserted the government published during I 1 this time bulletins almost hourly to prepare the people for the war a subterfuge that succeeded perfectly 1 consequently two days before war nar was de declared eldred the people were vere overwhelmingly for war mar but they were certain that it was only to be bet between Neen germany and france arance of the intervention of belgium russia england and italy the country had as little thought as aa it did of any participation of the united states es all thought only of the promenade to parts paris which to the disappointment of the people and also surely to the he disappointment of the autocracy has been longer drawn out than had been wished for in these daa of uncertainty the soldiers told lers contrary to the cruel treatment which them the had experienced before were nere treated liberally with nith great quantities of supplies delicacies and beer so that most of the soldiers were so BO drunk continuously that they were unable to realize the seriousness of i the situation ind and yet the majority of the sol diers could not be enthused over the war they cheered and were enghu elastic because they knew it was the orders on july 31 1914 one day before the declaration of war we left after being brought to war or strength tor for our garrison at mainz am rheine where the enemy toward which thich we were vere to point our bayonets was as we me had not the slightest idea all we me did know was that we had bad to be transported somewhere to protect the border there were stirring times as we started out tens of thousands of people threw flowers at us and all wanted to shake hands all even ecca soldiers cried many embraced their wives wires or oung brides the bands played fa farewell songs and people laughed and cried nil all at the same time strangers embraced and kissed each other A veritable nitcha hollday of emotion was mas loosened and en gulfed gulfee the populace like a storm no one not even the strongest could resist its powers yet even this was waa surpassed by the leave taking at the depot where last farewells had to be said ald this scene will never leave bael me I 1 how flow desperately many women clung to their men I 1 many had to be forcibly removed but this was at last done and then we were mere placed in cattle cars night came and we had no lights the train went slowly toward the rhine it went ment smoothly enough our company which had had days of great r excitement melc welcomed omed the rest that the journey afforded most of the soldiers slept with their knapsacks as pillows others looked dreamily into the future still others secretly pulled pictures from their breast pockets and only a very few killed time by discussion and comment on their possible destination where are we going yes yea where there no one knew then after endless hours the train stopped we were ere in duren what were we there for we did not know the officers officer only shrugged their shoulders at our questions after a brief pause we went ahead on the evening of august 1 we reached a farmyard near duren our company was billeted in a barn no one knew what ahat we had to do ignorant of 0 the purpose of our being sent so near the belgian border we laid down on our beds of stray something had bad to happen soun bonn to rescue us ua from this uncertainty now ilow few suspected that would be t the last night for many of us ua on german ground an alaia took us from j our beds at 3 a m the company gathered and the captain demonstrated the war ar situation As to the direction of the march he himself was ignorant scarcely half an hour later 60 50 big trucks drove up and stopped on the road before our quarters the drivers also were ignorant and waited for orders discussion of our desteli buon started afresh the orderlies who had been keeping their ears cars open said bald we would mould enter belgium that day others contradicted them no one knew for certainty but the order to march dij did not come and in the evening we me went ent back to our straw but the rest was ey v short at I 1 a li we me were mere again aroused and honored by a speech from our captain lie he said we were at war with belgium ile he told us to show our brave deserve the iron cross and bring lionor honor to germany then he contIn continued Ved we only make war against the armed force the belgian army life and property of civilians are protected under international law yet you soldiers must not forget to keep your lives ilver for the fatherland or sell them as aa YE b 9 honored by a speech prom from our captain dearly as possible unnecessary shed ding of blood we me will prohibit to the chilian population yet I 1 ask sou to consider that too much consideration borders oil cowardice and that will be punished very ery severely after this speech of our captain WO we were ere loaded on our autos and at 4 a m crossed the bolder into belgium in order to make this a historical occasion we were mere ordered to give three cheers on the he speedy autos we reached our goal at 10 a m it was a 0 beautiful little rural village tillage inhabitants of the villages we me had passed looked at us in asmont astonishment rement so that we all got the impression that these country people never knew why we came to belgium they were ere frightened out of their sleep and looked out tit at us ua from their vOn windows doms As we halted and left our autos the farmers came out and offered us coffee bread meat etc we were still without a field kitchen so that we enjoyed the offerings more so hince those of the better class of villagers refused any pay they told us ua the belgian soldiers had departed to tome unknown destination after a short rest we me marched on the autos returned hardly had we me marched an hour when ullen we me were ere overt iken aiken by caa airy dragoons and hus bus bars ars who aho reported that the germans bere ere marching arching in all over tho the neighborhood on all roads right behind came the bicycle corps this was mas comforting we no longer folt felt alone isolated in a strange country another bicycle dl elision division Ision overtook us and pa passed ed on angry words vere now uttered by members of our company the others could ride but ve had to walk what ve had always taken for granted suddenly became preat great injustice if it did no good our grumbling at least was a diversion flom the weight of our packs the heat N was as oppressive tle sv sweat eat I 1 came from all pores the new and stiff el iff leather trappings rubbed us sore especially upon our hips it was mas a relief at 2 p ra to halt at an abandoned f firm irm and itt on the grasy grass we might have hae lain down about ten minutes when suddenly we me heard firing we ve jumped up like lightning and hur to our guns the firing which ak as about three kilometers away grew D n ore 11 alv ely at once w m e were on the n arch again from the espres expressions lons on the facts ot oc the soldiers wo we could read the minds ot of the men something took possession of then them which they had bad never neer ex 1 before fore As for myself I 1 b came very nery restless fright and curiosity lashed my brain everything whirled around in my mv head and my heart was beating wildly mildly but I 1 strove to conceal mv from my com ri des dea I 1 arn aia sure that I 1 tried energetic cully I 1 dont doat know that I 1 succeeded better than my comi allons although I 1 knew we would mould be in the hie fight in fr na aa hour I 1 tried to per clodo buado a self tint thit our interference would mould not be I 1 clung tight TY ly to everything which might strengthen this hope the bicycles lying in the road andt indicated that the bicycle division was in the fight at this point row now strong the enemy was ve me did not know as aa we raced toward the firing line everybody crouched down doun as low as possible while jumping to the right and left before and behind us tia the bullets were continuously yet we reached the firing line without losses we wate greeted joyously by our hard bard pressed comrades the bicycle regiment men had not suffered buffered tiny any losses except for a fei few slightly wounded men who were still able to take part in the fight we were lying flat on the ground and firing in the direction ordered for all we were worth even though we had not seen been our enemies that wa waa apparently not interesting enough to some of our soldiers they wanted to know how the people were looking whom they had to shoot at they got up tip to a kneeling position tion two men 0 of my company had to pay for their curiosity with mith their lives almost instantly the first victim of our party went down without a sound the second threw his arms high la the air and fell on his back both were dead instantly st it Is impossible tor for me to describe the feeling that overcame me in the first real volley as we advanced and time directly within the range of the F anre re I 1 no longer felt any fright only an impulse to get into action as quickly as aa po possible sible yet fit at the sight of the first brat corpse a terrible fear seized me for minutes I 1 was completely stunned lost all self control and was as absolutely unable to think or do anything I 1 pressed my face and hands close to the ground I 1 m wanted anted to clutch m my v gun and shoot blindly presently I 1 calmed down I 1 suddenly became contented with mith myself and conditions about me and when soon afterward the command was sounded along the whole line spring forward ward marchl march I 1 I 1 charged as did everyone else like one possessed the order to halt folla followed aad like wet bags we plumped to the ground firing had bogun begun anew our firing now became more lively momentarily and increased to a fearful loudness it if we me had occasion to say eay anything to our comrades we had bad to shout so BO loudly in their ears that it hurt our throats uner under the effect of our fire the enemy grew restless restle qa the fire weakened and his line wavered As only meters separated us ur from them wo we could observe exactly what ahat happened there we saw about halt half the enemy retire in the following manner every other man quit the line leaving his alternate in his place those remaining held field on until the retiring party halted we used this moment to inflict the most severe losses on the retreating enemy As far as v we e could scan the horizon to the right and left we saw the germans advancing in several sectors tors also for our detachments the order came to advance as the enemy retreated the task of clinging to the heels beela of the retiring enemy so tenaciously that no time would be allowed to make a new stand tell fell to us we followed the belgians scarcely stopping to breathe on the way in order to prevent their fortifying themselves la in a village situated just ahead we knew that n bloody house to house bouse fight lay before us let the belgians never attempted to establish themselves but managed to escape with astonishing cleverness in the meantime we received reen re en for cements our company was now pretty well mell scattered and fought with whatever hat ever unit was nearby the body I 1 joined had to remain in the village to search systematic aly for scattered soldiers Bold lera from this village we saw that the germans had gained on all sides held artillery machine gun detachments and other equipment arrived and we were mere all aston astonished lobed at their coning coming so quickly but there was no time to be spent in speculation with fixed bayonets we went from house to house bouse door to door and while the results were negligible because we found no soldiers we did not come out quite empty empt handed we made the inhabitants deliver all gtna and munitions and so BO f orth forth la in their possession the mayor accompanying the soldiers eold lers explained to enery citizen that all found with arms anna after the search would be punished according to the rules of war and german rules of war in belgium meant execution an hour might have passed when we ve vere mere again aroused by the sound of artillery and gunfire A new battle had begun whether too the artillery was wa busy on both sides could not be judged from our village the bombardment was tremendous the ground shook from froin the growling and moaning that rolled back backward mard and forward always seeming to become stronger the ambulance columns now cow brought in the first wounded couplers sped by us UA war lad find set in la in all its phases Dar darkness earliness liness came over us before we w had finished our house to house bouse search we Q dragged P ell 11 the mat mattresses tresse straw socks sacks and feather beds that we could lay our hands on to the cota community school and church to care cara for the Aoun wounded ded they were made as comfortable for table as possible from other surrounding villages now came the first es they may hove have been marching ng for they looked bied and utterly ex exhausted bausted I 1 Women tOld men and children childr en were h huddled toge together in oue one mass masa they has bai saved nothing except their bare I 1 lives in baby boggles or on barrows these unfortunates v carried m whatever the rude force of war had bad to Vs li canti continued nurA |