Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-10-25
REPUBLIC in
GERMANY AIM,
SAYS OFFICER
Civilian Teutons Demand
ing why War is Prolong-
ed, Prisoner Asserts.

With the British Armies in France
and Belgium, Oct. rs. (By the Asso-
ciated Press. )-The consolidation of
the positions won by the allies in Mon
days attack was being rapidly COM
pleted today under a bright sun which
is mitigating somewhat the difficulties
of the work in the moraas-like ground.
Active artillery fire marked the night
east and north of Ypres.
The British big guns have never
ceased to pour a devastating fire into
the German positions along the FYan-
ders battlefront, and the enemy has
responded vigorously. Last night the
Germans directed a heavy fire against
the sector between the Ypres-Menin
highway and the Ypres-Roulers rail-
way and also concentrated on Abra-
enstafel ridge, southwest of Passchen-
deale.
Launch Counter Attack.
Shortly before dark last evening, the
enemy launched a counter attack
against the British south of Houtholst
forest. near the junction with the
French, but this was repulsed with
machine gun and rifle fire. Both the
French and British were holding their
new positions in this difficult territory
on the edge of the forest strong.
h assertion in the German official
statement that the British on Monday
also attacked on both sides of Ghelu-
welt and were repulsed is entirely err
roneous, as no such attack was made.
The British offensive was confined to
operations along a narrow front sew
eral 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, had been confirmed. The in
cident occurred at a redoubt south of
Peel Capelle during the recent fight
Ing. There were IA German soldiers
and young officers holding this place.
When the British troops stormed this
redoubt the German Soldiers surfen-
dered and the British found the dead
| officer with five bullet wound in his
body. The for his execution was
that the men desired to surrender, and
ne refused to give up his STRONGHOLD
without a struggle.
Officers Lose Control.
h affair is another link tending
to substantiate statements made by
prisoners that the German officers
commanding certain bodies of troops
along the Flanders front are losing
control over their men. There is no
doubt that there has been a very con-
siderable deterioration in the morale
OF many of the German troops in HIS
region. But the German fighting ma
chine is recognized as still being a.
powerful one.
One 1noncommissioned officer be-
longing to. the Tenth Bavarian divi-
sion who was captured about the mid
die OF October, asserted, as had other
prisoners before, that the officers were
losing their grip on the men. He said
tnat assertions in the real were. very
frequent n cited the case of 13 men
OF mis- oWn company who had deserted
q fortnight before. declaring that thew
were going home. Some Of them we're
arrested on the way, but others actual
ly reached their homes.
-Four OF these men were brought
back to their company as prisoners.
but the officer did not know whether
any OF them had been punished. He
added that this was notsan exception
al case.
Morale Now Bad.
A very interesting statement was
made by q prisoner officer of a reserve
division who had Joined his regiment
IN h middle Of October. He declared
mat morale In Germany was very bad
n that the civilians were raising an
cutlery as to why the war was being
prolonged. Throughout the country.
ne said. there was talk of an end to
the. Hohenzollerns and the establish.
ment OF q republic. The morale in his
own division he characterized as bad.
although formerly had been good.
The officer here said that the au-
thorities had already called up the
1920 class in Brunswick. Germany wa
suffering from q serious shortage az
horses and there was q great scarcity
OF canvas as 2 result of which the
manufacture Of tents had virtually
ceased. huts being erected instead.
Another OFFICER prisoner had charge
There were British, French and Rms.
nan prisoners there. The food was