Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-05
CURIOUS TESTIMONY
OF GERMAN PRISONERS
Decentralization Will Occur Only on
Day When Army Is Expelled
From France.
MERE BOYS ON RATTLE 'FRONT.'
Forcibly Enrolled After Outbreak Of
Hostilities and Ordered to Scene Of
Fighting With Only Couple OF
Months Training.

Especial Gable to The Times Dispatch ]
PARIS. December I've are amused
and amazed every day by the curious
testimony of German prisoners. To be-
gin with, these men reveal an astonlsh-
ing degree of Ignorance. To-day. as
three months ago. the German soldiers
believe all that his chiefs tell him.
He is convinced that the Emperor is
n man of genius. and that the suburbs
of Lille are at the very gates of Paris.
, He will not admit that the allies havc
gained single victory, and he thinks
that Warsaw IL in the hands OF the
Germans.
Try to dispel these illusions. and he
turns away in disdainful silence. One
must not speak too hastily, however,
moralization will only occur on the
day when the German army shall have
been expelled from France and BEL
GUM.
On the other hand, 1t appears from
the same testimony. that in orde: TO
take the offensive at any price, Ger
! many has thrown into Belgium masses
Of men insufiiciently trained and of Il
quality very inferior to that of their
army OF the first line.
Nothing is more striking. in that re-
gard, than the story of a. Lorraine
prisoner. told In the vicinity Of Neuve-
Chapelle. He was very young man.
almost a hoy. who had been forcibly
enrolled at Metz after the outbreak OF
hostilities. along with men of thirty
five and forty-hve years OF age, who
had never really belonged to the army
This Heterogeneous regiment had
been hastily drilled for a couple of
months, without having been familiar
ICED with the handling of the Mauser.
Towards the end OF October the regi-
ment was sent to Lille, and detailed
TO the trenches. There the training of
ST inc .
the officers used to drill them at a time
when they ought to have been sleep
ing. One morning about ] o'clock the
young Lorrainer's company was or
dered to unload their rifles and to fix
bayonets. The officers took up n DO
sition behind their men, and ordered
them to attack the English trenches.
Reaching the bed of stream which
separated the two lines of trenches.
the men came suddenly under the Eng
lish fire.
From thcir positions in the immedi-
ate rear the officers obliged their men
to resume their forward march. Some
minutes afterwards almost the entire
company was annihilated by the ac-
curato fire of the English infantrymen,
and the officers were killed to a man.
The young Lorraine was hit four
times. and seized the first occasion to
give himself UP as n prisoner. The
young man ended his story by say
II
Ing that great number of his com.
rades were lighting against their will.
VIII the Germans continue for long
to end new troops OF this sort? On
that question depends, without doubt.
not only the issue of the war, but its
duration. II they are compelled to
reserve their last reinforcements for
their eastern frontier. the battle of
Flanders must have speedy de-
n s,y. entirely favorable to the
allies. The struggle may. last longer
If the Germans still have a large
number OF young soldiers to send to
the slaughter.
But one must recognize II the men
of the Landwehr show very much
less bite" than the others, these
young fellows fight very we'll. They,
no doubt. lack experience, and they
shoot abominably; but they know how
to die, and whilst their numbers re-
main considerable, the German attacks
will maintain their violence.