To get the official view of the situation held by the officers of
the general staff, I called on General von Freytag-Loringhoven at
the general staff building in Berlin, where the great Moltke long
presided. He received me in a room the distinguishing features of which
were maps, not only showing the disposition of the German forces, but
immense wall-sized ones on which were diagrammed the present locations
of the Allies, showing their number, their commanders (designated
by name and locations of headquarters), with their relative ranks
indicated by little parti-coloured flags. I had just returned from
the Somme, and as I saw how each of the French and British lines was
clearly marked, I expressed my surprise.
The general smiled.
"Yes, our intelligence department is pretty thorough," he said, "but it
is no better on the Somme than our enemy's is, for in France, where we
stand on occupied soil, almost every civilian is an aid to the Allies.
"But despite that, despite all the French and English can do at the
Somme," he went on, "they will never break through."...
I asked the general for his impressions of the French and British
soldiers. He answered:
"The French are better soldiers. They are better schooled and drilled.
They have been at it longer and they are enormously brave and
sacrificing. But the British are proving their worth, too. They are
all of them warlike and like to fight, but they don't know how as yet.
You can't make a soldier in a few weeks or months; it takes time and
patience.
"The French artillery is exceptional. The French artillery officers
have always been of high repute. They are teaching much to the English
and Russians, and these forces are showing a corresponding betterment.
"Because of their greater experience, I should say the French are
better officered than the English. The Russian officers are a poor lot.
There is no sympathy between them and their men. The men are brave
enough, but are sheep-like in their lack of intelligence...."
In September, I stood in the general's field headquarters and watched
the big guns drop shells all around the famous "windmill of Pozières"
on the high ridge which had been taken by the British and was being
used by their artillery observers, who gamely held on, although the
position was anything but comfortable.
While we watched the bombardment a squadron of English fliers passed
overhead. I ducked and made for the bomb-proof.
"Don't worry," said the general, "the fliers rarely bomb us. Our
aviators generally leave their generals' headquarters alone, and they
usually do the same by us. It is a sort of understood courtesy."...
While I stood in his observation-point with Wenninger an iron-gray
quartermaster sergeant passed. He had been in the east against the
Russians as well as in the west. In reply to my question as to his
opinion of the schools of fighting, he answered:
"I'd rather face twenty infantry attacks from the Russians than bring
up food to the first lines here (British). Their damned artillery makes
it hell."