Norwich bulletin., 1916-01-20
Stories of the War
At Maekensen,s Headauarters.

fAG HaCRGDSGn8 tIGa9Q4afEGFSs A general headquarters in the field of the German army resembles close- ly the management of a large busi- ness. The officers are branch mana gers whom convention and necessity has stuck into uniforms, and the prt- vate soldiers take the place of en- ployes about the office. For their stereotyped garb there is no better reason than that combatants, accord ing to military law, must indicate ktheir status by distinctive dress. Be- yond that a general headquarters is not a military instruction in the pop ular conception of that term. It is purely an administrative office con- stantly organizing and reorganizing. War on a scale as the European strug- gle has reached becomes, by the huge demands 1t makes, by the pressure it exerts upon participating individuals. and by the recurrence of the necessity for doing a certain thing, a business. Even the head of the group, the conn mander, the tactician and Stategist, Is again and again confronted with the same demands of the military situa- tion; there are times when he must leave minor details to his staff officers, and all phases of his work which re- cur to often, and are, therefore. com | monest, he must leave in the hands of subordirates altogether. General headquarters is, in other words, an
 
 workers, which could successfully run any enterprise, and which, by virtue of it's discipline among all concerned. would be dangerous competitor to a civilian organization in the same field. Such is the impression one gains at the general headquarters of Field Mar shall von Mackensen, presiding genius of the Austro- Hun ngarian-G forces in Serbia. In this establish ment everything moves noiselessly, Vi frkf fAr7l xnlx <@<.S which is not expressed in revolutions of machinery, but in the pu1sebeats of a great, expansions seeking, and seem ingly inexhaustib1e force.
 The character of an army in best l judged by conditions prevailing at Press correspondent spent two hours at the one in question. The captain | in charge, young man of about 36, presided in an inner office. Several non n-commissioned officers sat at ta-
 bles in an outer room. Officers and
 men came for this and that. usually i addressing a sergeant. The brusk demeanor towards subordinates with which the German officer has been associated was wholly absent. Sew
 eral officers wanted wheel transporta- l tfon.
 Sorry, sir! None available at this
 moment" the sergeant would say. l One of the officers thought he would have to get wagon, no matter how. This attitude took the case out of the sergeants hands. Just then the base commander entered the outer room. The officer turned to him with an in- troduction of himself by himself and a vigorous clack of his heels.
 Very sorryl Have no wagons here I just now5,' said the base chief in a
 friendly tone which for all of its | warmth told the other that the in- | formation given by the sergeant
 should have suffced.
 T A major entered. He had been sent I from Berlin to superintend the har- vest of the grapes which were on the verge of rotting on the hillsides, but 1 whose juice would be welcome to the wounded in the hospitals It seemed
 that he had caused a large and suit
 able cellar to be cleared for the bar
 stored. During the night a cavalry Organization had needed shelter for its horses and had used the cellar for
 this purpose. The major was indig- nant
 That will happen" said the cap
 tain. .tGet the cellar cleaned again
 and then we'll station guard there.'
 The incident was settled. But the major had more trouble. He did no! have men enough to gather the grapes
 and what men he had were none toe proficient.
 .fVery well! We can fix that. Ask
 Berlin to send you hundred or SC of landsturm men from some town ir i. the Palatinate or along the Rhine They would enjoy the trip
 The major said he would do tha1
 and left fully satisfied.
 !, The campaign in Serbia has beer disagreeable enough to have soureG : the disposition of anybody. Rainf have fallen constantly. and men fig. ure no longer on the absence of mud 61Jf h6W little fhaPo ia xfoS Sx
 rejoices when the mud is only ankle. : deep, and roads are called bad onls l when the slush runs into the top. 1 boots from above.
 started and ended with mud. A trai1
 officer knew his business in coping with the thick, adhesive Serbian ! "gunabo" to the last detail. Some body wanted to know of him why oxer ' were better than horses as draugh 1 animals on muddy roads The ques.
 toned was a guard cavalry officer ant
 inwardiy resented the slightning ton, i with which the train" spoke o , | horses.
 Simple, explained the train Of ncer. Due to the construction of th. hoofs of both animals. When thu
 horse steps into stiff mud, it's hoof re
 mains az big when 1t is pulled out, al it was when set down. The mud : meanwhile, has closed over the hoo1 Aau EVGfy blkIle ItlS AA4xlAIS HluSL 6k' : l;ert a pull of about five kidogram sl (10 lbs.) to get its foot out. Witt
 the OK it is different. because the hoo
 being eleven. opens on the downwars
 motion and closes on the upward mo i, tion. It is smaller when pulled ou lthan it was when set down. In ad 2 dttiDn the weight of the body is bet 5 ter distributed in the OK.
 ti The officer had never before move, | l anything by means of oxen. But ri few days contact with the animal hal Ian expert in the handling of ''ox' } trains.
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