PALATIAL DUG-OUTS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 17 September 1917, Page 3

PALATIAL DUG-OUTS.

HOW HUN OFFICERS LIVED

The German officer certainly understands the art of comfort, saye a correspondent in describing a French village after the Canadians had turned the Huns out. He says:—

The great dug-outs, the former German Headquarters, are certainly the finest I have ever seen. There is a whole terrace' around the roof, partly for service, and partly as -a pleasant promenade. There are several entrances. The centre one is marked ‘ 'Kommanrantur. Zollern Hans.”

A few steps bring us to a small platform and a few more to a fine open corridor. The walls and roof are painted white, with a neat decorative design in black. The main staircase to the first floor runs directly from this. It is a staircase good enough for any private house. We enter a central underground chain ber, a fairly large room supported by pillars. Two long, well-cushioned seats meeting a kind of cosy corner, are on one side, and facing them is a wellmade dark w T ood table polished in its natural grain. There is a wooden skirting to the wall, about 4ft high, painted a delicate shade of blue. The whole of the upper part of the wall is covered by a series of colonial style panels, dark wood edging with creamwhite centres. It is really very effective.

There arc other tables for work with telephones (capital telephones) to hand A stove, electric light, and good leather seats —probably found in the ruined houses near by- —complete the apartment. On other side run the offices of the staff, with the kitchens farther on. 'All of these are well underground, with a mighty covering of earth above. But to make asurance of safety doubly sure there is still further floor below, .equally big, well ventilated, and equally comfortable. “If the German officers had spent a little less time in their dug-outs and a little more in their trenches things might have gone better with them,” said one veteran general to me. On the day of the great battle one officer from this very Kommandantur came out to see what all the disturbance was about. He no more dreamed of capture than Londoners dream of meeting Prussian Guardsmen in Piccadilly. To his surprise some Canadian soldiers just coming up greeted him and took off to safety. A German captain hurried up the hill followed by two servants carrying his kit. He was calling in English as he went "Of course I surrender. Of course I surrender. But 1 can only be taken by an officer of equal rank. ’ ’ A Canadian corporal took him in hand. "Cut that out, d quick. You come right along and help to carry that stretcher. ”

When the officer’s servants saw him at work they dropped their packs, opened them, and by signs invited our troops to help themselves.

Some of the finds were curious. A corporal I know found a pile of ladies’ underwear. Still more was found in another dug-out. They may have been used for amateur theatricals. One colonel of artillery excited much interest because of his extensive stock of silk underwear.