The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-27

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FOR six weeks consecutively I did
guard every Sunday and was hut
orderly for the same length of time
With full pack and rife 1 have had
10 practice on a soft, wet, newly
plowed field the Prepare to ad-
vance. advanced" and the Lie
down." until 1 was one lump OF
mud and finally collapsed.
Four hours later I had to report
to Himmelstoss with my clothes
scrubbed clean, my hands chafed
and bleeding. Together with Kropp,
Westhus. and Tjaden I have stood
at attention in hard frost without
gloves for quarter Of an hour at
a stretch, while Hinmelstoss
watched for the slightest movement
Of our bare fingers on the steel bar
rel of the rife.
7 have run eight times from the
top floor of the barracks down to
the courtyard in my shirt at 2
o'clock in the morning because my
drawers projected three inches be-
yond the edge Of the stool on which
one had to stack all ones things.
Alongside me ran the corporal,
Himmelstoss, and trod on my bare
toes. At bayonet- practice I had
constantly to fight with Hinmel-
stoss. I with heavy iron weapon
whilst he had handy wooden one
with which he easily struck my arms
till they were black and blue.
Once, indeed, I became so in
furiated that I ran at him blindly
and gave him a. mighty jab in the
stomach and knocked him down.
When he reported me the company
commander laughed at him and told
him he ought to keep his eyes open;
he understood Hinmelstoss, and ap-
parently was not displeased at his
discontinue.
I became a past master on the
horizontal bars and strove to sur
pass my instructor at physical jerks;
we have trembled at the mere
sound of his voice, but this run
away post-horse never got the bet
ter of us.
One Sunday as Kropp and I we're
Juggling slop-bucket on a pole
across the barrack-yard, Hinmel-
stoss came by, all polished up and
spry for going out.
He planted hinelf in front of us
and asked us how We liked the job.
In spite of ourselves we tripped and
emptied the bucket over his legs.
He raved, but the limit had been
reached.
THAT means clink," he yelled.
But Kropp had had enough.
"Thereu be an inquiry first" he
said, land then we'll unload"
Mind how you speak to nom
commissioned officer! bawled Him
melStoss. Have you lost your
senses? You wait till you're spoken
to. What will you do, anyway"
Show you up, corporal" said
Kropp, his thumbs in line with the
seams of his trousers.
Himmelstoss saw what we meant
and went off without saying a word.
But before he disappeared he
growled: you'll drink this!"-but
it was the end of his authority.
He tried it once more in the
plowed field with his Prepare to
advance, advance" and Lie down."
We obeyed each order, since an or
der's an order and has to be
obeyed. But we did is so slowly
that Himmelstoss became desper-
ate.
Carefully We went down on our
knees, then on our hands, and so
on; in the meantime, quite infuri-
ated, he had given another COM
mand. But before we had even be-
gun to sweat he was hoarse.
After that he LETT us in peace. He
did indeed always refer to us as
swine, but there was, nevertheless,
a certain respect in his tone.
There were many other staff cor
porals, the majority of. whom were
more decent. But above all each of
them wanted to keep his good job
there at home as long as possible,
and that he could do only by being
strict with recruits.
Practically every conceivable pol
ishing job in the entire camp fell to
us and we often howled with rage.
Many of us became i'll through it;
Wolf actually died of Inflammation
of the lung. But we would have felt
ridiculous haG we hauled down our
colors.
We became hard, suspicious, pitt
less, vicious, tough-and that was
good; for these attributes had been
entirely lacking in us. Had we gone
into the trenches without this period
of training most of us would GER
tainly have gone mad.
Only thus were we prepared for
what awaited us. We did not break
down, but endured; our twenty
years, which made many another
thing so grieyous, helped us in this.
But by far the most important
was that it awakened in us strong
practical sense of esprit de corps
which in the field developed into
the finest thing that arose out of
the merchandising.
CHAPTER III
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