GERMAN "CAPTURES" EXPLAINED.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1915, Page 12 (Supplement)

GERMAN "CAPTURES" EXPLAINED.

TRICK OF COUNTING THE DEAD A"J PRISONERS. Tlie following soini-nfiicial statement has been issued in Paris: "The Ormans chimed in a communique of tke 2nd inst. that they took prisoners 211 officers and 10,721 men in the course of flic fighiing in Champagne and Artois. In order to obtain this figure the Germans reckon the killed and wounded as prissners. "The object of this method of counting, to which they constantly hare recourse, is to swell the apparent total of their capture*. The French communiques, on the other hand, are careful to point o"ut that (he prisoners taken by the French troops are able-bodied. "Thus 011 September 2t> the French communique announced that the number of prisoners taken was 10,000 unwounded on the Champagne front, and that tna total number of prisoners taken on the whole front exceeded 20,000 able-bodied men. On September 20 the French communique, speaking of the total results of the fighting, mentioned that the German losses in killed, wounded, and prisoners exceeded the effective strength of three army corps, "Again, according to the German communique of September 23, we are supposed to have brought into action in tho Souain region masses of cavalry whicii the enemy's artillarv fire is said to havs at once dispersed! I

"As a matter of faci, nothing Ef the sort occurred at any point of the front'. In the Souain region, after the infantry had carried the first Germans positions, small groups of cavalry dashed forward to show the infantry the wav. One 0 i these groups took prisoners SOO German soldiers."

Comment on' the. present position it made in the following official terms: "The confusion into which the l-'rance-British attack has thrown the German High Command, and the impression that our success has made amongst the German public, in spite of'the efforts of tha official communique to diminish their extent, are shown clearly in n long special communication. "The sincerity of the German communique is demonstrated bv the fact that of our in ArtoU and in Champagne they have announced nothing except the retreat of a division mid the taking of several trenches. They discreetly pass over in silence the capture of 25,000 prisoners and of 150 guns. "In reality the German army has submitted to the will of its oppuneiiU^