WAR NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 18, 13 January 1915, Page 6

WAR NOTES.

WHY THE BATTLE OE WARSAW WAS LOST. The passion of the Kaiser and the Crown Prince for playing soldiers js a uital weakness in the German military machine. The Kaiser's restless interference iu the plans of campaign has been a cause of great embarrassment to his general stall', who are also much hampered ill their operations by being compelled to use the Crown Prince as Commander. The Crown Prince's generalship helped to bring about disaster in France, and his military incompetence lias been equally marked since lie was transferred to the eastern theatre of operations. It is now confirmed that it was the failure of the Crown Prince's army to hold their ground before Warsaw, which made a retreat imperative all along the line. While Clcncral von Hindcnberg, on the left, and tlio /Allstrians on the right, were both maintaining their positions, the Crown Prince's army, says a Russian semi-official statement, with contemptuous emphasis, was fleeing ■*". all haste back to the Fatherland. Thus the wings were left in a dangerous position. The Prussians pour--led in between them, and attacked each on two sides, forced them to scramble back to their frontiers as best they could, losing terribly all the way. Thr Herman stall' sought to excuse the defeat by complaining that the army was unable to operate because the roads were so bad. This attempt to disguise the Crown Prince's utter failure is covered with ridicule by the. Russian military authorities The German staff has been invited to explain how it was that after forty years' preparation for war with "Russia, it did not know that Poland was not provided with the same good highroads and the same number of railways as in Germany. The military critic of the P.ourse Gazette (Pctrograd) says that the Kaiser's army is like a hothouse plant, which requires special ■■omlitio:- '• ! •» it cannot, thrive. A '.VAGI', WAR. I Details of a remarkable book, giving rules for the waging of war by Austrain troops against Scrvia, have, just reached Switzerland. These rules are set out' in a little book of seven pages, copies of which have been distributed by order of the Austrian General Staff, upon the methods that are being employed against Serbia. Among these rules arc the following: "1 order that during these military operations the greatest severity, harshness and suspicion should be exhibited towards everybody. I will not tolerate that people not in uniform, but armed, captured in groups or singly, should be taken prisoners. They must be, executed at all costs. Anybody who shows mercy in such cases will be most severely punished. On entering a village (hostages, priests, teachers or wealthy nobilitiesi should be taken, and, if a single shot is fired on our troops, must be killed. Kncmy populations must be warned to give up their arms. Each house in which a weapon is found must be destroyed. In hostile villages not more than three men should be allowed to meet together in the street, and at nightfall no citizen shall leave his house. Officers and soldiers must scrutinise every hostile villager, and must not allow them to put their hands in their pockets, since they have probably secreted revolvers (here. Every inhabitant one. meets outside the villages and more particularly in forests should be regarded simply as a member of a band whose arms have been hidden. Not having the time to look for these weapons, these people, if their conduct seems to be in the least degree suspicious, ought to be shot. Summarising these rules for warfare. ■ the "ommander-in-Chicf urges his men to allow discipline, dignity, liut above 1 all, harshness."

Notice Ims boon given in Austria that telegrams of congratulation will no longer lie accepted for transmission to the Army in the field, tile reason being given that the wires are too lioavilv burdened.—(Exchange Telegraph). AFIUCAK BATTLED. The lncagrcness of the descriptions of the campaign in Western Europe have given rise to much adverse comment; but, compared with the almost complete absence of news regarding the lighting in East and West-Africa, ihey seem almost verbose. There has been no oilicial report published relating tu the operations against German East Africa since September, although, from the /net that ollicers' casualties occurring in that (tart of the world appear from time to time in the oilicial lists, it may reasonably be inferred that some sharp lighting lias taken place. it is clear, from an inspection ol a recent casualty list, that a body of Indian troops is engaged in East Africa. By piecing together fragmentary information from various sources, it is pussiblc to deduce that the present position ill that quarter is roughly as follows:—The Herman attacks on British Xyasaland, Northern lthodcsia, and British East Africa, having been repelled, an invasion of German territory from (iernnui East Africa by a mixed force is now under wav.

As Longido—a point well within German territory—was mentioned as the scene of a recent casualty, it would seem that the British force is well on its way towards the Tanganyika railway. The Germans can probably place over a thousand white settlers and about 5000 native iroops in the lield in this colony, and the natives seem to be lighting well, though they have been severely beaten on several occasions already. The fact that there arc few men available in Nvasaland and Northern lihodesia will probably compel these colonies to content themselves with holding the frontier. A force from the Belgian Congo is operaiiilg in the region between Lakes Tanganyika and Victoria Kyanza. and has inflicted a defeat on the Hermans.

Tt is probable that there is a powerful wireless station at Tabora which may he able to communicate with Berlin through the station at Xauen, in Germauv.

The present, position in the Cameroon* is just as obscure. It i* that the Germans have been able to (■I11!iliK - 1 a remarkably efl'octiw resistance in West Africa, vet. unless tlic compilers of the reference book are deliberately misled. ibcre were only a few hundreds of whit.' ollicers anil non-com-missioned officers stationed in tile Camcroons before 1 lie war began. The natives may iiave been told that they would be killed and eaten by the French and British, but whatever the fans'.-, ihey are hard enough. From all accqunts the operations consist chiefly of hush fighting, and are (bus very difficult, to prosecute. Tli,. authorities would he well advised to i-Mie n weekly or fortnightly eummur.v n-jnnling the campaiyns both in tlic C'anieroons and ricrman Fast Africa. (Daily Chronicle). KATRTTR'S iSTUDTKD mm/TV A. strihincr instance of the Kaiser's studied insult to England immediately before the. declaration of war, is furnished in a letter sent to Germany by a naval reservist :iii:rd TT. Crif'iths. Tin writes.: —

".lust before the outbreak of war, I was serving as A.C. on the Royal .Mail steamship Arcadia on her .Norwegian yachting cruiser from Grimsby. On the way to Norway we were told we should meet the Kaiser's yacht on the following day, and we were to salute it. Elaborate preparations were made for the occasion. The day arrived, and we . steamed into the harbor. There lay the jKaiser's yacht, with a naval escort, in all its glory. I myself was duty bugler that day, the ship's bugler being unwell. The National LAntliem was played, our ship was fully dressed, and rockets were fired; but the Kaiser, who was on the quarter-deck of his yacht, deliberately turned his back to our ship, A few hours later war was declared. The Royal yacht and escort weighed anchor, and left for Germany.