1918-11-26 — Page 5

Page

MUTINOUS SPIRIT IN THE

GERMAN ARMY. WHOLESALE DÉSERTIONS.

The following article written early in September by the Daily Telegraph's special correspondent in Rotterdam belps us to änderstand the present situa tion in Germany :-

the stream

to

Though, owing the fact that so many soldiers fail to return, leave from the front is practically stopped, constantly swelling, as in the last few days the ranks of the absentees have been increased by a con- aiderable trickle over the frontier of soldiers deserting. from the Western theatre of war. Behind the lines there is a condition of things to cope with which in defying the authorities' powers Daily men disappear from units engaged on the lines of communication and from duties a look way to the rear, and in French and Belgian towns there is a regular trafo for the taining by soldiers of civilian alathes in which to make good their escape over the frontier and to render detection, discuit when they reach Ger-

many,

THE

ALLIES' PROPAGANDA.

HINDENBURG'S WAIL

HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH, 1918.

A TELL-TALE MANIFESTO,

The German papers published promin- ently the following manifesto, "issued by Marshal von Hindenburg an September 2nd (Sedan Day):—

The enemy

GALLIPOLI CAMPAIGN, WITHDRAWAL ON EVE OF VICTORY.

The failure of the Allied naval attack

the Dardanellas has never been ade quately chronicled-until, with the appearance of the narrative of the United States Minister 'at Constantinople, Mr. Morgenthau, in Land and Water, it be comes apparent that there was no failure, and that wenty-seven armour-piercing shells only hy between the Allied fleeta and a clear road through the Strails to Constantinople.

We are engaged in a severe battle with dur enemies. If numerical superiority alone were to guarantee victory, then Germany would long, since have lain crushed on the ground. knows, however, that Germany and ber allies are not to be vanquished by arms

"I returned," he writes,to Contan alone. The enemy knows that the spirit which inspires our troops and our nation tinople, and two days later, on March renders us unconquerable, and has, there 18th, the Allied fleet made its grant attack. fore, along with the battle against Gords all the world knows, that attack prov. man arma, waged war against the Gered disastrous to the Allios. The outcome man spirít He wants to poison our spirit, and be believes that the German arms will be blanted if the German spirit is corroded. We should not tres: lightly this plan of the enemy: He wages his

Arrents of suspected absentees, ip campaign against our spirit with various Allie had returned, 84y, on the

Berlin have led to frequent trouble. On the way to barracks such offenders have attempted to escape, and bave been fred upon, with the result that in a few instances innocent bystanders have been hit. It was to avoid this that the measure

handeuffing arrested men, was taken. The passage of these arrested defaulters through the street, is almost an hourly spectacle, for orders have beer given to the military police to carry out an or ganised hunt. This is now ir operation. even at the risk of a furth demorali sation of the public by the painful in cidents they witness. The absentee evil is so great that it is imposible to pre serve secrecy for the mesures adopted for dealing with it, and this, in fact, con- stitutes one of the facers which have produced the existing collapse of the civilian moral.

His

was the sinking of the Bouvet, the Ocean, and the Irresistible, and the serious crippling of four other vessels. Of the sixteen ships engaged in this battle of the leth, seven were thas put temporarily or permanently out of iction Naturally. the Germans and Turks rejoiced over this victory. But let us suppose that the of the 19th, what would have happened The fortifications were very thort of ammunition, and had almost reached the, limit of their resisting power when the British feet passed out on the afternoon of the 18th. I had secured permission for correspondent of the Associated Press, to On the night of the 18th be discussed the visit the Dardanelles on this

occasion. situation with General Merters, the chief technical officer at the Straits. General Mertens admitted that the outlook as very, discouraging. We expect that the British will

come back early tomorrow be able to hold out for a few hours. morning," he said, and if

they do we may

་

means. He drenches our front not only with a drum fire of artillery, but also with a drum fire of printed matter. airmen throw, besides bombs, "which" kill of immediately the body, leaßets which are intended to Mr. George A. Schreiner, the American

kill the soul. Our Field Greys on the Western front, handed in of these enemy leaders, 84,000 in May, 180,000 in June, and 300,000 in July an enormous increase in July-10,000 poisoned arrows per day ! Ten thousand times daily the attempt to take away from each and a belief in the justice of our cause, and our strength for General Mertens/did not declare in so and confidence in inal victory. We may many words" that the ammunition was at the same time enlculate that a stat discovered that such was the case.

practically exhausted, but Mr. Schreiner number of enemy leaflets have not beefact was that Fort Hamidie, the most The found by us.

The enemy, however, is not satisfied powerful defence on the Asiatic side: had. merely with nasailing the spirit on our while at Kilid-ul-Bahr, which was the just seventeen armour-piercing shells left, front. He wants above all to poison the

main defence on the European side, there spirit of those at home. He knows what

were precisely ten

I should advise you at six o'clock to-morrow morn are at home.. His aeroplanes and bal-

ing,' said icons, it is true, do not carry leaflets far the Anatolian Hills. That's what we are into the homeland, from which the lines

to do. The troops at all the forti- One contributoy cause of slackened are remote where the enemy is mainly ons had their orders to man the guns | discipline is that soldiers returned struggling for victory by ald Grewal until the last shell had been fred, and from Russia mprisonment have been enemy hopes that many a Field Grey will then to abandon the forts. Once these home the leaflet which so harmlessly defences became helpless, the problem of found to be tainted with Bolshevik uttered down from the air. At home, doctrines. Flere being it to other then, it passes from hand to band. It is the Allied Fleet would have been a simple one. The only bar to their progress would fronts these en undergo in Germany a

discussed in bars, in families, in work- special cours of training of a psychol rooms, in factories, and in the street from a point about two miles north of have been the mine-feld, which stretched gical charmer. They are preached to by Unsuspectingly, many thousands imbibe

But officers on be duty of fighting again in the

the poison, and for thousands the burden defence the Fatherland." for their clease from Russian imprison-

DECLINING SCIPLINE German army dicipline has failen away to a degree wich a year ago would still many unita course, there д whose fighting alue is as high evez, the deprecation is fairly general

hay seemed impssible. Though, of resources of strength for the front there to General Mertens, and take to i

send

in retura which war in any case lays on them is keni to Kilid-ul-Bab

thereby increased and their resolve upon;

sired etct. A recent cast occurred in the war is removed. All these in turn

the

Fleet bad plenty of mine-sweepers, could have made a channel in a law hours. North of Tchanak there were & but they were of the 1878 model,

ment always, however, with the de- and their hope in the victorious issue of few ga pot discharge projectiles which after a company had been write to the front about their doubts, could pierce modern armour plate...,

officer declared," We don't care about the Etherland; we would rather go back and help our comrades in Russia" Theupon fifty men threw down their rifs, and, of course, were immediately

cenu rub their bands.

"MOST INSANE RUMOURS.'

Jury, erman soldiers in Russia have refused and, Holland, and Denmark.

there they spread. in

that

th

batteries, and both dated from 1835'1 Thus, once having silenced the outer Straits, there was

except, the Ger- passage to Constantinothing to bar the man and Turkish warships, The Goeben

be combats them. The enemy also in deavours to open up all the wounds in the German body politie. With bis leaflets and rumours be endeavours to

The enemy attacks the home spirit also in other ways. The most insane rumours nested and sentenced to terms of in calculated to break our internal power was the only first-class fighting ship in psonment varying from ten to fifteen of resistance, "are set in circulation. We either feet, and it would not have lasted

A certain proportion of the discover them simultaneously in Switzer long against the Queen Elizabeth. Thus!

From

om the Allied Fleet would have appeared return. and are now 6ghting along many, or that waves over all Ger- before Constantinople on the morning of

Brise simultaneously the 20th! de the Bolsheviks.

accordant in their senseless details, in the At the front the authority of the remotest parts of Dermany; in Silesia. cers over the en has weakened East Prussia, and the Rhineland, and enerally, and to an alarming degree. from there pass over the rest of the coun- mall number of officers, belonging to the try. This poison, takes effect on men on Class which would not have been drawn leave and ice in letters to the front, and upon for front-line service, except for again our enemies rub their hands. The Germany's dire need, are themselves in enemy is clever. He knows how to com- tacit sympathy with those who wish to pound the powder for each victim. He dissension and mistrust among the see the war ended on any terms. But entices Bghters at the front. One leaflet these are exceptions, which hardly count said: German soldiers, it is a disgrace But great many other cfficers do not ful lie that the French ill-treat German exercise their authority, for the simple prisoners. We are not brutes. Come to reason that they are afraid to do so, us confidently. Here you will find con- owing to the mood of the men.

POISONED ARROWS, And siderate treatment, good food, and peace- As to this, ask the brave perhaps the most significant fact of all ful shelter."

The German Empire, which was the is that the sullen indifference, or worse, men who, with unutterable difficulty, have which prevails in the army is specially succeeded in escaping from enemy cap- dream for centuries of Germans and noticeable among the non-commissioned tivity. In barbed-wire enclosures, with which our fathers won for us, that is oat a roof, rendered pliable by hunger, what they want to destroy, and to con- officers. Many of these are now of a very different type from that which made the and thirst to make traitorous statements, demn Germany to the powerlessness of Prussian non-commissioned officer & milior forced by blow and threats of death the Thirty Years War. The enemy also tary byword.

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rederal states, We reized on Lake Con stance many thousands of leaflets which were sent to Bavaria and were intended to stir up feeling against the North Ger

I

betray their comrades, spat at by the wants to shake our loyalty to our allia. French populace in their way to hard He does not know the German character INBOLENCE TO OFFICERS.

labour, and bespattered with filth. This, and the value of a German's word. Hoj in reality, is the paradise conjured up by himself sacrifices his allies. Whoever in Lacking the co-operation of these sub

the

England's ally dies as a consequence. ordinates, the officers have largely lost

of original letters from And finally, the enemy sends not the least control over the men. Infringements of

prisoners are also thrown down, in which dangerous of his poisoned arrows dipped the numerous rules and regalations ars German prisoners describe how will off in printer's ink when he uses statements frequent, and the officers dare not inter they are. Thank God, there are also made by German men, and newspapers "lere out of fear of being murdered decent human prison camp commanders

Among such regulations is, for instance, in England and France. They, however. Statements in German newspapers are that forbidding men in certain front-lins are the exception, and the letters which wrested from their context. As to state positions amoking or talking. This rule the enemy throws down are only of three pants of Germans which are reproduced, is now frequently disobeyed, for the or four varieties. He sends them, how I remember there have always bein reason that when some of the officers ever, manifolded in many thousands of traitors to the Fatherland, witting and recently remonstrated, the men not mere copies This is how the enemy intimi- unwitting. They mostly dwell ir neutral ly laughed in their faces, bat, took up dates the faint-hearted: Your fight is countries in order not to be obliged to their rifes and threatened to strike their bopeless. America will cook your goose share our battles and deprivations, or to superiors with the butt-ends. In another Your submarines are of no use. We con escape being executed traitora instance, & Prussian private was found struct more ships than you sink. Your Neither should partisans of extreme sleeping at his post, and when awakened trade is destroyed. We shall eat you off party views claim to speak for the after the war from raw materials. Then generality of the German people. It is by an offices, struck him. He was sen

Germany's industries rouet famish. You our strength, but also our weakness, that tenced to be shot immediately. His Prus shall never see your colonies again." even in war we allow free expression to sian comrades, however, refused to fire,

Such is the tone of his leaflets, some- whereupon the condemned man's sentence times menace and sometimes cajolery.We have also tolerated thus far the t-

every opinion.. was ordered to be carried out by a

What are the factal In the Ea we production of enemy army communiquée Bavarian company. These, before obey have forced peace, and we are strong and speeches of enemy statesmer, which ing, held a meeting exactly on Soviet enough in the West also to do so, despite are at the same time weapons of attack lines, and eventually decided by a mathe Americana. But we must be strong against the spirit of the German army rity, to obey the order. Not, however and united. because it was an order, but because its fights against with dysheets and rumours shows that we know our strength. But it That is what the enemy and people. This is strength," because it carrying out would mean "cne Frussian He wants to deprive us of our belief, is also weakness because it permits the the less in the world"

These incidents may appear, trivial in confidence, will, and strength. Why is enemy's poison to enter our midst. themselves, but it must be remembered allies in they fight against us?

the enemy still ever seeking for Therefore German army, and German that such things could not possibly have does be try to force nations which the form of a leaflet or, rumour comes to Why home, if one of these poisoned morsels in happened in the German army a short are still neutral into war time ago, and that, moreover, they be us? Because we are a match for from the enemy, and that nothing comes against your ears or eyes, remember it comes only symptomatic of the general demo- him. Why does he incite black and from the enemy of any service to Ger ralisation: The question remains, will the German army and people recover other coloured people against German many. Everyone must remember that, from the present moral dibdcle 1: This soldiers? Because he wants to annihilato no matter to what class or party be be is a question which nobody would dare You Germans, your form of govern in name or orgin is German but in heart us. To others, again, the enemy say longs. If you meet anyone who, mashe to answer with confidence, but I will quote the remark of one informant, Hohenzollerns and against capitalismo. distance and despise him. Hold him up, ment is wrong. Fight against the is in the enemy's camp, keep him at a applying to the civilian population, Help us, the Entente, to give you a to public scorn, so that every other Ger They won't recover," he said, unless better constitution "The enemy knows man also may despise him. Be on your the Entente armies were crossing the Rhine. when they would rally in defence. what strength resides in our State and guard, German army and German home. But just for that reason (Signed) Von HINDENBURG, Main But long before it comes to that the our empire German Government will maka pesce." (Continued at foot of next column.) Headquarters.

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