The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-10-18

to this position merely signified oc-
cupying an essentially shorter line,
possessing far greater natural advan-
tages. 1t was not yet completed, to
be sure, but the fact was to be borne
IN mind that we had engaged in bat
tie on the Somme while occupying
positions composed largely of she'll
craters. What we had to do was to
regain operative freedom, which, to my
way of thinking, was by no means
impossible; in the course of the war,
had We not often retreated in order
to put ourselves in a situation that
was more advantageous from the mil
| itary point of view?
The army TO be sure, was no longer
the old army. The new 1918 troops
| particularly were badly tainted with
revolutionary propaganda and often
took advantage of the darkness at
night to sneak away from the firing
and vanish to the rear.
| But the majority of my divisions
fought flawlessly to the very end and
preserved their discipline and military
/ spirit. To the very end they were al
ways match for the foe in morale;
despite superiority in numbers, cannon,
/
invariably succumbed when he ran up
against serious resistance. Therefore,
the associations of our ex-fighters at
the front are right in bearing upon
their banners the motto: "Unbeaten
on land and sea!''
Says Army Was Still Strong
The achievements of the German
! fighters at the front and of the Ger
man nation in arms, during four and
a half years of war, are beyond all
praise. One does not know what to
admire most; the enthusiasm with
which the magnificent youth of 1914,
without waiting for our artillery fire
to take effect, joyfully charged on the
i enemy, or the self-sacrificing fidelity
to duty and tenacity with which our
men in field-gray, sparingly fed and
!! seldom relieved, year in, year out, dig
ging by night, living in dugouts and
earth-holes by day, or crouching in
/ shell-holes, defied the hail of steel
j from the enemy artillery, flyers and
tanks. And this army, which one
might have expected was to be rated
as utterly fought to finish, was able,
after nearly four years of war, to car
ry out successful offensive operations
such as our foes could nowhere boast
Of despite their colossal superiority
In spite of all this, it was not right
/ to believe the German army capable
of accomplishing the superhuman; il
was necessary for US to fall back, in
order to get breath
! The Field Marshall baked at the
order to retreat; the army, he thought
4 should stay where it was, for political
4 reasons tpeace negotiations and Sc
ON; he also pointed out, among other
things, that it was necessary. first
to arrange for the withdrawal to the
rear of war materials, &c.
4 / now resolved to go to the front
acquiescing in the desire expressed to
me by the army that | might be with
my hard-fighting troops and convince
myself personally of their spirit and
condition.
! could carry out this resolve all the
sooner in view of the fact that, ever
since the new Government had been
set up. no further claims were made
upon my time either by it or by tbs
Imperial Chancellor which made my
staying at home seem useless.
The notes to Wilson were discussed
. and written by Solf the War Cabinet
: ing hours, without my being Informed
thereof; until, finally, on the occasion
of the last note to Wilson, | caused
Solf to be given to understand very
| plainly, through my Chief of Cabinet
! that | demanded to know about the
, note before it was sent
Solf appeared and showed the note
, he was proud of his antithesis be
| tween laying down of arms (Waffen
: streekung), which was demanded b!
: Wilson and armistice (Waffenstill
: stand), which was proposed. When
r spoke about the rumors of abdicatioi
and demanded that the Foreign Offic,
/ adopt an attitude, through the press
: against what was unworthy in th'
: newspaper polemics. Solf replied tina
: already everybody on every stree
: corner was talking about abdicatiol
: and that, even in the best circles
: people we're discussing it quite un
1 reservedly.
: When | expressed my indignation
5 at this, Solf sought to console me b.
1 observing that, should His Majesty &C
e he also would, since he could serv
/ no longer under such conditions.
+ went, or-to put it much more correct