The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-09-29 00:00:00

The GERMAN MILITARY MANCELIVRES.

Writing torn Homburg, on Friday in last week,
the Special Correspondent of the Daily News says :
To-day's parade of the 11th Army C rps before the
Emperor and his Royal guests was an imposing
spectacle even in this country of military displays.
Thirteen regiments of infantry, six of cavalry, and
three of artillery, numbering together 25,000 men,
under the command of General von Schlotheim, stood
on the triangular field formed by the roads between the
villages of Upper and Lower Erlenbach and Eschbach,
east of this place. At ten o'clock the Imperial
and Royal party arrived by carriages and mounted
their horses. The Emperor wore the collar of
the Golden Fleece in honour of his Spanish guest.
King Alfonso and Prince Milan wore their own
general's uniforms, the former with the orange ribbon
of the Black Eagle Order. The Prince of Wales was
conspicuous in the scarlet of his Blucher Hussars, and
the King of Saxony in the light blue of the East Prus-
sian Dragoons. The Crown Princess, the Princess
Victoria, and the Duchess of Connaught also appeared
on horseback, the first named in the uniform of her
Black Hussars. The Empress remained in her open
carriage, which was drawn by six horses.
The review came off in the usual manner ens
tomary in the Prussian army. It was a most bril-
liant sight when the Kaiser, surrounded by his guests
and followed by a large suite including every Euro-
pean uniform, galloped towards the right wing of the
troops, while the bands struck up a march. Durirg
the march past the Princes whose regiments are
attached to the Eleventh Corps personally led them
past the Emperor. Thousands of spectators crowded
around the parade-ground and along the roads.

The Special Correspondent of the Daily News also
gives an account of the marstuvres on Saturday, from
which we eztract the following

By ten o'clock the Emperor, with the Kings of
Spain, Saxony, Servia, and all the other German and
Foreign Princes and officers had arrived on the
manceuvring grounds where the 11th Corps, oompris-
ing 34 battalions of infantry, 30 squadrons of cavalry,
and 86 guns, stood drawn up in line of battle along
the heights and villages from Upper Ursel to Bonames.
The entire force, consisting of three divisions of
infantry and one of cavalry, was under the command
of General von Scblotheim. The Crown Princess was
again present on horseback. The Empress followed
later by carriage.
According to the general idea of the mancauvres,
the northern army was advancing upon Frankfort
with outposts along Eschbach, while the southern
army, represented by the 11th Corps, had orders to
cover the city and force back the enemy. The opera-
tions began by the advance of the 25th Division, tin ler
General Prince Henry, of Hesse, against the enemy's
left at Haarheitn, while an artillet y force of eight bat-
teries took up a position on the heights near Kahl bach,
and opened a tremendous fire on the enemy's positions.
The 21st Division, under General Boehm, and the
22nd, under General Unger, also advanced against
the villages of Eschbaeh and Erlenbach, which were
carried after a stubborn resistance. A charge of the
enemy's cavalry against the 21st Division was re-
pulsed by a rapid fire of battalions formed in
squares. Meanwhile the combined cavalry divi-
sion, comprising twenty. one squadrons, under General
Gemmingen, had outflanked the enemy's left, and
now executed a brilliant charge under the Emperor's
eyes. The positions of the northern force being greatly
weakened, General Schlotheim ordered a general
charge of all three divisions along the entire line,
which was successfully carried out with fixed bayonets
and drums beating. During this brilliant scene the
Emperor took up a position on a height near Gonsen-
heim while the Kings and Princes witnessed the opera-
tions in the immediate vicinity of the troops. Just
before the "Cease fire" was signalled at one o'clock
the cavalry made a final charge upon the enemy now
in full retreat upon Karboen, where the manouvres
concluded.
Notwithstanding a heavy downpour of rain which
began at noon and continued nearly all the afternoon,
the Emperor remained three hours in the saddle with-
out putting on a cloak. At two o'clock his Majesty
returned by carriage, while the Kings of Spain
and Servia, the Crown Prince of Portugal, and the
foreign officers rode back at a sharp canter. The
Emperor again presided at the afternoon's banquet at
the Kurbaus, but did not attend the evening perform-
ance, where all the other Sovereigns and Princes were
present.

On Tuesday, after a damp bivouac, the German
troops assembled near Homburg continued their
mansouvres. A series of brilliant operations resulted
in the success of the attacking force. His Majesty
the Emperor of Germany, the Prince of Wales,
and the rest of the Royal visitors to the camp were
present.