The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-16


the duty of the troops to display the
strength required to keep their discip-
line unimpaired. Here again all de-
pended upon the officer. And If the
discipline in units became slack. the
commanders are not without fault.
Discomfort FROM HOME
During this time. on the occasion of
exercises had many conversations
with officers of all ranks. and they all
complained of the tired and discon-
tented spirit which was being brought
into the army from home. The leave
men had been exposed to the influence
of agitators. and the new drafts had P
bad influence on discipline. All this
was lowering the fighting value of the
army.
Among a number of drs ITS very seri-
Gus irregularities had occurred. particu-
lsrly among those from Bavaria and
the east There were also strong COM
plants about the spirit of the men
trained al the Belgian training camp of
Beverloo (open mutinies at this camp
were reported several tlmes)
The units attached all the more inn
portance to getting back to the great
est possible extent men who had al
ready served in their ranks, and who
pcloHS0u lo lncIn AS Adi
as possible I met their wishes. but
could not always get it done After
wards I heard that somebody in an
office at home had been systematically
opposing these measures. There were
those who were working to under
mine the army.
repeatedly spoke about the spirit
of the people Mt home with the nu-
thorities concerned. In these days J
was for the first time met with the
reply that the men were also returning
from the army discontinued and tired
of war.
They seemed surprised at this; but
at some time or other the army was
bound to echo back what was so con-
stantly being shouted into it from
home: every part of the army at the
front was bearing heavy burdens, heav-
Ter by far than ever the people at
home did.
MASS OF ARMY STILL LOYAL
The man, who joined the army after
being embittered and worked on by
agitators at home, and then had to suf-
fer great hardships. could not help
causing more ill-feeling when he got
home again. But in spite of these dis
migrating influences, and in spite OF
the decay of discipline. the mass of
the army was enthusiastically confident
of victory.
1t has always been an article of my
creed that army and people have but
one body and one soul. and that the
army cannot remain sound for ever il
the people is diseased. Really grave
symptoms in the field army still came
to my knowledge only occasionally as
before. AS a whole, it was still ORDERLY
and disciplined. and after all it had
beaten the enemy.
During the great events in the west
quiet had been maintained on the Ital-
ian and Macedonian fronts. They were
merely a prolongation of the western
front, and formed a projection of our
flanks. the Macedonian front at the
same time protecting the flank of Aus
| tria Hungary. The assistance we re-
ceived from the Austro Hungarian ar
| tillery in the west was, owing to it's
exiguous supply of ammunition. insig
nificant 1t went back after 1T had
| fired it off. +4 -a
The situation of the Austro- Hun
garian army in italy had Improved
inasmuch ms several hundred Thousand
prisoners of war had rejoined 1t from
Russ,ia.. The army had thus been
| strer gthened. and felt equal to making
an attack on the italians. General Won
ARR had sent officers to witness our
attacks and was kept informed of our
| tactical experiences. He intended to
assume the offensive in the first half
of June. that is to say, soon after our
attack on the Chemin des Danes. Thus
aat the end of May and in the beginning
of June, there was to be a great COM
bned effort against the entente.
HOPED FOR AUSTRIAN VICTORY
1t would now have been possible to
reinforce the German army in the
! west by few Austro Hungarian di-
| visions. il the attack in Italy had been
given up But their fighting capacity
could not be considered sufficient for
| employment on the western front, and.
| as long as the Austro- Hungarian gen.
eral headquarters at Baden was honest
| ly working for an offensive in Italy.
| they could not be better engaged
| victory in Italy would relieve us
just as much as it had done in the au-
tumn of 1917; Mt the best 1t would draw
off n URPt Of the new fov~n