THE AUSTRIAN DEBACLE

Dominion, 14 March 1919, Page 5

THE AUSTRIAN DEBACLE

—e — HIGH OFFICERS CHARGED WITH COWARDICE. From time to time have appeared m tho Socialist newspapers of \ lenna charging high Austrian offceers.with derating all their efforts and influence in the hurried retreat from Italy to securing the. safety of treasures looted from the Venetian population. , As tnese i charges were made by Socialist newspapers, they might (t-tates the special correspondent of the "Morning Post at Berne) havo been regarded with suspicion, but no such suspicion can be attached to a speech on the subject delivered by Dr. Schurff at a :ecent meeting of the Provisional. National Assembly ol German' Austria.' . Dr. Schurff, who is a prominent member of the German National 1 arty, said: "Tho military weakness ol the new State is primarily duo to the collapse of our front, a collapse unprecedented, in History. It was not only tho withdrawal of non-German, especially Hungarian, troops that occasioned this collapse. Jhe main cause was tho selfishness of the Army leaders and their anxiety to ger their personal effects safely aM}* -IN spite of the explicit text of tho amfisticc terms, numerous army loaders, commanders of divisions, etc., began to retreat to safe points in the hinterland directly the armisfico was signed, mid this example naturally led chaotic retreat, (luring which, the civil populalion also did its sharo of the plundering. The demeanour of the army medical staff was equally deplorable. _ Doctors and hospital attendants fled in ambulance automobiles to the hinterland, leaving the sick and wounded helpless in the hospitals behind t'lio front. Similni ecencß were enacted e'.so in Serbia, and at Belgrade all kinds of household goods and furniture, which certain conimnnders wore desirous of '.eking beek lvl 'h them to the hinterland, could be seen collected on the banks of the Danube. In the 'hinterland commanders oven abandoned their troops immediately the news enme that the armistice had been signed. They merely gavo illeinseh es timoTo distribute theslores. end fhe'l.iil order to make sure thnt no.hing happened to them, to deliver make, believe democratic speeches !o thefroops. What (he nrmv chiefs did e.t the conclusion of this war is simply incredible. At Baden the stores were all divided, and officers, including General Stall ofuccrs, ran away afl if they had been a scratch company of snow shovellers The speaker demanded the strictest investigation and tho punishment of all officers found guilty, and pointed out that apart from every other consideration the behaviour of these high ofuccj's had cau«ed the loss of many millions of crowns to the State. He considered this investigation due to the hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers and officers who had done t'lieir duty ill this war. The guilty. Dr. Schurff in conclusion, were comparatively few in number, but they occupied very high posls.