A GERMAN SOLDIER'S STATEMENT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2349, 4 January 1915, Page 8

A GERMAN SOLDIER'S STATEMENT

The German troops have won the respect of the British troops for the way in which they have advanced. Whether it be due to' patriotism or the fear induced! by an iron discipline, the fact remains that they have steadily pressed on to what in many cases must obvi--ously have been certain death. That they are sometimes forced to go is shown by the following answer to an interrogation put to a wounded prisoner:— I belong to the —— Company of the —th_ regiment of jnfantry of the division of the —fih'corps.- 1 was embodied in October, 1913. On mobilisation the weakly and those backward in training, to the number of about 60 per company, were withdrawn from the active regiment to form the nucleus of a reserve regiment, which was completed by Bad-' oners and Wurtemborgers belonging to the second ban of the. Landwebr. We received new "field grey" uniforms: After ten weeks of hard training we travelled for three days *nd two nights from Thuringia up to Achiet (?), where wo remained in reserve. We were tojd that our nearest enemies 'were the English. On-October 17 and the next day we performed such fatiguing forced marches that many men fell out on the road. On the 19th we each received 285 rounds of ammunition, and had our first taste of fire. Although we were told that there were only franc-tireurs in front of us, I saw French cavalrymen and no other foes. From this day onward the battle was uninterrupted. On the 20th my section received orders to go forward to the attack, arid the officers warned us that if we gave way fire would be opened upon us from behind. This threat was carried into effect when the losses we suffered compelled us to retire. Indeed, it was by a'German bullet that I was wounded. Having fallen on the ground I remained between the lines without food or care for two days, at the end of which time I dragged myself to a ruined house.

During tlio whole of this time the German shells, which wore short, were falling about my shelter, some hundreds of paces from tho French lines. .Tlicbb having advanced on.the 24th,- I myself moved forward, called out to a passing patrol, and surrendered. We bavo received no distribution of food since our arrival in France. The commandant of my company was a reservo lieutenant, 28 years of age. The colonel,,whose name I do not know, also belonged to the reserve, as did all tho'other, officers of the regiment. The officers told us that if we fell into the hands of the French'wo should be sent to the Foreign Legion, and certainly should be massacred by the Moroccans. I only saw ono man shot. He was a priest, who, they said was a spy.