OCR Text |
Show I Believe Germany Not Planning Any Offensives Because of Manpower Shortage. MEN TIRED OF WAR Soldiers Learn of Heavy Losses Division of 15,000 Reduced to Less Than 1,000. j WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY ON.I THE VESLB FRONT, Sunday, Aug. 25. (By Associated Press) German I soldiers bollcvo that Germany is not planning any more offensives because of the manpower shortage, according) to one of a party of seven of a Ger- j man patrol captured by the Americans early Sunday east of Fismes. The soldier said the soldiers no longer had any enthusiasm for war. Most of those with whom he came in contact believed the war would end soon. Tho prisoner had becm fighting three years and declared he was thoroughly thor-oughly tired of it. Ho said the soldiers sol-diers understood that the German losses during tho recent allied offensives offen-sives had been very great. Thcs? reports re-ports were credited by tho soldiers and were having a demoralizing effect. He said he knew of one division of ,000 which had been reduced to less than 1,000. Many Watch Chance to Desert. Plenty of Germans, ho added, would desert and surrender if given the opportunity. op-portunity. Many of them are constantly con-stantly watching for a chance to give themselves up. Trouble has been threatened in tho German munition plants and the leaders were tightening tighten-ing conditions there. Germany, he said, has plenty of ammunition but II e manpower question ques-tion and the actual entry of American troops into the fighting are worrying the military leaders. |