The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-07-25
tOrder Issued Month Ago
Gives Lie To Recent
AZ German Statement
HUNGRY SOLDIERS
! PILLAGED STORES
Trains Held Up And The
Guards Killed To Get
Food Supplies
(By Associated Press.)

7 With The British Army In France
Tuesday, July 23.-The claim Of the
German higher command that the
retirement on the Marine is part O.
a set program is given the lie by ar
order Of General Won Boehm, com
mander Of the seventh army. The
iseventh army has borne the full
weight Of the FoCh counter offensive
in the west, and its divisions around
scissors suffered heavily at the
hands Of the Americans, while those
least of Chateau Thierry were
Thrown back across the Marine by
the pressure Of the French.
For this reason the order Of Gen
lVon Boehm written a month prior
to the beginning Of the battle, Is OF
Unusual significance. He deploree
1.-THE lack Of discipline which resulted
lin the pillaging Of stores in the back
Iareas during the advance in May
when all edible booty found in the
wake of the retiring French speed
lilly vanished, instead of being dis
ltributed among the hungry troops
lin due proportions.
/, The order continues:
HI 1T is necessary to depart from the
lbeaten track, which has been fol-
I lowed in the utilization Of material
Eand provisions and stores from the
occupied territory. Hopes Of the
utilization Of captured food as
srations and the distribution of a
fixed portion Of the provisions to the
lighting troops have proved to be
Efallacious, because the troops have
taken these provisions themselves
land eaten them, without treating
| them as part Of the authorized scale
of rations.
Unfair Division.
Tn this way some units which
(have CHANGED to have the opportun-
Iity to capture booty of this descrip-
Ition have lived in abundance, while
others are suffering privattons.
Further it has not even been the
TROOPS in the front line to whom this
more abundant supply Of food has
FALLEN, but second line troops, train
echelons and especially stragglers
who are roaming about behind the
army.
ut has even happened that men
fl1ave taken food without authority
and by force from the stores in the
military occupation and admins
tration and, I regret to say, some
officers have not been ashamed to
interfere with the guard in the
execution Of their duty and to insult
the officials to whose charge the
provisions were entrusted. 1t ap-
pears to be necessary for the sup
ply officials to follow the first line
troops as closely as possible and to
be accompanied by escorts of
cavalry or police. so important
stores and depots may at least he
administered by them with as little
delay as possible.
IF our progress results N the oc-
Icupation Of a new area, this must
Ebe placed under a regular system
tof exploitation as soon as possible.
Order must be maintained in the
Iyillages by sentries and patrols. The
Troops must be prevented and pro-
Inhibited from making acquisitions in
1.-THE fields and taking the crops. The
people at home are so short of all
provisions necessary to life that
Eenough can never be done to dimin-
| ish the amount which they have to
Esupply to the army in the field.
+ Rapid and Complete Seizure.
= Rapid and complete seizure and
economic use Of provisions may
prove Of capital Importance for the
continuation of the operations"
which Won Boehm complains ap-
| pears to have become widespread,
ERecent orders issued by the com
n1anders Of the 18th and second
armies, opposite the British, have
revealed excuses which seem al
most incredible, considering that
| the German military machine has
been notorious for it's iron discipline
Trains have been held up and the
guards killed and provisions carried
away by gangs Of desperate sold
! iers intent upon satisfying their
| hunger even if they are shot for it.
! AS a rule the troops in the front
| line are we'll fed and prisoners re-
kcently taken corroborate this, but
| in order to supply them with ade
quate provisions, the rations of the
division resting or training in the
back areas are cut down to a
minimum and the amount doled out
| to each man today is not sufficient
! to satisfy his normal needs.
All the orders issued on the
| decadence Of discipline have been
couched in curiously mild language
being in effect more Of an appeal
than a threat, as though the higher
| Command realized the men were in
| a. dangerous mood and disinclined tc
submit to severe punishment.
& While too high hopes must not be
! based on these reports Of insubordin-
alton. it remains a fact that the dis
! cipline Of the German army at least
| on the western front is in a bad way
and the present defeat on the Marine
does not seem likely to improve it.