San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-29

able weather conditions, and elements
of our division crossed the Moselle
river and marched into the beauti-
full Saar Valley.
Suddenly another order. Only eight
divisions would be allotted to Ger
many, and the Thirty-third was not
one of those. The division was to
withdraw this side of the German
frontier and occupy billets in Luxem-
burg. Steps were taken to notify the
general who had crossed the Moselle
to come back, and we finally found
ourselves billeted in and around Die
kirch, Luxembourg.
PROTECTS GRAND DUCHESS
Our relations with the civilian pop
ulation of Luxemburg we're cordial
indeed. The citizens had been greatly
worried that there would be pillag-
ing by the retreatiug armies, but the
rapid advance of the Americans gave
them assurance of security.
Occasionally there was rumor of
some impending revolution or dis
turbance. Orders from higher authori-
ty demanded that We take measures
to insure order. We saw to that, of
course, but it was our policy not to
interfere with any movement of a
political character. We we're not in
Luxembourg as conquerors and rul-
ers, but as unlimited guests of a
small nation, forced on it through cir
cumstances beyond our or their con-
troll.
We did, however, place a military
police guard at the country home of
the ruling grand duchess, and when
information came to us that this per-
sonage might be annoyed and molested
we increased the guard with instruc-
tons to allow no one access whom
the grand duchess did not want to
see-in other words, / accorded a
young woman of high standing that
protection which an invading army
should give a ruler who has no mill
tary force of his or her own.
But this must have been ire
mendously important step, with in
credibly serious consequences, which
must be corrected at once to prevent
disaster to the American army
and possibly to the entire American
people, for the general staff at G. FL.
@. sent stringent orders to withdraw
the guard and dispatched general
commanding n corps to see me and
make sure that the order was obeyed,
and the commander of the Second
Army was sent post-haste all the way
from Chaumont to Diekirch to make
assurance doubly sure.
/ think these two general staff
messengers" felt rather uncomfort-
able when they found out that all
this nonsense was case Of much ado
about nothing, but the staff at gen.
eral headquarters were very particu-
lar about tempests in teapot.
/ wonder whether the historian of
our distinguished general staff enter
ed in his war diary this: "The G..
S. this date saved the nation from
disaster by having directed General
Bell to remove bakers dozen from
guard duty at the country castle or
the Grand Duchess Of Luxembourg.
Notables came. A number of our
officers and men received American
and foreign decorations. Inspections
were held and reviews-all these
things are pleasant because after a
job has been well done one likes to
hear a word of appreciation.
But what was not so pleasant was
that "inspectors" from general head
quarters came and inspected like the
secret police of Czaristic days. sneak
ing around and trucking men into be-
trnying revolutionists, or anti-mon
archists.
So secretly were these inspections"
made that they did not come TO the
notice of commanding generals, though
among the subordinate officers some
of these inspector" came to be
known as the horoscopes" of the
army, n term used as an expression of
derision and contempt.
Officers were interviewed. What
is the commanding general doing?
How often does he go to the front?
How often has he been around the
trenches? How many cigars does he
smoke so why not? How often does
he shave? And, please does he
think G. II. o. is fallible or infalli-
bic?
Exaggeration? Well, hardly. Cen
eral staff sent "periscopes' to in
veigle officers with hints of rewards
into getting something on men grown
gray in the military service for the
purpose Of paving the way for their