Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-02-09
IS GERMIA||||N||'Y'''s'j / HERO
Won Hindenburg Hailed as L!'tef.,
ator Of East Prussia.
Correspondent Gets. First Interview
with Fleld Marshal-Has Implicit
Confidence In Ultimate Sue
cess Of German Arms. 4

Confidence In Ultimate Sue
. . Of German Arms.
vienna.-A.. correspondent Of tho
Vienna New Free Pre1l has obtained
the first interview given by Field
Marshal Won Hindenburg, the hero OF
Germany. A translation Of the main
portion of the article follows:
General Won Hindenburg cordially
greeted me, led the way to the DIM
Ing room and requested me to take
4. seat by his side. Supper was sim
pie, consisting 81 soup and one
course. Whatever deltcacies the table
held were love offerings from Ger.
many which the liberator Of. East
Prussia is daily receiving In plenty.
And so 1t is that champagne was
served, and even Hungarian wine Of
old vintage, which, in this city, &C.
cording to ancient tradition. is consid'
cred the acme Of d~elicacies on an
epicurean table. . :
In answer to Z question relative to
what experience he has had since the
cooperation Of the German and Aus
tro-Aungarian armies General voD
Hindenburg answered: ~" ~
THE AustriansI and Hurngarians are
excellent soldiers. Men as. well as
officers are brave and courageous. We
have been fighting shoulder to shout
der and have implicit confidence in
the ultimate success Of our mutual
fighting. We esteem the Austrians
and Hungarians as excellent COM
rades. The relations between the two
armies are very cordial. At present we
are maintaining, lively connections
with General Dankl, the leader Of the
First Austrian army corps, with
which we have established lines Of
communication"
) The conversation changed from
friends to enemies. In answer to q
question about the Russians General
won Hindenburg said:
THE Russians, too, are good sol.
oilers. They have discipline, and dis.
eipline will eventually decide this war.
But Russian discipline Is entirely dit.
ferent from German and Austro-Hun.
garian discipline. In our armies dis
cipline is the result Of spirit and
morale. while in the Russian army ID
is a combination Of silent, inane obedi-
ence. The Russian soldier stands still
because he was told to stand still.
and he stands as If nailed to the spot
What Napoleon I said Of the Russians
holds good even today: 1t is not suf-
ifcient to shoot the Russian dead. It
Is also necessary t.. throw him down.
THE Russians have learned much
since the war with Japan. Their
strength consists in the establish
ment Of fortified positions in the field.
They understand thoroughly how to
Zig themselves into the soil. No Som
Ell have they occupied q position thanj
they disappear ten minutes later III
the earth like moles. But our soldiers
have learned that too; they didn't
like to do It, but they had to do it
In self.defense. .
Eyes, the Russians are good SOL
diers,". the general repeated. "But
nevertheless one needn't feay them.
We are not at all afraid Of the Rus
sian superiority. Superiority is char
acteristic Of the Russians. It is their
principal weapon. He who fights
against Russia fights against super.
iority. At T%annenberg they were
three times stronger than our forces
and yet it has been shown how much
that helped them. Oh, no, this su.
periority is not half as dangerous as
It appears. Numerical superiority is
not decisive, especially not at the
present stage Of the wal.
Though the Russians drive against
our borders like q huge steamroller,
they will not find 1t possible to roll
over us. Quite the contrary; the Rus.
slams are tagged out. They may say
and, do what they please, the fact re.
mains that all indications. point to.
ward a speedy ~disintegration of their
forces. They are beginning to feel
the lack Of arms and ammunition. The
prisoners we take point significantly
with their hands toward their mouths.
That mean that their soldiers are
hungry. Even their officers lack food.
The other day we captured one who
was disguised as a peasant. He was
about to be shot as a spy. At the last
moment he succeeded in proving that
he had disguised himself for no other
reason than to obtain food.
Unfortunate though that may SEEM,
It favors US. War cannot be conduct.
ed along sentimental lines. The more
cruel war is being waged the more
merciful is its reality, because the
sooner the q is terminated. The
more humanitarian way of conducting
. war is that which brings about
peace most quickly"
"A - NAA aass - .>NAs.,s.A..