Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-04-25
German Troops ShoU
Signs of Losing Their
Confidence Of Victory

The New York Times man with the
French armies writes that one OF the
most interesting features of the army is
the intelligence department, especially
that section that collects and connotes
Information from prisoners. He says
ii mas documentary PT2@f that the
German leaders won popular support
for the big battle now going on in
Flanders and France and exalted the
morale OFF the soldiers to the highest
pitch by definite promise that this
was not only the decisive but actually
the last battle of the war.
In April we were to enter Paris, y
say the prisoners and peace would be
signed immediately
without entering into details. it can
be said there was MOI training no
less thorough than the physical ana
material preparations. The first pris-
oners captured were as certain OF
victory as in the days of the triumph
ant march on Paris that preceded the
Marine.
Each night an official broadsbeet was
read or distributed containing not only
glowing communicates but encouraging
news items from every quarter. Thus
! in one copy l saw there was lurid ac-
count of the panic of Parisians under
the first "thunderbolt hammer blows
| of the German supercannon
Then. as the offensive was checked,
there came a cnange. The prisoners
| BETRAYED doubt There were ominous
questions in their diaries and note OF
anxiety in the letters they had written,
but 10 their own dismay were for
! hidden TO send home. Doubt gave way
to depression. The losses were terrible
and the forward movement ended.
You damned French always seem to
fall upon your feet" said one prisoner
| bitterly.
| On the French front at least it can
| be safely stated that the reaction from
the exaltation of the opening days OF
! the battle is in full progress. Even
against the British, where the enemy
| has gained ground lately the losses
| have been such that the boys of the
class of 1919-that means IS years old
arc already being used freely.
Still more significant is the fact that
the French now capture a far greater
proportion of officers than ever before
and that all the evidence agrees that
the officers losses are unprecedentedly
| high. This means that the German
! troops will no longer be driven forward
| into battle. They must have an officer
| to lead them or they are useless. Even
on minor patrols this applies. Never a
night passes but that the French cap
| ture one or two officer prisoners.
| Another interesting source of news Is
| the home letters found on the prisoners
In one Of recent date from once pros
porous town of Posen the wife OF
superior army officer complained
| mournfully to her son that the family
was now forced to take such scantJ
! meals as were afforded by the NUM-
| cipal cook wagons, because 1t is i'm
possible to get food for home cooking,
and added that even then his young
sister was wasting away. "She is II
| bed as | write, too i'll to get up because
of the lack of food" the letter said.
It is the firm conviction Of an officer
| in the intelligence department thai
Germany was literally forced to under
take an offensive through internal con-
| ditions. He gave proof of this anG
! added:
Furthermore we have positive infor.
nation that however the German lead
ers may affect to minimize Americas
military contribution to the allies, they
know, and the mass of the German PEG.