davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02
By GEN. ERICH voN LuDENpoRFF

By LUDENDoRFF
 The battle which had broken out the western front at the of September meanwhile continued to took the form of powerful attempt the part of the enemy to break through the of the Crown Prince Rupprch and Boehn the direction of Ghen and Mauberge and through those of the prince and Gawitz their Hanks either side of the Argonne in the direction of ChareveSedan idea had been the offensive operation of the entente the autumn of 1915 Up the they had failed through the exhaustion of the enemy and power of resistance.
 (This allied strategy, which in the end succeeded the pincer movement designed to drive the Germans against the forest region of Luxemburg Southern Belgium lines of communication northward of this through Belgium and southward through Metz these communica ons could be cut, then Ludendorff would find themselves huddled against wall of wooded mountains through which they could neither make good get supplies for fighting The Americans pressing south end of the pncers)
 Now we were weaker and first and then another The of hrer information statons established no The themse sisolate
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02
battle weary.

battle weary.
 The position in Serbia and on the Danube was not safe, bat it was also not yet in collapse. Unrest was in- creasing in Rumania
 At AdrIanOple and from the Marit- =a downwards there were already Eng fish troops. The Turkish frontier guard was unusually weak there. The German troops and officials in COnstan- tinopIe were preparing, in the event of m Entente attack on the town, to leave by sea and proceed to odessa.
 This was the military situation that had to consider in deciding my atti- tude to the second Wilson note. LudendOrff tomorrow reveals the panieky state of mind in which the
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02

garian troops had given in Serbia.
 In the Balkan peninsula the situation had developed still further to our dis advantage, Bulgaria having surrendered to the Entente.
 Tn Serbia General von Kovesc had taken over the command, with a view to the defence of Hungary. Under his command were the troops that had re- tired under General von Pflanzer- Baltin from Albania to Montenegro, and the allied troops on the Morava under tbe 11th German Army Head Quarters General von Steuben.
 General von Kovesce had n difficuIt task. The AuStro-HunEarian troops were of little value, the Gergans were of an old class and were not mp to complement, and the Alpine corps wHs
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02

The men looked to their officers, who bore the brunt of the fighting These officers, with their loyal men, achieved miracles of bravery. Regimental brigade, and even divisional command CTS, with officers and a few soldiers, often with their clerks and servants, personally restored the position, and prevented the vastly superior but no longer enthusiastic enemy troops from breaking through. We may be proud of the men who fought these heroic fights.
 best men lay on the bloody battle field. Many or our battaliOns could only muster two companies. Leave was stopped. On account of difficulties of transport. men leave at home had to remain there for time. They stayed longer than was good for them. In the critical November days there should have been very few men on leave in
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02

in bluff On make possible, while he allies still long de- fight if they did a compromise Itwllbe the Hnden-
  of the
 
 fortified line after line and devastating the front the allies ne and forced all a line behind He
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02

German government considered the second Wilson note the armistice. He tried to inject firmness into the situation and demand for terms and endeavOred to rouse the spirit of the German people. The task was toe great for him, in view of the coll lapse of the army and people
 CPublished by Special arrangement with the Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate. Copyrights reserved. Copyrighted In Great Britain by Hutchinson and Co, and the London Times, in Spain by Messrs. Seix and Bariel, in Italy by FratelH Treves, in Canada and Aus tralia All rights reserved for France Belgium. Holland. Russia and the scan dinavian countries.)
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02
GIVES UP BELGIAN COAST

Yser, below Dixmuide, and its left wing held round Armentieres. the main body of the 4th Army was forced back on Roulers and Menin in continual fighting in the early part of October It devel- oped into a series of local engagements which passed off without important events.
 On October IA the enemy renew ed their attack. In the direction of Roulers they gained ground beyond the town hortemarck. too, we lost. on the other hand, they could not advance much toward Menin. Near Wervicd we beat them off. Local successes also attended the enemy on the 18th, causing our Army to fall back to the line Dixmude- Thouro ut Ing gelmunster- Courtrai
 The divisions of the 4th Army were numerically weak, and the only ex- planatiOn of the enemy not obtaining greater successes against them, apart from the admirable leadership of the army, lies in the fact that the enemy had no longer much stomach for the fight.
 The 4th Army was still under the command of General Sixt von Arnim, whose Chief of Staff was now Major Humser. gifted soldier.
 The 4th Army was by this time in such difficult position that CLIO had to withdraw it temporarily from the li6Ht ana Shorlen US line The Army was ordered to retire on the Hermann line, behind the canal at Eecloo and the Lys. This involved the abandonment of the Flanders coast. The submarine station had meanwhile been removed.
 These movements of the 4th Army were undertaken on October r, on which day I travelled to Berlin again, to attend discussion of the second Wilson note, which had by this time arrived.
 At the same time. the 17th Army had
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02
eeBOYDEN''
 means shoe certainty

When you slip your foot into BOYDEN shoe you can do it with the thought that the makers care more for Quality than Quantity They don't make the most shoes of any factory in America-but they certainly do make the best ones.
 you're going to get "extra mileage" and that they re going to be comfortable and smart look ing from the first day you wear them until the far-distant day you reluctantly admit that there's no more service in them.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02
SECOND DIVISIONS GREAT BLOW

The Army group of the German Crown Prince began in the early days of October to withdraw the troops be- l fore Rheims behind the Suippes. In the
 night of the 1Oth-11th tha whole front from the Chemin des Danes to the Ar gonne was given up, after strong at
 tacks had been beaten off by the 3rd Army.
 ct was the great att ack of the End
 Division in the Champagne, O.t. 2-3-4 and the dashing capture of Mont Blanc. the dominating height of the hills east of Rheims. which caused .his retire ment of the Crown Prince.)
 By the morning of October 13. the 7th, 3rd and 1st Armies stood ready for defensive fighting in their new and
 well-constructed line, and the evacua- tion of the ground in front thereof had been almost completed. The engage ments of the two aforementioned armies at the end of September and beginning of October present fife example Of completely successful defensive fight ing, of which the lea1srs of the men
 may well be proud. Ft.e .t~my corn- manders. von Einem and von Mudra, and their Chiefs of Staff. von Klewitz
 and Hasse. once more rendered their country exemplary service.
 The enemy followed up the retire
 ment of the German Grown Princes
 Army group energeticall;' between the OlSe ana the AlSne, ana heaVy llSntlng soon developed round our new positions. Tn the sweep of the Aispe toward
 RetheL the enemy advanced more eau tiously. On the other hand. he soon at tempted. first without success. to cap ture the Vouziers- -Grandpre bend of the Aisne.
 AMERICAN PRESSURE SEVERE In the Aire valley. west of the Mouse the American pressure against our 5th | extended to the east bank of the Mouse | Army was unusually severe. The battle also. In spite of their enormous num- erical superiority. the attacks of the l youthful American trops broke down with the heaviest losses.
 l Their success on September 26 was merely due to the failure of a German
 reserve division, and to the fact that at another point their attack was met only by a division, which, though a brave one. was very battle-worn and | had an extended front to hold.
 l On the 17th the position was thus. l that we had fallen back on the whole of the front west of the Meuse- On the
 right wing the retrograde movement
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02
Hurried Retirement
 Forced on Weakening
 Germans By the Allies

Ludendorff Says Number of Shirkers Increased Alarmingly- gly-Transportat Difficulties Pre- vented Dispatch of Men on Leave Back to Front-Hated to Give Up Hinden-
 burg Line
The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-02

Germany. but in fact, there were only too many.
 The periods allowed to divisions for rest and repair of their equipment and clothing became even shorter. Good divisions had more work thrown on them than the less reliable. That too had undesirable consequences The men could not understand why they were so often thrown into the gaps, and their moral failed.
 The strain became greater and greater, and strength was exhausted It was unconmonly difficult to find the true medium and at the same time to reinforce the weak spots. Cases in- creased where second line divisions had to be thrown hurriedly into line and in which formations broke up alto gether.
 The strain on the nerves of the lead CTS at the front increased without cease, and they had a heavy task; but they never lost their proud courag ge or their clear perception of their country's S needs. Nothing could break them %
New-York tribune., 1919-07-09

had Europe see this specimen OF oui
man hood.
81 am proud to know how the men
who performed the least conspicuous
services and the humblest services per-
formed them just as well as the men
who performed the conspicuous sef
vices and the most complicated sho
difficult. will not say that the men
are worthy of their officers. ! VIII.
say that the officers were worthy OF
their men. They sprang out OF S .ns
ranks: they were like the ranks, ana
Ali rank and file, we're specimens OF
America.
Europe Trusts America
"And you know what has happened
Having sampled America that way, Eu-
rome believes in and trusts America.
Is rot that your own personal expert
ence and observation? In all the coun,
sells at Paris, whenever they wanted
to send soldiers anywhere and not
have the people jealous Of their pres,
ence they suggested that we Shouid
send Americans there, because tney
knew that everywhere in Europe we
were believed to be the friends OF the
countries where We sent garrisons ana
where we sent forces of supervision
we were welcome. Am not, there
fore, justified in saying that we have
fulfilled our pledge to humanity! we
have proved that we were the cnsr1,
pions of liberty throughout the world,
that we did not wish to keep it as
selfish and private possession OF our
own, but wanted to share 1t with men
everywhere and of every kind. Wnen
YOU look forward to the future, do you
not see what a compulsion that puts
upon US?
"You cannot earn q reputation ike
that and then not live up to IT. you
cannot reach a standard like that and
then lay it down by ever so little.
Every man of us has to live up TO II.
The welcome that was given to our
arms and the cheers that received US
are the compulsion that is now put
upon us to continue to be worthy OF
that welcome and of those cheers.
Must Continue to Serve
I'VE must continue to put America
al the service of mankind, not for any
profit we shall get out OF 1t, not TOT
any private beneft we shall reap from
it. but because we believe IN the right
and mean to serve IL wherever we nave
a chance to serve 1t.
81 was thinking to-day that new
freedom has come TO the peoples OF
the world out Of this war. 1t has no
date. 1t has no Fourth of July: There
has nowhere been written Declara,,
tion of Independence. The only date I!
can think Of for it is the eleventh OF
last November, when the Central Pow
ers admitted they were beaten and ac-
cepted an armistice. From that time
they knew they had to submit to the
terms Of liberty. and perhaps some OF
these days we shall date the freedom
Of the peoples from the eleventh Of
November, 1918.
"And yet if that be no. the date OF
it, it interests my thought to. think
that, as it had no date for beginning,
we should see to it that it has no
date for ending; that, as it began
without term, it should end without
term, and that in every council we
enter into, in every force We con
tribute to, We shall make 1t condi-
tion that the liberty Of men through
out the world shall be served and that
America shall continue to redeem her
pledge to humanity and to mankind.
"Why, America is made up OF all
New-York tribune., 1919-07-09

ute he srranges 1t to suit his subjects,
then his subjects are free.
But n I'disobey the laws Of free.
dom, if I infringe on the rights OF
others, then | presently find myself
deprived of my freedom.
"I am clapped in jail. it may be, and
IL my jailer is a philosopher he will
say. you brought it upon yourself,
nv dear fellow. You were free to do
right, but you we're not free to do
wrong. Now, what I blame you for is
not so much your malice as your ig-
rorance.'
"One reason why America has been
free, I take leave to say, is that Amer
ica has been intelligent enough to be
free. 1t takes lot OF intelligence 10
be free. Stupid people do not know
how, and we all go to the school OF
intelligence that comes out OF the
discipline of our own seli-chosen IN
stitutions.
"That is what makes you free, and
nv confident ambition for the United
States is that she will know IN the
future how to make each Fourth o.
July. as it comes, grow more distin'
euished and more glorious than Its
nrsdecessor. by showing that she' al
anv rate, understands the laws OF free
dom by understanding the laws o.
New-York tribune., 1919-07-09

suggestions Of this Fourth Of July
crowded into my mind in such a way
that they could not be set In ordeS
and | doubt if can give expression
TO them. because this Fourth of July
has significance that no preceding
Fourth Of July ever had, not even the
first. ~
"T think that We can look back upon
the history Of the years that separated
us from the first Fourth OF July with
very yreat satisfaction, because we
have kept the vision in America, we
have kept the promise to ourselves
that we would maintain a regime OF
liberty and Of constitutional govern
ment.
1--WE have made errors Of judgment,
We have committed errors of action,
but we have always tried to correct
the errors when we have made them.
We have always tried to get straight
in the road again for that goal for
which we set out in those famous days
when America was made as q govern
ment. So there has always been
abundant justification for what was
not self -glorifcation, but self-congrat-
ulation in our Fourth Of July cele-
brations.
1--WE have successfully maintained
the liberties of great nation. Inc
past is secure and the past is glorious,
, and in the present the Fourth Of July
has taken on new significance.
Pledge to Humanity Kept
1--WE told our fellowmen throughout
the world when we set up the free
man
serve liberty everywhere and be the
world who wanted to throw of the
unjust shackles of arbitrary govern
ment. Now we have kept our pledge
to humanity as we'll as our pledge to
ourselves, for we have thrown every
thing we possessed, all the gifts that
Nature had showered upon us and our
lives, into the scale to show that we
meant to be the servants of humanity
and Of free men everywhere.
America at first did not see the full
| meaning of the war that has just
ended At first it looked like a natural
breaking out Of the pent.up jealousies
and rivalries of the complicated poll
tics of Europe Nobody who really
knew anything about history supposed
that Germany could build a great mill
tary machine like she did and not re-
frain from using il. They were con-
stantly talking about it as q guarantee
Of peace, but every man in his senses
knew that it was a threat OF war. and
the threat was finally fulfilled and
the war begun.
America Brought Victory
eve at the distance Of America
looked on at first without full COM
prehension of what the plot was get
ting into. and then at last We realized
that there was here nothing less than
a threat against the freedom Of free
men everywhere.
"Then America went in. and if it had
not been for America the war would
not have been won. My heart swells
with a pride that cannot express when
think of the men who crossed the
seas from AMERICA to fight on these
battlefelds.
81 was proud Of them when ! could
not see them. and now that ! have
mixed with them and seen them | am
prouder of them still. For they are
men to the core and am glad to have
New-York tribune., 1919-07-09

mankind. We do not come from any COM
mon stock. We do not come from any
single nation. The character OF Amer
| ica is that it is made up OF the best
contributed out of all nations. some.
times when I am in the presence OF
an American citizen who was an immi-
grant to America, I think that ne mas
a certain advantage over me. ! did
not choose TO be an American but ne
did. I was born to 1t. / hope II
had not been, would have had sense
enough to choose it. But the men who
came afterward deliberately chose to
be Americans.
"They came out of other countries,
and said. We cast our lot with you.
we believe in you, and will live with
you.' A country made up like that
ought to understand other nations. 1t
ought to know how to fraternize with
and assist them. 1t is already the
friend of mankind, because it is made
up out of all people, and it ought to
redeem it's lineage. II ought TO show
that it is playing for no private hand.
1t ought to show that it is trying to
serve all the stocks OF mankind from
which it itself is bred. And more than
that, my ellow-countrymen, we ought
to continue to prove that we know
what freedom is.
American Freedom Makes Good
Freedom is not Q mere sentiment.
We all feel the weakness of mere
sentiment. II man processes to be
fine, we always wait for him to show II.
We do not take his word for it. II he
processes fine motives, we expect him
thereafter to show that he is acting
upon fine motives. And the kind OF
freedom that America has always rep
resented is a. freedom expressing itself
in fact. It is not the profession of
principles merely. but the redemption
of those principles, making good on
those principles and knowing how to
make good on those principles.
meant the right to do anything you
that right. You have the right to jump
ove erboard. but il you do this, this is
what will happen: Nature will say.
You fool, didn't you know the conse-
quences? Didn't you know that water
will drown your You can jump of
the top of the mast, but when you get
down your liberty will be lost. and you
will have lost it because il was not an
accident. You made fool of yourself.
Obey Laws of Freedom
"The sailor, when he is sailing q
ship, talks about running her free in
the wind. Does he mean that she is
resisting the wind? Throw her up
into the wind and see her canvas
shake. sec her stand still, caught in
IRONS" as the sailor says. But let her
fall of. She is free. Free, why? Be-
cause she is obeying the laws Of nat
ure. and she is slave until she does.
And no man is free until he obeys the
laws of freedom.
THE laws of freedom are these:
Accommodate your interests to other
peoples interests, that you shall not
insist on standing in. the light OF other
people. but that you shall make mem
Der Of team of yourself and nothing
more nor less, and that the interests of
the team shall take precedence in
everything that you do to your inter-
est as an individual.
THAT is freedom. and men who live
under autocratic governments are not
free, because the sutocrate arranges the
government to suit himself. The min
New-York tribune., 1919-07-09

terms than their liberty, and they
have known that Americas pres
ence in the war and in the confer
ence was the guarantee OF the re-
suit.
"The Governor has spoken OF a
great task ended. Yes, the formu-
lation of the peace is ended, but
it creates only new task just
begun. believe that if you will
study the peace you will see that
it is a just peace and a peace
which, if it can be preserved, will
save the world from unnecessary
bloodshed. And now the great
task is to preserve it.
Il have come back with my
heart full of enthusiasm for
throwing everything that can.
by way of influence or action. IN
with you to see that the peace is
preserved-that when the long
reckoning comes men may look
back upon this generation OF
America and say, They were true
to the vision which they saw at
their birth
Eager to Get Home
"But while these things in
some degree softened my home
sickness they made me all the
more eager to get home where the
rest of the folks live, to get home
where the great dynamo OF ma
tional energy was situated, to get
home where the great purposes
of national action were formed,
and to be allowed to take part in
the counsels and in the action
which were formed and to be
taken by this great nation which,
from first to last, has followed the
vision of the men who set it up
and created it.
eve have had our eyes very
close upon our tasks at times,
but whenever we lifted them we
were accustomed to lift them to a
distant horizon. We were aware
that all the peoples of the earth
had turned their faces toward us
as those who were the friends Of
freedom and Of right, and when
New-York tribune., 1919-07-09

ever we thought of national pol
icy and of it's relation upon the
affairs of the world we knew We
were under bonds to do the large
thing and the right thing.
at is a privilege, therefore,
beyond all computation for man,
whether in a great capacity or a
small, to take part in the coun-
sells and in the resolutions of a
people like this.
Some Do Not Understand
al am afraid some people, some
persons, do not understand that
vision. They do not see it. They
have looked too much upon the
ground. They have thought too
much of the interests that were
near them and they have not lis
tened to the voices Of their neigh
bors.
81 have never had a moments
doubt as to where the heart and
purpose of this people lay. When
any one on the other side OF the
water has raised the question,
will America come in and help"
I have said Of course America
will come in and help; she cannot
do anything else. She will not
disappoint any high hope that
has been formed of her. Least OF
all will she in this day Of new
born liberty all over the world
fail to extend her hand of sup
port and assistance to those who
have been made free"
New-York tribune., 1919-07-09
Wilson 8 Speech
At Sea July 4th
Full Text of address to
Soldiers and Sailors
Made Arailable Here

On the arrival of the George Wash
;ncton Yesterday the full text of Pres
ident Wilson's Fourth Of July address
to the soldiers and sailors on the ship
became available. Only brief wireless !:
reports of the speech. were received IN
this country the day it was deiivereo'
because of unfavorable static coho'-
tions. The text follows:
lit is very delightful to find myseli
here and in this company. ! Know a
great many of you have .s oeen n,nr nU"eSt'T hnt
on the other side OF the water, out !
az az NO, believe a man among you has
hoen as homesick as l have. 1t is with
profound rof delight that find myself
bovnd westward again for the country
v we all love and are trying to serve
ard % when | was asked to make speech
and and sat down and tried to think ous .St
what | should say | found tna' tne