The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-30

order to represent general headquarters
in Berlin. 1 was unfortunately indis-
pensabie mt Spa. owing to the position
in the field.
Already, on the evening of the 3oth,
Major Baron Won Dem Busche had had
snort conversation, in the presence
OF wee Chancellor Won Payer. with
Prince Max, who had meanwhile come
10 Berlin. and had expressed himself to
the prince in the same sense as he was
to address the party leaders of the
Keichstag on the following morning.
He also gave explanations privately to
Won PAYER to the same effect.
At O'Clock in the morning of Octo-
Der 2. Vice Chancellor Won Payer intro
duced Major Baron Won Dem Busche to
the assembled Reichtag party leaders,
and remained present while the major
spoke The major knew my views and
intentions, and had committed them to
writing before making his speech.
His speech was quite to the point.
lie described the position in the Bal
kans as resulting from the detection
OF Bulgaria, perhaps a little too favor
ably, and the position on the western
front with full confidence, praising the
troops.
As was his duty, he stated that the
question of reinforcements was very
serious, and that we were no longer
able to cover wnstage.. Battalion
strength had been reduced to $40 men.
and even this could only he mnintaine d
by breaking up % divisions-i. e., go
regiments of infantry. The moral Of
our reinforcements was bad.
Major Baron Won Dem Busche con
cluded thus:
I'VE can carry ON the war for a
substantial further period; we can
cause the enemy further heavy losses,
we can lay waste his country ms we
retire, but we cannot win the war.
Realizing this fact, and in view of
the course of events in general, the
field marshal and General Ludendorff
nave resolved to propose to his majesty
that we bring the fighting to close.
In or0er to avoid further sacrifices on
the part Of the German people and
their allies"
ABANDON WAR AS HOPELESS"
Just as our great offensive was
Drought to a stop on July Is, immedi-
ately IT was seen that its continue ton
would involve undue sacrifice of life,
SO now we must make up our minds to
abandon the further prosecution of the
war as hopeless. There is still time
for this. The German army has still
the strength to keep the enemy at bay
|
and to cause further losses to the en-
tente. But each new day brings the
enemy nearer to his aim, and makes
him the less ready to conclude a rea-
sonable peace with us.
1--WE must accordingly lose NO time.
Every ~ hours that pass may make
our position worse. and give the enemy
clearer view Of our present weakness
"That might have the most dish D
trous consequences both for the pros
poets Of peace and for the military DO
sition.
Neither the army nor the people
should do anything that might betray
weakness. While the peace offer is
made, you at home must show a firm
front to prove that you have the I'M
breakable will to continue the fight if
the enemy refuse us peace or offer only
humiliating conditions
IF this should prove to be the case.
the army's power to resist will depend
on firm spirit being maintained at
home, and on the good moral that will
permeate from home to the front"
WAS HIGHLY EXPLOSIVE
(Busche's speech acted like a high
explosive shell on the Reichstag lead
ers and its reverberations went quickly
through Germany and even came to the
outside world through the neutral
countries. Ludendorffs explanations of
| it in the passages below show he had
slight idea of the consequences he
would provoke by his bluntness.)
In this speech, Major Baron Won Dem
Busche expressed both my programme
and my views, and this not only for the
members of the Reichstag. but also for
the new government that was to be
formed from their ranks. The soldier
who has had to fight heavy battles for
four years with insufficient weapons
becomes hardened to dangers. but the
man is in very different case who
suddenly has such difficulties. Of i'm