The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-10-18
The KdiserS Memoirs

uation Of tn. army. LAYING due
emphasis upon the great number OF
shlrkerS behind tho front, tho FREE.
quency OF characterization, the dis.
| ninying OF the red flag upon trains
| Illled with soldiers returning from
iurloughs at home and other similar
phenomena.
The two generals considered that
me principal cause OF the bad con-
dluons wds TO De sought In tho un.
favorable influence cNertcd upon the
soldiers by the spirit prcdomiuating
Dehlnd the front and To- the general
desire for ending the fighting and
getting peace, which was spreading
from the homeland along the lines
lof communication behind the front
and was already becoming notice
able even among some OF tho truope
at the front Itself The generals ad-
vauccd the opinion that owing to
these reasons, the army must i'm
mcdiately be withdrawn behind the
Antwcrp-Mcusc liuc.
on that same day / commanded
Field Marehal Won Ilindcnburg by
telephone TO effect as soon as pos
slhle the retreat TO the Antwerp
Mcuso line. The falling back Of the
tired, but nowhere deci5iyely beaten.
90 N.Y. W NlllN Ilif"IIAflll lIltlNlN ElEllAH
fed occupying an essentially short.
or line, possessing far greater natur-
Al advantages. IL was not yet com
pleted, 20 be sure, but the fact was
10 be borne in mind that we had en-
gagged in battle on the Somme while
occupying positions composed large
" OF shelis Craters. What We had
10 do was TO regain operative free
dom, which, to my way Of thinking.
wac by no means impossible, in the
course OF the war, had We not often
retreated In order 10 put ourselves In
situation that was more advant-
aEeous from the military point of
view?
The army to be sure, was no
longer the old army. NThe new 1918
roops particularly were badly taint-
ID with revolutionary propaganda
ana 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 MILL
tary spirit. To the very end they
were always a match for the foe IN
morale. despite superiority in num-
bcra, cannon, munitions tanks and
airplancs, the foe Invariably sue
cumbed 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; "Unboaten on
land and sea-"
Says Army Was SIN Strong.
The achievements OF the German
fighters at the front and Of the Ger
man nation in arms, during four and
half years OF war, are beyond all
praise, one does not know what 10
admire most: the enthusiasm with
which the magnificent youth OF
1914, without waiting for our artil-
lcry fire TO take effect, joyfully
charged on the enemy. or the self
sacrificing fidelity TO duty and To-.
nacity with which our men In field
gray, sparingly fed and seldom re-
lieved, year in, year out, digging by
night, living in dugouts and earth
holes by day, or crouchlng in she'll
holes. deficG the hail of steel from
the enemy artillery. flyers and
tanle-. And this army, which one
might have expected was to he rated
as utterly fought to a finish was
able. after nearly four years OF war
to carry out successful offensive OPP
erations such as our foes could no.
whete boast OF. despite their col
ossai superiority. In spite of all this
IL was not right to believe the Ger
man srmy capable OF accomplishing