The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-01-24
TRANSLATION OF
HUN OFFICERS
DIARY PECULIAR
MRS. Russell Codman's Work
Shows Queer Mixture of
Virtue and Calumny.
NOT MEANT FOR
AMERICAN EYES
Exalted Devotion to War
Lord and Fanatical Joy
in Murder.


sensations of the men on board as
the vessel feels her way blindly for
days beneath the surface, technical
Yet always Ineligible descriptions of
the workings of the U-boat, the search
for victims, the sweep of the thunder
ing seas as the submarine cruises on
the surface, diving through huge
CCmbers or tossed on the crest of a
great wave, the sighting Of a mer-
chant ship, the pursuit and final sink
irg, a battle with an armed merchant
man-all these and more are describ-
ed in THE Journal of Submarine
Commander Won Forstner," translated
by Mr.. Russell Goldman of SO Marl-
boro St., Boston.
Through the whole story flash
amazing sidelights on the singular
mental processes of the German,
which ena bles him to view the service
on the murder ships as not only nee
essary but glorious and highly desir-
able.
An introduction by John Hays
Hammond, Jr., the celebrated inven-
tor of the wireless controlled boat
and numerous anti-submarine devices,
outlines how the submarine, if un-
checked, might destroy Allied COM
merce and win the war, and discusses
various means of combating it.
In translating this book, which as
the publishers say, twas never intend
ed for American eyes" Mr.. Goldman
has added an extremely interesting
and valuable work to the library of
war books.
Mrs. Goldman is we'll known in Bos-
ton both socially and for her many
charities. She is active in war work
of all kinds and was chairman of the
special committee of the Boston
branch of the Special Aid Society
which was in charge of the work OF
providing clothes for the Halifax vic
TINS.
Mrs. Codmans two sons are both If
the National service, one being az
aviator in France and the other g
Lieutenant at Camp Devens.
In the foreword Mrs. Goldman says
that while many repetitions and triv-
iai incidents have been omitted il
this translation, sin order to express
the personality of the author the rem
dering has been as literal as possible
and it shows the strange mixture O
sentimentality and ferocity peculiar
to the psychology of the Germans.
Mrs Goldman refers to "a certain
grim humor in borrowing the candle
information given TO us Americans 81
unconsciously by Freiherr Won Forst
ner."
In commenting on the character OF
the author Mrs. Goldman says thai
he is mot lacking in fine and manly
quality, but in his exalted devotion tt
the Almighty War Lord and the faith
erland, he openly reveals his fanatica
icy in the nefarious work he has tt
Terform."
In the introduction Mr.. Hammond
saws that while it has been shown
that the submersible of today as :
fighting machine is considerably lin
tied, and in no sense endangers thu
existence of the capital ship, never
theless in the huge rev submersibl'
it seems that the ideal commerce des
troyer has been found"
Mr.. Hammond outlines the possibil
files of the submarine and speaks o
what it has already done, saying:
1.-The Allied armies depend for thei
sustenance and supplies upon tn
freedom of the seas - should sh
Germany even appreciably limit tn
supplies that cross the ocean to tn
Allies she can bring about condi
ton that will make it impossible t
augment their armies.
"In this way there will inevitabl
be a deadlock, which from the Ger
man standpoint would be a highly de
sIrable contamination"
The journal itself starts with tn
writer's first experience on submar
inc before the war and contains nu
merous references to "Our Almight
War Lord" Extracts from his des
chription of living conditions unde
water follow:
The life on board becomes sue
a matter of habit that we can peace
fully sleep at great depths under tn
rea, while the noise is distinctly hear
of the prOpellers of the enemy's shiI
hunting for us overhead. We are o
ten asked How can you breath undt
water?' The health of our crew is tn
best proof that this IS possible
The various methods of ventliatC
are described then. 1t is inteTestir
to observe that the occupations of Il
crew determine the atmospheric COZ
ditions; the quantity of air require
by a human body depends entire
on its activity. A man working ha,