El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-05-02
ON .
VERDUN FIELD
Human Flesh and Bones
Scattered By Explosions,
Says German Officer.

San Diego, Calf, May I'm a letter
to his brother here, a German army
major describes the shocking horrors
o. the Verdun battlefield on which he
has been fighting and pleads for
peace.
A translation Of the letter reads in
part:
German Stall Headquarters, Western
Front in France, March, 1916.
Dear Brother-WelI. I got back
once more. We have just come back
from facing the fortress of DouamOnt'
and IT was some fight. I have just had
q bath and changed my clothes, and l
hope never to see anything Xix Il
again. The big shells were coming
at the rate Of 10000 a minute. We
had to wear ear protectors to keep
from going insane. We estimated that
there were $4,000 big guns in action
at one time. 1t looked like the end Of
the world. and it was a wonderful
sight II 1t had not been for the
Eight Killed Per Second.
There was an estimate Of eight men
killed every second for more han SO
hours, so figure it out for yourself.
They died in rows standing up-there
was no room to fall.
ct have seen a good many fights. and
so have you, but this is the worst In
the history of the world. It's plain
murder man has no chance. How I
came back / don't know. It's n won
der 10 me anybody gets back. It's Just
a hail Of bullets. Blood was flowing
all over. I was soaked through and
my shoes were full of it.
Flesh Scattered Everywhere.
-Pieces Of human flesh and bones
were scattered all over us. When we
got in the fortress, we drove them out
with the bayonets and we got a lot Of
prisoners.
It just heard from my mother in
law in Paris. Both OF her bows are
alive vet, fighting for the French
somewhere near Verdun. It's a funny
world might be killing my best
James Heller. from home. was
killed only about ten feet from me.
He was blown to pieces, n big she'll ex-
ploding right on top Of him.
From Arabian Desert.
IT was over on the Russian line. and
7 saw old Won HindenbUrE. He was I'm
good health and he surely did some.
fine work there. 7 went from there TO
Constantinople. and from there to Kut-
El-Amara. on the Tigris river. and I
found father pretty sick and suffering
with fever. I had him taken to a
hospital and he was feeling some bet
ter when ] left. He surely would have
died had he stayed any longer, but you
know how stubborn he is. 7 think he
will be able to come hom soon. It's
enough to kill anybody out there on
the Arabian desert at 100 in the shade
days. and below zero nights. You know
how IL is.
IT have been promoted to major.
Don't you worry. they will never beat
Germany. Tt might last for another
yea or two. but we viii win in the
end and we will surely get Verdun.
Germany has plenty Of everything and
IT, is the spirit of our people. But
still we hope. for the sake of humanity
ard the salvation Of the human race.
and the poor widows and orphans. OF
Germany alone has more than
1000. 600. that it will soon end. 1t is
suicide for Europe.
Guns DeHfen at Three Miles.
II am about three miles behind the p.
at staff headquarters. but the
noise from the big guns is so terrific
] can't hear my own voice. There
is a stream OF wounded coming through /
all the time, and there are
thousands of them dying between the
lines, where it Is impossible
TO get to them.
Wei. sending you and yours my
best wishes, and hoping that we may
meet again some day where Is once
-1oree peace on earth-and we hope it
viii be forever. for no human being !
who has seen this war and its results
would ever wish for another one"