Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-10-04
FEEL NOTHING IN BATTLE
Austrian Officer Describes Effect Of
Armed Fighting on the Mind.
DANGER SENSATION LEAVES
when Enemies Meet the one OBJ
iect T. 60 AnnihiIato Each other
without Regard for own
safety,

serve officer, who. after having been
Wounded in an engagement with the
Russans, gave the following interview
10 an Hungarian journalist. The officer
in question was with General kankl In
the fighting southeast Of Krasnlk.
You feel little OF nothing while In
battle" he said. At least you forget
how things affect your mind. The eyes
See and the ears hear, but those are
perceptions which do not result in i'm
prossions one could coordinate. They do
not even affect your sentiments. But II
- not cyncism for all that. merely the
lack OF appreciation of what takes place.
My captain "A most lOvable fellow whom
did not alone respect as an officer,
but OF whom 1 also thought a great deal
personally. Was leading his company into
fire when three bullets hit him in the
abdomen. ] saw him fail, but thought
nothing OF II and marched on
In spite of the fact that you have
no III feelings against the enemy and
may not even fear him, you destroy him
as best YOU can on the evening before
our first battle we were sitting about
the mess table-most OF us officers OF
tho line None Of us had ever killed "A
first Russian officer tomorrow my i'm
pulse will be to shake his hand My
comrades agreed with me. But on the
following day ! was Obliged to lay
number Of Russians low
4 PhIeEmatic People.
My Slovacs are the most phlegmatlc
people in the world, but excellent soldiers.
They shoot without anger but simply
because one Is on the battlefield and
can not do any different The terrible
thing is that often you are shot at with
out being able to return the fire. But
this IL not as fear inspiring as II is dis
couragiug. You learn TO know what fear
is when you begin 20 realize that you
might be killed without killing somebody
first
"of course. have been scared. That
was after l had been wounded.
I'VE had been firing a long time and
when next we advanced we came into
deep. sandy road. out of which we
could not get because OF the enemy's ter
rble fire. We had TO lie perfectly still
while bullets simply poured over US. That
was awful
The officer omitted TO state that while
in this Position he was shot three times
in tho arm, but continued to lead his
troops throughout the action.
1T Il a we'll known fact that the SOL
der sees very little OF the battle. on
August a. early In the morning, we re-
celved orders TO occupy a low hill at the
edge OF a track covered with brushwood
Forming part OF the reserve. we were
expected to remain under cover. In front
OF US was a large open battlefield. To
each side OF us were batteries which had
thundered away since early morning.
The result OF this was that many of the
enomy's shells dropped right in front OF
us. 1 remember noticing that while the
smoke of our shells had n lilac color. that
OF the enemy's was white.
See officer Killed.
80 far we had not been disquieted by
the shells at all. on the edge of the
brush wood had been planted a yellow
black flag, showing that somewhere IN
that vicinity was to be found our gem
eral staff. Our colonel left US and walked
toward H. possibly to get orders but
Just as he got there a shrapnel exploded
n little ahead OF him In the air and he
saw our commanding officer. in whom
we placed our confidence. go down. Aftel
that IL was a terrible feeling to lie still
= From that moment on. too. q veritabl'
hail of shells began TO come. Some sap
pers, who had been busy digging a trencl
for the protection Of the general staff
started to run feared that my soldier
would follow the example, and began u
make fun OF the poor sappers, scoldlnI
them at the same time. Thank God. IN!
battalion found that funny and began L
laugh. They lived through = terrific
yhrapnel fire with not a care and evel
found occasion for laughter.
"A major took command OF the regi
ment aud we received orders to retake
hill which the enemy had taken undo
heavy fire. But OF the enemy nothin
at ali was to be seen as we neared tn
position. though the hail of shells an
shrapnels increased in fury. The fla
bearer marched about 800 PAGES off m
side. BY accident l looked in his d
recuon, saw the white cloud of smok
OF Russian shell and where the fla
bearer had been there was nothing MOI
10 be seen.
The enemy. meanwhile had taken (
flight and later we saw the Russian
wadlng through a swamp. They got
them. shooting. wading, out of breat
OF a sudden. a village behind us wei
up in flames. the light falling on us lil
the rays OF a huge reflector. Then az
there We received a rain OF fire and sa
ths~enemy had taken possessin In goo
order of the other bank. We had 20 ia
back. not because we were afraid, b.
because those were the orders. n
sensation OF being in danger OF death v
did not have.
Result OF CircumstR ncea.
The phlegma OF the Slovac is possib
the result Of the circumstance that he IA
little feeling lie always goes as 4
as his officer goes-no further. but
follows his officers-were the goal n
itself. It is different with the Hu
garian and the Bosnian, whose office
find It difficult 20 hold them back In
firing lane. They always want to bre'
ahead TO get at the enemy.
Flags and drums are useless things
warfare. What is the use OF a fla
which. by its bright cOlors. reveals 20
position, which as the brown paint
my sabre shows. Il has been intended
conceal? In the one case even the siigl
est reflection OF light is guarded again
while in the other large field OF colo
undoes all that Il has been wished
accomplish The drummer on the 9th
hand. must beat his drum as he goes
the attack, yet he Is expected 10 run Ia