App. 2.
Statement of Lieutenant of Reserve Max von Amelunxen, Jäger Battalion
No. 4 (at the time attached to the Headquarters Staff, 2nd Army).
I took part in the sudden outbreak of hostilities at Liège as Reserve
officer of my battalion. When during the advance upon Liège a stoppage
occurred on the line of march, I rode out through the village of
Battice to discover the cause. At the very first houses, I was fired
upon, and saw clearly two civilians shooting from a window in the roof,
whose fire I returned. One of them I must have killed with my Mauser
carbine, for he fell to the ground at once. I believe I hit the other
also. At the same time from different sides--in my estimate there were
at least from 15 to 20 guns--fire was opened on myself and the cavalry
men, who had in the meantime arrived on the scene. I received a light
gunshot wound in the lower part of my body, while many pellets passed
through my valise. The persons who fired were certainly civilians.
The houses, from which they had been fired at, were set alight by the
troops who had arrived. I myself had meanwhile ridden on farther. The
incident must have occurred on the 4th or 5th of August.
During later motor-car journeys on military duties I was fired at by
civilians on countless occasions. In France up to the present nothing
of the kind has ever happened to me.
Signed: v. AMELUNXEN.
App. 3.
STATEMENT of Colonel von Gottberg, Infantry Regiment Freiherr von
Sparr (3rd Westphalian), No. 16, 14th Division.
GUIGNICOURT, _September 29th, 1914_.
On the 5th August 1914, just before dark, violent gun-fire was directed
against our heavy baggage from many windows by the inhabitants of the
village of Blegny. Lieutenant Hahn deposes that troops were fired
upon at night by the inhabitants from the very same houses in Blegny
in which they had been entertained during the day. Musketeer Gocheln
of the 6th Company was killed in this way; Musketeer Hochgrafe of the
7th Company was wounded by a shot in his shoulder. Both companies were
witnesses to this. These incidents were repeated during the night,
and in this way Musketeers Maiworm and Epping of the 5th Company were
wounded.
Lieutenant Edler von Daniels testifies that in a Belgian village near
Blegny his patrol was fired upon from ambush. This took place in a
street where the 9th Company had bivouacked for a day and a night.
At Troisfontaines the 11th Company was fired upon from the houses
by civilians. Musketeers Meister and Schwaffertz were wounded. In
this same place men belonging to this company were in the daytime
entertained with cigars and food, and particularly by an elderly man;
this same man fired by night and wounded a man of the company.
Staff-Surgeon Dr. Falk, who, with the ambulance party of the 1st
Battalion, wanted to push forward to the wounded on August 5th, 1914,
was fired upon by civilians, so that he was forced to take shelter.
Non-commissioned Officer Voss of the 4th Company was killed by three
shots from civilians. He could not be fetched, as the street had
been brought under fire by the inhabitants. Lieutenant Hahn was an
eye-witness of what took place.
In Anderlues shots were fired from a house by a French soldier and
a civilian. An Acting-Sergeant-Major and non-commissioned officer
were seriously wounded, a musketeer of the 11th Company was killed.
A witness of this occurrence is Captain Eckhardt. The soldier and
civilian were shot.
Signed: VON GOTTBERG.
App. 4.
MILITARY COURT EXAMINATION of Staff-Surgeon of Reserve Dr. Rehm,
Infantry Regiment No. 165.
CHERISY, _November 23rd, 1914_.
Court of the 7th Infantry Division.
President of the Court, Dr. WELT.
Secretary, LORENZ.
There appeared as witness Staff-Surgeon of Reserve Dr. Rehm, 3rd
Battalion, Infantry Regiment No. 165, who, after the importance of the
oath had been pointed out to him, made the following statement:
On the 6th of August 1914 I reached at Retinne a military ambulance
station, where the staff was very busily occupied. The character of the
station was clearly made known by its Red Cross flags, and in view of
the whole nature of its activities no doubt could exist as to its real
character. In the immediate vicinity no fighting had taken place; on
the contrary, our troops had already advanced to Bellaire. Nevertheless
our ambulance station was persistently fired upon; continually, for
the whole day long, single shots fell amongst us, coming from the
houses close at hand, and mostly, as a matter of fact, from the roofs.
The shots which fell upon the hospital could only have proceeded from
civilians, as there were no longer any enemy troops in the place. As I
could not for the time being secure any troops for the protection of
the ambulance station, I armed the lightly wounded and allowed them to
return the fire--for the moment, however, with little success, as we
could not see our well-concealed adversaries. When in the evening some
detachments of troops arrived at Retinne and were also fired at, the
houses were systematically searched. From some houses dozens of men
were dragged out. It was noticeable that in the houses were only one or
two women and no children at all, so that I formed the impression that
the firing had been arranged beforehand. The men fetched out of the
houses were without exception civilians of various ages.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: Staff-Surgeon Dr. REHM.
Proceedings closed.
Signed: Dr. WELT. Signed: LORENZ.
App. 5.
STATEMENT of Lieutenant Zielsche, Machine-gun Company, Infantry
Regiment No. 42.
WALDRIEDER, _August 17th, 1914_.
1. At Visé the inhabitants carried out a surprise attack upon the 18th
Pioneers on the night of the 15th-16th August.
2. Between Visé and Warsage my platoon was continuously fired at from
the immediate surroundings from about 10 o'clock in the evening till 3
in the morning. A column of army bakers retired from Visé and was also
fired at. We could see nothing of the inhabitants. When in the morning
I passed through Warsage in order to secure provisions, it was empty,
with the exception of one or two houses.
Signed: ZIELSCHE, Lieutenant.
App. 6.
MILITARY COURT EXAMINATION of Non-commissioned Officer of Reserve
Rasch (Reserve Regiment No. 74).
HANOVER, _November 20th, 1914_.
Present:
President of the Court, LINDENBERG.
Secretary, LÜHE.
There appeared as witness Dentist Rasch, Non-commissioned Officer of
Reserve, now in Reserve battalion, Infantry Regiment No. 74, who stated:
As to Person: My name is Gustav. I am 29 years old; Lutheran.
As to Case: When the mobile Infantry Regiment No. 74 was marching
on Liège in August 1914, I received the order to remain behind with
a detachment of the 9th Company for the protection of the baggage
collected in the market-place at Poulseur. There were also available
a few infantry soldiers and hussars as escort. Amongst the officers
personally known to me was an Artillery Lieutenant of Reserve,
Hildebrandt, who came from Hanover. When the regiment itself had
already advanced from Poulseur in the direction of Liège, and night
had fallen, the baggage and the escort beside it in the market-place
were suddenly fired upon from all the surrounding houses. This hostile
firing had clearly been planned and concerted beforehand, for
immediately before the fire began the lights in the surrounding houses
were simultaneously extinguished, and at the same moment came firing
from all sides. We did not know what was happening to us. Moreover, we
were not only fired at from the houses, but assailed with cartridges of
dynamite or some similar explosive, which possibly were derived from
one of the mines in the neighbourhood of Poulseur.
The firing continued, with certain intervals, the whole night through.
We on our side of course opened fire and tried as far as possible to
find shelter behind the baggage waggons. Nevertheless we had dead and
wounded; among these was a Lieutenant of Reserve of a hussar regiment,
whom we placed in an inn belonging to a German. I myself took part with
my men in storming a number of houses. During this process persons who
actually opposed us in the houses with weapons in their hands were shot
down. Where we found arms and munitions in the houses, we brought the
occupants into the market-place. I can affirm with absolute certainty
that all those who resisted us or were brought to the market-place wore
no uniforms; on the contrary, they were, without exception, civilians.
Next morning when we had proceeded with the baggage to the outskirts
of the town there arose from the town an extremely violent series of
crackling sounds which served to indicate the existence of thousands of
cartridges. Some of the men said that the countless cartridges which
had been found in the Burgomaster's house were exploding.
Further, when the baggage of Regiment No. 74 withdrew on the following
day through Poulseur from the direction of Liège, we were again fired
upon.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: RASCH.
The witness was sworn.
Verified.
Signed: LINDENBERG. Signed: LÜHE.
App. 7.
STATEMENT of Captain Haupt, Commander of the Heavy Commissariat Column
No. 2, X. Army Corps.
At midday on August 14th, at Louveigné, an artillery munitions column
marching behind the commissariat column was fired on by civilians. The
number of the column I cannot now remember.
On August 28th, at Gerpinnes, Driver Pook, who was looking for food in
an abandoned house, was fired at from a neighbouring house, and wounded
slightly in the hand. The search among the neighbouring houses for the
assailant was unsuccessful.
Signed: HAUPT, Captain and Column Commander.
App. 8.
MILITARY COURT EXAMINATION of Sergeant-Major Mävers, Non-commissioned
Officer Kielholz, Corporal Fruth, Lieutenant Schliep,
Acting-Sergeant-Major Horn, and Corporal Niebeln, all of Infantry
Regiment No. 73.
PONTGIVART, _November 12th, 1914_.
Present:
President of the Court, FUHSE.
Secretary, HENSEN.
There appeared as witnesses the under-mentioned persons, who, after the
importance of the oath had been pointed out to them, made the following
statement: