THE “CONTEMPTIBLE” ARMY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1321, 7 November 1914, Page 4

THE “CONTEMPTIBLE” ARMY.

WHAT THE GERMANS THINK. BRITISH ARE EVERYWHERE. Further evidence of the Germans’ newly-acquired respect for the British Army is provided iu a conversation which a newspaper correspondent had with half a dozen wounded French soldiers.

“ You cannot imagine,said one of them, “ how the Germans hate and fear the English. They admit that they are terrified of them, and do not like even to hear their name mentioned. If they could, they would mask the British Army, anything rather than fight with it in the open. “ First ot all, the English are splendid shots, while the Germans cannot shoot at all. When the Englishman fires he puts a bullet into the body ot his adversary, while the German fires tons of lead into the ground and at best wounds a man in the fool or the legs. % “ Then they move about quite as quickly as the Germans, All the German impedimenta are brought up by motor transport, and so they seem to be everywhere. But the English are a match for them. They have motor transport, too, and khaki uniform, which offers no target, and once they get in contact with the enemy there is no shaking t hem off. “ The German machineguns were too good for us, but the English Maxims are more than a match for them and ever so much better served. Then, though the English seam to be everywhere they are so calm and deliberate ; they defend a position all day long, simply mowing down the Germans and then retire quite contentedly to the next line of reii'cu Jaments as cheerfully as though they had won a great victory. “ Any one but the English soldier is depressed at retreating, but be seems to look upon it as a mere matter of business. What was it one of them said to me when we were retreating ; *lt is all in the business of the day.’ ”