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Show SUFFER THE MOST ! BEFORE A BATTLE German Soldier Gives Psychology Psychol-ogy of War as It Affects the Men. FEAR IS ROUTED BY SONS Doubt and Expectancy Proves Un nerving to Many Fighters Assailed As-sailed by Thousands of Thoughts, Says Former Schoolteacher. Berlin. The following interesting article giving the psychological study of a battle, was written by a German schoolteacher, who since has been killed on the west front. The article which appears in the German papers, has caused considerable comment: "To describe the sensations, the eri'.'tions and the Minermost feelings of the soul of a soldier in battle is an unusually interesting but difficult task. While the battle rages a soldier is beset and agitated by thousands of thoughts that flash like lightning through his brain, but It is only during the remarkable calm that comes after a battle that he is enabled to analyze them. As I have participated partici-pated in thirty-six engagements and battles, both on the eastern and western west-ern fronts, I have been in a position to make a study of the soul of the soldier. It is a great subject for the psychologist psychol-ogist and one that opens a mine of valuable val-uable information. "Is This Real?" "The troops receive orders at night to prepare for a charge the next morning. morn-ing. The first thought is, is this real? Somehow, it seems like a dream. It is the same thought that stirs the soul in any great event in life, be it one of joy or one of sorrow. It does not seem real. "However, when the soldier does realize that it is no nightmare, he begins be-gins to thin, of the likelihood, of death claiming him in that battle. A strange, indescribable fear begins to agitate the soul. The awful thought pesters him that he will go to his death and leave home and loved ones and everything that Is dear in a moment of time. He ponders pon-ders over the subject of immortality and wonders it death comes whether it will mean eternal darkness and annihilation. an-nihilation. "To one who is in the prime of life, who has' everything to live for, hell itself cannot offer torture to equal the terrorizing doubts that assail the soul in those dreadful moments before be-fore a battle. "Then, too, the thoughts come that we have not made the most of life; that there is so much which we would still like to do; that if only given giv-en the opportunity how different we would shape our life in the future. "All night long the troops move to the front, and all night long we think of God and the uncertainty that lies directly before us. Song Routs Fear. "Morning comes. It is a most beautiful beau-tiful morning; the sun shining warm and bright. The notes of a German song are wafted on the still air. It is a song of the fatherland and all join in the chorus. It is then that we forget all our doubts and fears. A new life seems to be born within us. All fear has vanished and we are ready to go down to the gates of death unafraid. "And then the battle. The bullets begin to whistle. In those first moments mo-ments every soldier naturally looks for some sheltered place for protection. protec-tion. Nevertheless, the soul is remarkably re-markably calm. Though comrades are Tilling on all sidea. we never for a moment think of being hit by a bullet bul-let ourselves. We keep on running, running toward the enemy. All feeling, feel-ing, all thought, all emotion, all sensation sensa-tion is obliterated, we go on, fearing nothing. Occasionally we hear a voice uttering a curse or a threat, due to the hate against the enemy, born anew in the thick of battle. That feeling of hate becomes uppermost. We are seized with a frenzy of rage, and our one thought is to meet the enemy face to face and annihilate him. As this hate is mingled with a certain feeling of patriotism and love for- the fatherland, the lust of battle is developed in such a manner as to quiet our nerves and forget all about danger and death. "The battle has been fought aud won. The soul experiences an indescribable inde-scribable peace, but when we begin to see our broken ranks and make count of our fallen comrades, painful sensations follow. Then only do we realize what danger we so callously faced, and a wave of thoughtfulness warms our blood and body. "The feelings and sensations on emerging from a battle are like those of convalescence from t serious illness. ill-ness. The tired soul longs for peace and 'e?t, and the soldier falls into a deep, seund, dreamless sleep, in which all the fear and stress and storm of tho tiui'! are forgotten." |
