Official Dispatch from Berlin to German Embassy at Washington, Aug.
29.
In consequence of a sudden attack of Belgian troops from Antwerp the
German garrison at Louvain meets the enemy, leaving only one battalion
of the last reserve and army service corps in Louvain. Thinking that
this meant the retreat of the German troops, priests at Louvain gave
arms and ammunition to the civilians, who began, at different places,
suddenly to shoot out of windows at unsuspecting German troops, of whom
many were wounded. A fight of twenty-five hours between German soldiers
and the civil population of Louvain took place. Parts of Louvain were
burning. Civilians met with arms are killed. The manifesto of the Chief
General speaks of bestial cruelties committed on wounded and makes the
magistrates responsible for the provocation and for providing people
with arms.
The German Army protests against the news spread out by enemies about
the cruelty of German warfare. The German troops had to take severe
measures sometimes when provoked, the population making treacherous
attacks upon them and bestial atrocities against the wounded. The
responsibility for the recourse of warfare falls entirely upon the
authorities of the occupied territories who gave arms to the civil
population and stirred them up to take part in the war wherever the
population was not hostile. The German troops never did harm people or
property. The German soldier is not an incendiary nor pillager. He only
fights against a hostile army. The news published in foreign papers
about the Germans chasing the population means the characterizing
immorality of the authors.
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Official Communication of the German General Staff.
BERLIN, Aug. 30, 1914.
The City of Loewen (Louvain) had surrendered and was given over to us by
the Belgian authorities. On Monday, Aug. 24, some of our troops were
shipped there and intercourse with the inhabitants was developing in a
quite friendly manner.
On Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 25, our troops, hearing about an imminent
Belgian sortie from Antwerp, left in that direction, the Commanding
General ahead in a motor car, leaving behind only a Colonel with
soldiers to protect railroad, (landsturm battalion "neuss.")
As the rest of the Commanding General's staff, with the horses, was
going to follow, and collected on the market place, suddenly rifle fire
opened from all the surrounding houses, all the horses being killed and
five officers wounded, one of them seriously.
Simultaneously fire opened at about ten different places in town, also
on some of our troops, just arrived and waiting on the square in front
of the station, and on incoming military trains. A designed co-operation
with the Belgian sortie from Antwerp established beyond doubt. Two
priests caught in handing out ammunition to the people were shot at once
in front of the station.
Street fights lasted till Wednesday, the 26th, in the afternoon,
(twenty-four hours,) when stronger forces, arrived in the meantime,
succeeded in getting the upper hand. Town and northern suburbs were
burning at different places and by this time have probably burned down
altogether.
On the part of the Belgian Government a general rising of the population
against the enemy had been organized for a long time; depots of arms
were found where to each gun was attached the name of the citizen to be
armed.
A spontaneous rising of the people has been recognized, at the request
of the smaller States at The Hague Conference, as being within the law
of nations as far as weapons are carried openly and the laws of
civilized warfare are being observed; but such rising was only admitted
in order to fight the attacking.
In the case of Loewen the town had already surrendered and the
population renounced, without any resistance, the town being occupied
by our troops. Nevertheless the population attacked on all sides and
with a murderous fire the occupying forces and newly arriving troops,
which came in trains and automobiles, considering the hitherto peaceful
attitude of the population.
Therefore there can be no question of means of defense allowed by the
law of nations, neither of a warlike guet-apens, (ambush,) but only of a
treacherous attempt of the civil population all along the line, and all
the more to be condemned as it was apparently planned long beforehand
with simultaneous attack from Antwerp, as arms were not carried openly,
as women and young girls took part in the fight and blinded our wounded,
sticking their eyes out.
The barbarous attitude of the Belgian population in all parts occupied
by our troops has not only justified our severest measures, but forced
them on us for the sake of self-preservation. The intensity of the
resistance of the population is shown by the fact that in Loewen
twenty-four hours were needed to break down their attack.
We ourselves regret deeply that during these fights the town of Loewen
has been destroyed to a great extent. Needless to say that these
consequences are not intentional on our part, but cannot be avoided in
this infamous franc-tireur war being led against us.
Whoever knows the good-natured character of our troops cannot seriously
pretend that they are inclined to needless or frivolous destruction.
The entire responsibility for these events rests with the Belgian
Government, who with criminal frivolity have given to the Belgian people
instructions contrary to law of nations and incited the resistance, and
who, in spite of our repeated warnings, even after the fall of Luettich,
(Liége,) have done nothing to induce them to a peaceful attitude.
* * * * *
Official German Statement Published in Berlin, Sept. 7.
Belgium is officially spreading false representations about the
occurrences through which the City of Louvain was made to suffer. It is
claimed that German troops, having been repulsed by Belgians making a
sortie from Antwerp, were fired upon by mistake by the German garrison
of Louvain and that in this way fighting occurred there. But events
prove incontestably that the Germans repulsed the Belgian sortie.
During this battle before Antwerp an undoubtedly organized attack was
made upon the German troops at many places in Louvain, after apparently
friendly relations between the Germans and the citizens of the town had
seemed for twenty-four hours to be beginning. The attack was at first
against a Landwehr battalion composed of older men of quiet disposition
and themselves mostly fathers of families; also against sections of the
General Staff that had remained in the city, and upon moving columns of
troops. The Germans had many wounded and killed. They won the upper
hand, however, owing to the arrival of fresh troops by rail, who were
fired upon at the station. The truth of the foregoing statements is
established beyond all cavil. The City Hall was saved, but further
attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful.
* * * * *