Court of the Bavarian Landsturm Infantry Battalion Gunzenhausen.
Present:
President, Captain HAHN.
Secretary, WALZ.
VIELSALEN, _February 4th, 1915_.
On citation there appeared as witness Herr Karl Dörffer, born on
December 25th, 1877, at Erda, district of Wetzlar; Protestant; 1st
Lieutenant, Reserve of Prussian Railway Regiment No. 3, assigned to
the Railway Constructing Company No. 17, at present commanded by the
Bavarian Staff Officer of railway troops in Vielsalen.
The witness, to whom the importance of the oath was pointed out, was
examined as follows:
As to Person: My personal description is correctly stated.
As to Case: On August 24th, 1914, I was commanded to effect the
detraining at the station in Louvain. I was acting manager in the
station as well as commandant over the station. On August 25th
detraining took place almost continuously; I particularly mention
the detraining of the IX. Reserve Corps and the General Staff of
this corps. On the evening of August 25th, at nightfall, shots fell
suddenly in front of and on both sides of the station area; in this
area were detachment of troops and trains. At first I did not attach
much importance to the firing; but as it became more violent I went to
the front of the station building.
I now saw that violent firing was taking place, particularly from an
hotel to the right of the station. From the long flash of fire from the
individual shots I assumed that military rifles were not being used. I
know for certain that firing took place from the upper floors of this
hotel, but the windows from which firing took place were dark.
The following design will indicate the position of the hotel more
clearly:
[Illustration]
To judge by the violence of the firing I must assume that firing from
other houses also took place.
Through officers of the Mecklenburg Dragoons belonging to the General
Commando of the IX. Reserve Army Corps--if I remember right, through
Captain von Alten and another officer--the news was received at the
station that even the transport of the Army Corps had been fired on in
the town. A high officer gave the command to search the hotel mentioned
and other houses, and then to set them on fire. A number of persons,
partly middle aged, partly older people, were taken out of these
houses, and a great number of them--but only males--were immediately
shot according to martial law. It was then quiet in the station
square for a long time. I would point out that I could not stand in
the station square continuously, because I had business to transact in
the station itself. It was therefore impossible for me to watch all
the events in front of the station. At about 11 or 11.30 p.m.--most of
the houses in the station square were burning--a volley was fired on
us from the roof of an hotel on the left of the station; the hotel was
already burning at the bottom. I stood, as it happened, in the centre
of the station square with several officers; there remained nothing
for us but to throw ourselves upon the ground so as to offer the
smallest possible target. Orders were then given to search this house
once again; in spite of this, a few isolated shots were fired during
the night from the houses in the station square, especially from the
houses on the road to Tirlemont, opposite the loading ramp, upon which
artillery and vehicles were unloaded even during the night.
I know that, after the volley had been fired from the house last
mentioned, a high officer gave orders to clear the people from all the
houses round the station; a number of women and children, also old and
middle-aged men, were thereupon apprehended; a few of the men were shot
according to martial law, but in a great number of cases it could not
longer be ascertained whether they had taken part in the firing. These
persons were first housed in the station; part of them were later on
transported.
On August 26th a few isolated shots fell near the station. On my
request, the commandant of a battalion--according to my notes it must
have been Colonel von Treskow, 2nd Battalion, Reserve Regiment No.
76--had various houses on the road to Tirlemont cleared; this officer
told me that in doing so he lost one of his reserve officers. I cannot
say whether there were persons of the Garde Civique among the Belgians
who fired on us.
As to the persons shot--I speak, of course, only of my own
observations--it had been ascertained by witnesses that they were
guilty.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: KARL DÖRFFER, 1st Lieutenant of the Reserve.
The witness was then sworn.
Signed: HAHN, Captain and Officer of the Court.
Signed: FRIEDRICH WALZ, Secretary.