Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-11
GERMAN GENERAL,
PROPAGAND|ST,D|ES
Bernhardi, Who Advocated
Wars FrightfuIness. UnWit-
tingIy Aided Allied Foes.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
BERLIN, July 11.-Gen. Friedrich
Won Bernhard who led the imperial
army both in victory and defeat, died
here yesterday at the age of 81.
In the War of 1870 Gen. Won Bern
tardi was the first German officer to
enter Paris after its fall. In 1912 he
wrote an article predicting an Anglo
German war. His prediction proved
correct.
At the outbreak of the World War he
was commander of the home units Of
the 50th Army Corps, but at his own
request was assigned to field ccm-
mand
He was on early advocate of the use
of asphyxiating gases, and before the
end of the war was recognized as one
of the premier strategists of the i'm
perial army. In a book published less
than a decade ago he predicted war
Of the future, in which gases and air.
planes would play major parts.
Early in LimeIight.
Gen. Won Bernhard was born No
yember %, 1919 at st. Petersburg, the
son of the counselor of the Prussian
legation Schooled in Germany for a
military career, he even as a young
man came into the limelight
He was in the forefront of troops en-
tering Paris IL 1871, and boldly leaped
over the chained barrier the French had
stretched across the entrance TO tne
Triumphal Arch. waiting there alone for
the rest of the Prussian army.
He was best known to Americans
through. his book Germany and the
Next War" which was widely read and
cited against Germany and the allied
made himself unpopular in pre-war
days in Germany by continually harp
ing in his writing on 'unpreparednesS"
of Germany fos an inevitable European
war.
Although the Kaiser was not inclined
to look to him for advice and his mill
tary superiors resented his persistent
public advocacy of his own ideas about
preventative war;" the ironic outcome
was that in the allied countries after
the outbreak of the war he quickly
achieved the legendary stature of the
guiding military mind largely RESPONSE
BILE for German entry into the conflict.
Defeat of the imperial armies never
crippled his pen. His postwar volume,
THE War of the Future" was read
widely in many countries.
Lost Imperial Favor.
AS early as 1908 Won Bernhard was
the commanding general of the 7th
Army Corps. In 1909 he fell out of
imperial favor and was shelved by the
Kaiser. 1t was three years later that
he published his famous Germany and
the Next War"
When the World War began he
served under Field Marshal Won linden
burg, later taking command of an
army corps. Army records cited him
for distinctive service.
Bernhard was vigorous exponent of
the policy of "frightfulneSs" in war
AS such he unwittingly became one of
the best propagandists for the allied
side, for his books, in which he laid
down his theories of inhumane warfare,
were translated and distributed in mill
lions of copies throughout the United
States and the countries of the entente.
How badly this author soldiers fame
slumped in Germany during the past
decade is indicated by the fact that 20
hours after his death only one Berlin
| daily had noted his demise The prin-
cipal press services contented them
selves with distributing one-line
announcement. .