The Kaiser Plays at Soldiering.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 215, 6 October 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Kaiser Plays at Soldiering.

(Tluis discussion of the real status of the German Kaiser and Crown Prince as army commanders is by the anonymous author of other articles upon the Prussian military system that have recently appeared in the New York "Tribune." He is German born, the son of a Prussian major, and himself attended a Ger man military academy for live yaairs.)

Only last Thursday the morning papers contained an amusing despatcu fiom the French front to the effect that "the Kaiser is expected on the Somme front to-morrow to brace up the morale of the German troops." 1 say "amusing," for that is exactly Hvhat finch a despatch is to one who knows anything of the real relations between the Holienzollerns and the German army. If the truth were known, the goings and comings of the Kaiser, and of the Crown Prince, too, so far as that .s concerned, are a matter of complete indifference to the General Staff, which is directing the campaign. When the Kaiser dashes back and forth between the eastern and western fronts he does so for his own gratification. The men who are really in command humour him by pretending to seek his advice and bow to his authority. It does no harm —so long as they do not take the advice—and plwises the Kaiser and the German people, who consider their Emperor a great general. It is an open secret, however, among both German officers and privates that the military genius of the Holienzollerns died with ! r«?erick the. Great. The Kaiser and the Crown Prince are both decidedly below par ns tacticians. This, of course, would be no discredit to them if it were not for their absurd pretensions. As a commanding officer the Kaiser has blundered repeatedly. I have seen hi in order charges at army

manoeuvres that in nctual warfare would have meant instant and utter annihilation of the charging troop*. Graf Haeseler once addressed his staff after certain manoeuvres as follows: — "My officers, you hare obeyed his majesty's commands splendidly—only in real wartime do the opposite. Then you may win." The Crown Prince is also far from being the military genius he thinks he is. Some unfortunate anonymous general is doing the real work of directing "the Crown Prince's army" l>efore Verdun. Should the city fall the Crown Prince will get the credit. If the attempt fail, the blame will be shifted to the shoulders of the poor devil as a general because he failed to carry out his royal h'ghness's orders! In either case the civilian population will retain their touching faith in the Crown Prince who never even goes near the firing line. The officers of the Kaiser's own staff laugh at him behind h's back. When he gives an order they either postpone

its execution on some pretext or other until it is too late to do anything r r eise follow some other plan and the;i explain blandly that there was a misur.derstandiing. The Emperor never realises that he is being "kidded," though. His colossal agotism prevents that. He believes himself a great commander, and considers his judgment, both in military matters and in regard to individuals, infallible. As,a matter ol fact, most of his particular favourites among the generals who were in command at the outbreak of the war had to be superseded. The General Staff allowed these men to retain their places so long as no state of war existed, but when the actual fighting began the incompetents had to go —Kaiser or no Kaiser. Nevertheless, the Emperor still continues to criticise freely, and has caused the retirement of more than one deserving officer. He was one of the foremost to declare Von Hindenburg insane when that general insisted on his plan for luring the Russian army into the marshes of the Mazurian Lake district. Now that Hindenburg'.? military genius has been triumphantly vindicated, lie refers to him as his " old friend," showers him with honours, and lias had himself photographed with the general. In doing this he is, of course, showing great discretion, for if he ever ventured to interfere with a general

o c Hindenburg's present standingwell, the general would not be the on-? to l>e rebuffed. The personal vanity of both tlie Kaiser and his eldest son knows no limits. The Crown Prince spends long hours designing uniforms that will make him seem more erect and that will tend to hide his weak chin. By the way, how many profile photographs of the Crowu Prince have you seen? Not one, I will venture to say. He will not allow a picture to be made of him unless it shows him full face. He is not proud o c that chin. The Kaiser has hunseli photographed several times a week, and the walls of his rooms are lined with his own portraits. Once, when lie was leading a dashing cavalry attack, hie. stopped the charge halfway because he had learned that the moving picture photographers had run out of films. That was only •i sham battle, however. In this War he leads no cavalry attacks. His geneials would not let him.