Gilpin observer., 1917-11-29
RULES FOR FRITZ
BEHIND The LINES
Soldiers Are Taught How to
Speak and Think.
SHOWN IN CAPTURED ORDERS


to Lie, But to Give Only Such Infor-
nation a. 10 Known Already to Be
In Possession Of the Enemy.
Most Of the information which the
opposing forces get about one another
is obtained by patrols, and by trench
raids for the purpose of bringing back
prisoners, writes Paul Scott Mowrer
in the Chicago News. In q recently
captured order, the colonel command
ing the Second Bavarian infantry COM
plains that, most of the time, ''the
French are more cunning than we,"
and urges his men to be "rather cum
ming than courageous" when doing pa
troll work. "My men," he adds, "do
not need to show their courage; 1t is
known well enough. What is needed
is skillful ruses."
He thereupon instructs the men how
they shall behave If they have the
misfortune to be taken prisoner. In
this event they are advised to appear
to be sincere but stupid. They are to
give such information as the enemy
probably already has-information
concerning what troops are in the first
lines, and what units are to the right
and left. When asked how many men
there are in his company, the prisoner
is to reply between 100 and 2OO," but
that he doesn't know exactly, because
some are on leave. and some are work.
ing on reserve trenches. When asked
concerning gun positions he Is to an
swer that he has heard the German
artillery firing a great deal behind the
lines, but how is he to know where the
guns are? In short, he is not to lie.
but to answer, for it is useless to try
to deceive the French; they will work
the truth out Of him somehow. If they
once catch him telling falsehood, and
so begin to suspect him. Such, at
least, is the colonel's opinion.
A notebook captured on soldier Of
the Twenty-fourth infantry INDUCES in
somewhat bitter epigrams at the ex-
pense of the Prussians, who. he says,
have "big mouths" (das crosse Maul),
whereas the Bavarians have "big
fists" "It is they (the Prussians) who
do the talking, but we (the Bavarians)
do the fighting"
Germany Picks Over Battlefield.
Practically the whole German army
on the front is now being employed,
or and on, at the task of ragpicking
the battlefield. So short of every kind
of supplies Is Germany becoming and
SO careful and economical Is the Ger
man organization that the military au-
thOrities are at present trying to save
practically everything-rags of cloth
ing, old boots, shell and cartridge
cases. iron fragments, even pieces of
barbed wire. These orders were first
given In July. They were repeated in
September, with the addition that even
the reserve being held for the execu-
ton Of counter-attacks were to be uti-
lized for this work.
There are also especial salvage COM
panies which can be called at any time
to exploit u particularly fertile field OF
debris. Premiums are paid the men
in accordance with the value Of what
they turn in. There was difficulty
over this question ut one time, as 1t
was found that men Of the supply serv-
ice were stealing fresh cases Of car
trldges and other material. and pre-
senting 1t, after a.>mud bath. to the
salvage officers for the sake Of OBJ
tanning the small sums Of money
awarded; but measures have since
been taken, am told, to render this
kind Of graft difficult, II not impossi-
BILE.
ofsIcers Instruct Soldjera
In order to keep up the morale Of
the German troops, which seems to be
on the wane. the German military au-
thorities have established a special
service Of "wohlfahrts Ofiiziere." or
propaganda officers. Their mission Is
to reply to all questions the men de-
sire to ask concerning the war. or con-
corning the resumption Of business aft
er the war. According to a secret doc
ument captured by the French, these
officers at present are to advise the
men to read various official publica-
tions and a selection Of war literature.
They are to make the men understand
the necessity Of continuing the war
until the allies "have given up their
ideas Of conquest" until Germany
Is reassured rs to Its economic fu-
ture.
One Of these officers seems to be a
certain Captain Lochner. concerning
whose pan-German lectures in the hos
pitals the socialist papers Of Mainz
lately have been complaining. After
one Of his lectures the captain dis
tributed leaflets to the helpless pa
tients, which read as follows:
IT declare to be an enemy and trai.
tor to the country he who emits