Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-07-26
SHOOTING TRUTH AT GERMANS.


The allied propaganda drive is get
ting under way. We are now bonn
harding Germany not only with shells.
but with facts-which may prove
more effective
The director of the Franco-Ameri-
can committee Of public information
in Paris tells OF many novel means de-
vised for this purpose. There are
thousands of specially adapted rifles
used for firing grenades which scat
ter tracts and pamphlets along the
enemy's trenches. These weapons are
good for 200 or 300 yards. For greater
distances balloons are used. There
are ingenious floats made of paper or
cloth which carry considerable guam
titles of printed matter and, by means
OF a clockwork apparatus, drop a
given number of ounces at five, ten or
fifteen minute intervals. Airplanes are
occasionally used TO scatter pamphlets
back of the lines, but they are not en-
tirely satisfactory.
In addition TO the rifles mentioned,
special trench motars are being con-
sidered for throwing cardboard pro
jectiles containing printed literature.
The French 75-millimeter gun may al
so be used for the purpose.
There is no similarity between this
sort OF activity and the propaganda
used by the Germans some time ago
on the Russian and Italian fronts.
The Germans sought TO destroy their
enemy's morale by the dissemination
of lies. The stuff sent into Germany
by our propaganda guns and balloons
is straight and legitimate publicity
facts such as President Wilson's
Fourth of July address, figures re-
garding our war preparations and the
number of troops i'm France, the dis
closures made by Prince Lichnowsky.
DR.. Won Muehlon and other honest
Germans. the U-boat situation, food
conditions in the interior OF Germany,
etc. The German soldiers have a right
TO those facts. and the Allies mean to
see that they get them. Since the
only way to get the truth into Ger
many is to shoot It in, we are shoot
ing It,
If those facts will precolate Ger
man heads and produce their proper
effect. well and good. II not, the only
alternative for those heads is bullets.
THE ETIQUETTE OF SURRENDER.
The Germans are said to be very
much annoyed by the lighting meth
DDS of the American troops. They
complain that we do not fight accord
ing to rule, and worse still, do not sur
render according to rule.
II Is the German custom, whenever
a small band is cut off from the main
body and surrounded by the enemy,
to surrender without more ado. just as
men" on a checkerboard are given
up when they are coTnered. lndivid-
ual Germans yell "Kamerad" as a mat
ter OF course. They even go around
looking for somebody TO surrender to.
The Americans stubbornly refuse
to follow this rule. A company, pla-
toon or squad, or any fortuitous ag-
gregation of soldiers separated from
their comrades. so right on lighting.
When completely surrounded, they
proceed to fight their way out. Little
groups carry on guerilla warfare as
long as they are able 20 pull n trigger
or push bayonet. II they lose their
guns, they try to capture others from
the enemy, and generally succeed. In
dividuals go on fighting alone, in ut
ter disregard of death. They will not
hold up their hands.
Even when foreibly disarmed and
hailed away as prisoners, the Ameri-
cans refuse TO stay captured. They
seize the first opportunity to knock
their guards down, take their guns
away from them and fight their way
back to their own lines. They some
times get hold of machine guns, and
turn the tables on the Huns in sur
prising fashion.
IL must be extremely irritating.
Americans are such barbarians! If
they had little more German kultur
in their systems. they'd know how TO
surrender.