The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1918-12-05
Germans are Abandoning
Much War Material

Our troops have finished the sec
ond stage Of their journey 10 the
Rhine. Our front rests today across
the Meuse at Huy. nineteen miles
east of Nomur. and beyond this vlg-
ue line. which passes through a Huy
street with busy shops, is the neu-
trail zone of ten miles, crossed only
by white-flagged ENJOYS Of the OPP
posing armies.
1t has been a journey Of absorbing
interest from Charleroi and Nivelles
through Namur TO the Meuse. and
up the winding valley hen med in by
tall gray cliffs. past picturesque vii
lagos and ancient castles 10 The cita-
del Of Huy. The roads are strewn
with the wreckage Of the German
army in retreat and burned and
broken transport lorries strewn in
muddy bitches. while guns lie rust
ing on battered carriages, the play
things Of little children
Ambulances and staff cars bear
ing the crest Of ruined empire. rest
where they were abandoned by the
struggling rear guards, and black
cross airplanes, arranged in orderly
rows, confront our passing troops at
Nivelles The battlefield Of Quatro
Bras is a park for surrendered linn
bers and ammunition wagons and un-
calmly motor vans. shod with iron,
and old TUNES peep out Of the mud
Metal helmets the most useless pos
session of the German army. ro0st
on fences and farm gates. and pave
the way trod by the British nfan-
try
/ Choas in German Ranks.
Chaos, ruin and utter abandonment
Of all order and discipline are unmis-
takably revealed in the strange med
ley Of broken machinery Of war
Our soldiers stare wonderingly at
the debris in their paths. The mind
Of men could not have conceived a
more fantastic picture Of defeat than
this, and each additional mile seems
to multiply on every hand the evi.
dences Of utter disintegration which
has been the fate Of the war lords
and their all-conquering host.
Near Namur one dump alone yield
ed 1900 machine guns One hun
bred and sixty airplanes he in a sin
gle field
The Germans appear to have
thrown down everything. like men
who were tired Of useless burdens.
Villagers told me how drivers pulled
up lorries at cafe doors, drank heav-
lily and ironically presented To the
cafe keepers their wagons as souve-
Mrs Of their stay Then they would
join the ragged pilgrims afoot in the
greasy mud
Guns were mostly dumped at rail
road stations. but many were thrown
alongside felled trees which line the
highway. Horses were tied to carts
overladen with luggage Nothing re-
mains Of many lorrics but the black
ened iron framework and piles Of
charred wood
A cavalry detachment Of fifty
uhlans rode quietly across the Meuse
bridge out Of Namur this morning in
the direction Of their own lines be-
tween an escort Of Canadian troop
ers. Not sound was heard in the
crowded streets as they followed the
Tapping white flag. almost as big as
a table cloth. The men looked very
smart and the horses extremely fit I
Obviously they had been picked for
this visit to the enemy, and by the
looks Of them. one might have judg-
ed the German cavalry arm as strong
and efficient as in the early days Of
the war
Few Germans Seen.
On the whole. our men have seen /
very few Germans Many outpost I
attachments, which were supposed .
10 remain until our patrols arrived.
have slipped away and left the guns /
and wagons they guarded to the care
of the villagers. Every German
seems anxious to get across his own
frontier as quickly as possible Their