The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-07-25
GERMAN SOLDIERS
{.eSpd 3sIII moId peuuT@uool

a third was fussing over case OF
horse mango. not because ne had TO-
but because he loved horses. toGr'h
vas doing a bit of wood carving: q
fifth was making pen. and INK sketch
of the fourth: a sixth was drinking
cup of coffee, and a seventh was just
summing himself
The spirit of the troops which have
been fronting the Russian offensive IS
superb For heavens sake. Sald an
officer who knew enough Engllsh 10
make a play on words, we are SO
afraid peace will break out: we ooIs
want peace now. Everything IL gong
80 we'll that we can finish this war
so that II will stay finished II only
time is given for doing the work lhor-
oughly."
AS for resentments, / have heard
none uttered during this strip. Pains
takingly they fight the Russians, out
they waste no time hating them, Dajy
II see a dozen instances or sollclluue
for the comfort Of the Russian
wounded, and l can pass none OF INC
new made graveyardS lying oehliu
the German positions without oeholu
ing evidences Of a soldierly reverence nee
for an enemy that had fatien III Ine
cause Of native land:
Foes Buried Side by Side.
The Russians lie beside the Germans
and the double armed Russian crosses
marking their graves are tasni0neu
with as much care as is bestowHl on
rhe single armed crosses for the Ger
man graves. In making the crosses
the soldiers always try TO cut tne 1liL,
Der so that protruding KNOT WI
come near the point where the arms
intersect.
a fat, oval panel. The panel IS paint
ed, white and on the white the words
of inscription are lettered In black.
"Ruhet Sanft" crest in peace) was let,
tered on the German crosses ana
"Ruhet Sanft" was duplicated on the
Russian.
There was no display OF bitterness
az to the Russians who remained alive
and were sitting in the opposite posi-
tions. The Germans spoke or them as
they might have spoken OF men VINO
had muddled some engineering project
and paid dear for their 1neptltuoe.
self in this kind OF talk. but no shrill
vainglory.
Russians Poorly Trained.
II was war to be won by experts
and the Germans felt themselves TO
he the experts. They summed up all
the tremendous weeks in equable tones
and the gist Of what they said was
| this: III
"They have had heavy losses all
along the line and they have bean
thrown back even when they got as
far as the entanglements. And at no
time have they had more than minor
successes. Many OF their men have
! had only six months training. Con-
sidering what they were before they
we're summoned to the colors they
ought 10 have had five years.
"Under ordinary conditions we feel
that we need two years 10 make the
complete soldier. and our men come
! to us from good schools. What 10
Won think. then, that the Russians can
do with men so raw that they don
In telling the story Of how I found
and where I found. and In what con-
Gition I found my friend Rohde have
not idealized him or his surroundings.
| h,,t only tried to make clear what cf-
feet. as It seemed to me. five months
| Of life and training. on the front mad
had on him. When he left the office
in Berlin he was % and looked-well
i nearly 80. When found him IN the
Hindenburg Valid he looked fine,
strong lad in his early POS.
Lives a Dogs Life.
| yet his life on the front is hard-a
DOGS life from many point Of view,
He lives amid peril and cold and heat
and mud. A desolate death is con-
stantly and literally before his eyes.
His fight is not alone against an in