WAILS OF DESPAIR.

Taihape Daily Times, 23 October 1918, Page 6

WAILS OF DESPAIR.

GERMAN SOLDIERS’ LETTERS.

UTTER WAR WEARINESS.

The note of despair predominates In letters to their relatives written by German soldiers, extracts from which are published by the “Morning Post.” One soldier writes: We must fight, alas, but why we don’t know. If our fellow-countrymen could see our I weariness . . . But I am glad it must come to an end soon, as we are at the end of our strength. Our reserves are almost exhausted, and'our supplies are absolutely bad.' Ammunition manufactued for the artillery only a month ago is already being used. I could quote you other instances. I should like to say something, too, about the French. They are fighting as courageously as we are for their country. Their artillery is better than ours, and, besides, much stronger. You in f the rear cannot imagine our losses. W© ! have at present nearly two and a-half million dead and seriously wounded. If we do advance a-few miles it is only done at the cost of heavy losses. We are conquerors, it is understood, but we are wearing ourselves out in conquering, because of our losses, and few realise that. Finally, we could have had the peace we.want so badly two years ago. Scheidemann wanted a peace based on agreement between the peoples, because he knew exactly, that we could not get it by force of | arms, as the enemy is as strong as we are. Only the diplomats can get us

peace.” Another soldier writes. Once pur of- / fensive failed we were taken in cars to 1 the Marne, where the Frenchmen were ; squatting and gave it us. Every time ,

wc had to go back. The Marne seems j

our destruction, and this time, too, it ,

kept up its reputation. Hitherto all our counter-attacks have- failed and there is not much left of our regiment, Now we are in a shell-hole with our machine-gun, and who knows what is going to happen? If the French attack tP-day pr t<?-m9nw it is very possible Ik at we shall he falcen, if W 6 are not first sent to our fathers, for the brutes have quite a lot of artillery. This time our situation is not very brilliant and I should bo glad if we were relieved, Dcspite all these comings and goings, I doubt whether the war will end. I never have the luck to get wounded, and that is the only way to get out of

i the mess, even for a short time. The, same writer, in another letter, points out that if the French attack he and his comrades will be unable to contain them, and that in that case they will succeed in reaching 'Paris as prisoners. Says another writer:—lf only I could get back- but,in a division like ours there is no hope for it. Let us hope that the cursed show will soon come to an end, for wo arc all tired of ■ it, It is only the "bigwigs” and those who have not lined their pockets sufficiently who want to continue. A soldier in charge of military dogs writes to his mother:’—Men on leave from Germany bring back stories that make the hair rise from your head, and, if several of them are exaggerated there arc enough left to make a man blush. The usurers especially arc exceeding all limits, and there is no doubt about the sickness being due to famine. The war is drawing to its close, but it is a close very different from what Fesehner and his friends expected.