Court of the Government-General at Brussels.
Present:
Dr. IVERS, Judge of Military Law.
Secretary, RAMBEAU.
LOUVAIN, _September 23rd, 1914_.
Major v. Manteuffel, commanding 15th Mobile Commando, declared as
follows:
As to Person: My name is Walter v. Manteuffel, born at Gnesen on
January 23rd, 1864; Protestant.
The witness was informed that the Governor-General, Field-Marshal
General Baron von der Goltz, had arranged judicial proceedings for
the purpose of ascertaining whether German military persons, and, if
so, which, were guilty and deserving of punishment; he then made the
following statement:
As to Case: On Sunday, August 23rd, 1914, at noon, we arrived at
Louvain. The town gave me an impression of quietude and peace. One
company of Landwehr Regiment No. 66 occupied the town hall. There were
no other troops present. As soon as troops arrived, the company was
to commence the victualling. This was the case on Tuesday at noon.
The following troops had arrived in the meanwhile: two companies and a
battalion of the 27th Landwehr Brigade, which were accommodated in the
town hall and in the building opposite. Sections of troops of the IX.
Reserve Corps also marched through the town. In the afternoon, at about
5 o'clock, the 1st Company of the Landsturm Battalion Neuss, under 1st
Lieutenant v. Sandt, arrived at the station.
At about 7.30 p.m. I had gone to the Hôtel Métropole, Rue Vital
Decoster, to dine. I had just finished the soup when a gendarme (we
had six of them with us) brought me word that I was to go to the town
hall. On the way he told me that inhabitants had fired upon soldiers
in the town. A few minutes later at the town hall I heard suddenly
lively firing in the town-hall square. I saw the company in the
lower room standing at the windows and replying to the firing of the
inhabitants. In front of the town hall, on the entrance staircase, I
also saw soldiers firing who replied to the firing of the inhabitants
in the direction of the houses. When asked, they all declared that
inhabitants had first fired on them from such-and-such windows. The
whistling of the bullets was similar to that of Brownings, and totally
different from the sound of our projectiles. In the meanwhile, the
firing had been stopped by the company leaders. In the upper room lay
another company. It was quiet for a time. The town-hall square was now
filled with artillery--one battery--and with columns, motor-cars, and
benzine-tanks. A tremendous rifle-fire now commenced again from the
surrounding houses of the townsfolk. I saw how one company sought cover
in the entrance to St. Peter's Church.
In the meantime, we had deposited the wounded in the town hall; I
believe there were three, wounded chiefly in the legs.
After the firing had again ceased I ordered the surrounding houses to
be searched. This was effected in such a manner that all inhabitants
found with arms or ammunition were immediately shot. The houses were
set on fire. I saw myself one Belgian civilian on whom was found a roll
of cartridges. At about this time the General in Command, IX. Reserve
Corps, His Excellency v. Boehn, arrived at the town hall at about 10.30
p.m. He was very indignant about this firing by the Belgians. When he
rode to the hotel with the Staff a murderous fire was opened upon him
and his Staff from windows and roofs, without any provocation, and
three of his adjutants were seriously wounded, a troop of about ninety
horses was stampeded, wounded, or killed. His Excellency v. Boehn
asked to be conducted to the town hall to see the hostages. In his own
presence and that of his officers, the hostages were told in French
that if the town continued to be fired on, the town would have to pay a
contribution of twenty million francs, the hostages would be shot, and
the town destroyed.
I offered to make these measures at once known to the inhabitants by
going through the town with two hostages and a group of soldiers, and
the hostages repeated the words of General v. Boehn. On the following
morning the General had this procession with the hostages repeated.
Several houses from which firing had taken place were already burning.
No firing by the inhabitants was heard at the town hall, but on the
boulevards the firing is said to have been continued. I wish to add
that at the town hall a horse was killed by a shot in the head.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: V. MANTEUFFEL.
The witness was then sworn.
Signed: Dr. IVERS. Signed: RAMBEAU.
LOUVAIN, _September 23rd, 1914_.
EXPERT OPINION of the Commandant, 15th Mobile Forage Commando, Major
v. Manteuffel.
In addition to my statement as a witness I would like to express expert
opinion as Commandant and soldier to the effect that the whole firing
was instigated by the inhabitants. At the same time, the approach of
two Belgian battalions from the direction of Bueken was reported.
The German detachments on duty were given the alarm to oppose this.
When these troops had nearly got away, the Belgian inhabitants opened
a lively fire upon them from windows and garret dormers. Our German
soldiers went through the streets quietly and unsuspectingly, when they
were suddenly fired on. The German soldiers in no way commenced or
provoked the firing.
Signed: V. MANTEUFFEL, Major and Commandant.