Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-26
FRESH EVIDENCE GIVEN
OF WEAKENING MORALE
GERMAN Prisoners Tell How Officer.
Are Losing Grip on
Their Men.
DISTORTIONS ARE NUMEROUS
civilians in Germany Raising outcry
US &c Why War Is Being Prolonged,
anu There Is Talk OF mn End to
Hohenzollcrns.
IRY As.nrIat.a p-..1

WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN
FRANCE AND BELGIUM. October u.s.
The consolidation Of the positions won
W tho allies in Mondays attack was
oeins rapidly completed to-day under
" bright sun. which Is mitigating some
what the difficulties Of the work in the
ihorass-liks ground. Active artillery
IRE marked tho night in the rcgion to
the east and north Of Yprcs.
The British big guns have never
ceased to pour i devastating fire. into
the German positions along the Elan
ders battle front. and the enemy has
responded vigorously. Last night the
Germans directed u heavy fire against
|. the sector between the Yprcs-Menin
Highway and the Ypres-Roulcrs rail-
way and also concentrated on Abraham
heights which arc on the Gravenstafcl
Ridge. southwest Of Passchendaele.
shortly before dark last evening the
neny launched a counterattack against
the British TO the south OF Houtholst
Forest, near tho junction with tho
French. but this was rcpulscd with ma
chine gun and rifle IRE. Both tn.
French and British were holding their
new positions In this dinlcult territory
on tho edge OF the forest strongly.
NO TRUTH IN REPORT
SENT OIT BY BERLIN
The assertion in the German oricial
statement that the British on Monday
had also attacked on both sides of
Ghcluvelt and were rcpulsed is entirely
erroneous, as no such attack was made.
The British offensive was confined to
ODnFatfnn9 a1nnn q rarrN,u front cav-
cral miles north OF Gheluvelt.
The report that British troops had
found a German officer who had been
executed by his own soldiers. the body
having the hands bound behind the
back, has been confirmed. The Incl
den: occurred at n redoubt south OF
|~Poelcape!le during the recent fighting.
There were fourteen German soldiers
and young officers holding this place.
When the British troops stormed this
rcdoubt the German soldiers eurren-
dered and the British found the dead
officer with Ave bullet wounds In his
body. The reason for his execution was
that the men desired to surrender and
he refused to give UP his stronghold
without a struggle.
This anair is another link tending
to substantiate statements made By
prisoners that the German officers COM
manding certain bodies OF troops along
the Flanders front are losing control
lover thc!. men. There is no doubt
THAT there has been a very onsiderablc
deterioration in the morale Of many
OF the German troops in this region.
But the German nshting machine &,
recognized as stri being n powerful
one.
n IsESTCI"n HI 4 nGU~
THEIR GIiIP on MEN
one noncommissicned officer belong.
ing 10 the Tenth Bavar!an Division. who
WAS captured about tho middle OF Oc-
;obcr. asserted. as had other prisonern
before. that the officers were losing
their grip OF the men. He aaid that
descrtiors In the rear were very fire.
Qucnt. and cited the case OF thirteen
men OF his own company who had
deserted n fortnight before. declaring
they were going home. Some OF Thorn
were arrested on the way. but others
actually reached their homes. -Four
of these men we're brought back to
their as prisoners. but the
officers did not know whether any OF
them had been punished. lie added
that this was not an exceptional case.
Al equally interesting statement was
made by a captured officer OF the
guard reserve division who had Joined
his regiment in the middle Of October.
He declared that the morale in Ger
many was very bad and that tho
civilians were raising an outcry as to
why the war was being prolonged.
throughout n country. he said. there
was talk OF an end to the Hohenzol-
Terms, and the establishment OF a re-
bubble. The morale In his own division.
he characterized as bad. although for
knerly It had been good. This officer
said that the authorities had
hlready called up the 1920 class in
Brunswick. Germany WAS suffering
Prom a serious shortage OF horses and
here was a great scarcity Of canvas.
hs n result Of which the manufacture
bf tents had virtually ceased. huts be-
ng erected instead.
Another officer prisoner had charge
BIZ the guard in a prison camp. There
&yere British. French and Russian pris-
bners there. The food was not good.
he said, and 4 number Of deaths had
occurred from hunger and typhus."