Arizona republican., 1918-07-25
GERMAN HIGHER COMMAND GIVEN
 LIE FUR CLAIM
General Won Boehm De plores Lack of Discipline and Pillaging of Stores By
 Hunghy Bosche Soldiers

Hunghy Bosche Soldiers
 WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE, Tuesday, July 23.-(By The Associated Press).-The claim of the German higher command that the re- tirement on the Marne is part of a set program is given the lie by an order of General von Boehm, commander of the seventh army.
 The Seventh army has borne the full weight of the F'och counter offensive on the west and it's divisions around Soissons suffered heavily at the hands of the Americans, while those east of Chateau Thierry were thrown back across the Marne by the pressure of the French.
 Order Is Of Significance For this reason the order of General von Boehm, written month prior to the beginning of the battle. is of un- usual significance. He deplores the lack of discipline which resulted in the pillaging of stores in the back areas during the advance in May. when all edible booty found in the wake of the retiring French speedily vanished. in stead of being distributed among the hungry troops in due proportions. The order continues:
 Tt is necessary to depart from the beaten track, which has been followed in the utilization of material and pro- visions and stores from the occupied territory. Hopes of the utilization of | captured food as rations and the dis tribution of fixed portion of the pro- visions to the fighting troops proved to be fallacious, owing to the fact that the troops have taken these provisions themselves and eaten them, without treating them as d part of the author 1 ized scale of rations.
 Many Suffer Privations
 Tn this way some units, which have | chanced to have the opportunity to capture booty of this description, have l lived in abundance. while others are suffering privations. Further it has not even been the troops in the front line to whom this more abundant sup ply of food has fallen, but second line troops. train echelons and especially stragglers who are roaming about be- hind the army.
 Tt has even happened that men have taken food without authority and by force from the stores in the mili- tary occupation and administration and l 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 It appears to be necessary for the SUD- ply officials to follow the first line troops as closely as possible and to be accompanied by escorts of cavalry ol police. so that important stores an6 depots may at least be administered by them with as little delay as pos. sible.
 Must Restore Order
 If our progress results in the oc. cupation of a new area, this must bt placed under a regular system of eX. ploitation as soon as possible Ordel must be maintained in the villages b, sentries and patrols. The troops mus be prevented and prohibited iron making acquisitions in the fields ant taking the crops. The people at hom, are so short of all provisions neces sary to life that enough can never b, done to diminish the amount whicl they have to supply to the army in tn, field
 Rapid and complete seizure an, economic use of provisions may prov of capital importance for the contin uation of the operations"
 The pillaging in the back areas, O which von Boehm complains, appear , to have become widespread. Recen orders issued by the commanders O the eighteenth and second armies, op posite the British, have revealed ex cesses which seem almost incredible considering that the German militar machine has been notorious for it , iron discipline Trains have been hel up and the guards killed and provi slons carried away by gangs of des perate soldiers intent upon satisfyin
 their hunger, even if they are sho , for it.
 , Front Line Troops We'll Fed
 As a rule the troops in the front lin 5 are well fed and prisoners recent 3 Taken corroborate this, but in order t t supply them with adequate provision I the rations of the divisions resting ( training in the back areas are GU
 down to a minimum and the amour
 doled out to each man today is nc
 sufficient to satisfy his normal needs All the orders issued on the deca . dence of discipline have been couche V in curiously mild language, being i a effect more of an appeal than threa : as though the higher command req S ized that the men were in a dangerou : mood and disinclined to submit to St h were punishment.
 f While too high hopes must not I n based on these reports of insubordina
 ton, it remains a fact that the disc e pline of the German army at least c S the western front is in a bad way, an q the present defeat on the Marne dos ilroJ to