Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-12
Size ofGuns Quintupled and
Wey Gas Poisons All 1t
7ouches---Germans Tell
Of Food Shortage.
by LORD NourHCI1rrE.


! PARIS. March 1l.-Americans who
saw the triumphant march OF the mag
niflcently organized German troops at
BRUSSELS In August, 1914. gathered the
impression the Teutonic hordes. with
their years or preparedness behind
them, would be able TO march about
Europe Napoleonlike. Offering peace
here and there as they chose und de-
nnndtnS anything they wanted. There
arc number OF written records By
Americans and others Of that brilliant
spectacle.
| Turn back to tho photographs Of tho
time and look at the impressive SER
ricd ranks OF the many wcll-clothed
soldiers. The first German prisoners I
saw were those takens by the English
In the battle OF tho Marne-grent. big
Prussians: fne. smiling Saxons; we'll
hammered Wurttemberecrs. of good
physique. just such men as you would
see at any German turnverein in the
/. United States.
saturday l the German pris-
oners who had escaped the hellish Ere
or the French seventy-flves at Vcrdun
! Where had gone those splendid stall
warts captured In the battle OF the
Marine? II there he Il bread limo In tho
American city in which YOU live at tho
present moment go have a look at IL
tonight, and you will get a fairly
accurate impression OF much OF tho
rank and file now left Of The Ger
mans.
] GERMANS FACES REAR
LOOK OF FRIGHT
/ Cnder-sized. badly dressed. with faces
that bear look OF fright that seems
, I<l
appearance is such as would move a
heart Of stone. 1t is difficult to believe
that these dregs OF humanity are
!tl eled the corps d'elite"
/ Exactly how they would fare in a
hand-to- hand encounter with any of
the 10000 young Americans in the
, 8r.tish army need not he speculated
upon, AS ii Is, the ether with which
( they were druEEed before facing the
! French and their giant guns. 1000 in
number, under whose cover they ad-
I Earccd, alone enabled them TO survive
the terror. under the influence OF which
some Of them were almost unable To
speak
! With two exceptions among those
! with whom I spoke. all we're utterly
| weary OF warfare, and begged 10 be
. told when peace could he expected
j phe exception was fine Young
HaNarian OF good class, who had en-
listed as volunteer at the outbreak OF
war. and who is already high up in
/ The ranks OF noncommissioned officers
! was sorry TO see him among such
canaillc.
: Th" other exceptions was a handsome
lianoverian, who admitted that Ger
/ many could not win. but trusted there
was some limit to French ammunition
+ | thought OF the vast parks OF shells
now being built up in England and the
huge supplies the Paris Vcroiun
road. but said nothing TO disturb tho
poor fellows anxiety
! CLIMATE; Is LIKE
| THAT OF MAINE:
The district around Verdun and the
climate OF Meusc are not unlike that
. Of Scotland or Maine at this time of
the year. All the more astounding is
IT that these poor wrctchcS should have
hcen thrust into this struggle with
, clothing that has distinctly dctcrior-
atcd in quality in the last six months.
WOO! must be at a premium in Ger
many The German saving that every
thing goes 10 the army is certainly
untrue as regards the soldiers on the
front at Ncrdun. Clothing obviously
docS not go there.
The food supplies OF tho Germans
were on the whole good. German boys
assured me. One grumblcd that the
officers took too much of the limited
amount OF lard for their own cooking.
on the whole. there was nothing TO
complain of. though they admitted their
food as French prisoners was better
than AS German soldiers
II ShoulU he howayor
that what would satisfy an ordinary
Tcuton would certainly not satisfy an
American or a Frcnchman. There was
lack OF meat and sausage, but fairly
good bread and coffee. mixed partly
with baked acorns
PROBE OF MOTIVE
FOR WINTER Ar"TACK
! describe these men in order that
the reader may more easily put himself
in "a position to probe the German mo-
tive for an attack III mdwintcr Ger
/ man Americans reading these lines who
get occasional letters from the Father
! land through the censorship will know
a little what mean when ! say that
/ Germany is lighting against time.
/ Food calculations have gone wrong in
Germany. The calculation that Eng
. land would not submit to conscriDtion
has also gone wrong.
/ From one end OF Germany to the other
tho word peace" is uttered. It's par
allel throughout England and France
is the word war" Just as Germany
did not realize that England would go
to the assistance OF little Belgium so
she does not yet understand that the
five British nations Of Canada, AUS
tralia South Africa, New Zealand. and
the home country herself. with India
in addition. are only now starting QUO
on "a war which they are prepared to
wage. not only as long as war was
wased by the North against the South
but as long as tho war between Eng.
land and Napoleon.
The stuT..d Zeppelin trips over Eng
land. silly German newspaper threats
and the foolish idea that tho capture
q Il In. &c