"During the night of August 15-16 Engineer Gr---- gave the alarm in the
town of Visé. Everyone was shot or taken prisoner, and the houses were
burnt. The prisoners were made to march and keep up with the troops."
(From the diary of noncommissioned officer Reinhold Koehn of the Second
Battalion of Engineers, Third Army Corps.)
* * * * *
"A horrible bath of blood. The whole village burnt, the French thrown
into the blazing houses, civilians with the rest." (From the diary of
Private Hassemer, of the Eighth Army Corps.)
* * * * *
"In the night of August 18-19 the village of Saint-Maurice was punished
for having fired on German soldiers by being burnt to the ground by
the German troops (two regiments, the 12th Landwehr and the 17th). The
village was surrounded, men posted about a yard from one another, so
that no one could get out. Then the Uhlans set fire to it, house by
house. Neither man, woman, nor child could escape; only the greater
part of the live stock was carried off, as that could be used. Anyone
who ventured to come out was shot down. All the inhabitants left in the
village were burnt with the houses." (From the diary of Private Karl
Scheufele, of the Third Bavarian Regiment of Landwehr Infantry.)
* * * * *
"At 10 o'clock in the evening the first battalion of the 178th marched
down the steep incline into the burning village to the north of Dinant.
A terrific spectacle of ghastly beauty. At the entrance to the village
lay about fifty dead civilians, shot for having fired upon our troops
from ambush. In the course of the night many others were also shot, so
that we counted over 200. Women and children, lamp in hand, were forced
to look on at the horrible scene. We ate our rice later in the midst
of the corpses, for we had had nothing since morning. When we searched
the houses we found plenty of wine and spirit, but no eatables. Captain
Hamann was drunk." (This last phrase in shorthand.) (From the diary
of Private Philipp, of the One Hundred and Seventy-eighth Regiment of
Infantry, Twelfth Army Corps.)
* * * * *
"Aug. 6th crossed frontier. Inhabitants on border very good to us and
give us many things. There is no difference noticeable.
"Aug. 23rd, Sunday (between Birnal and Dinant, village of Disonge).
At 11 o'clock the order comes to advance after the artillery has
thoroughly prepared the ground ahead. The Pioneers and Infantry
Regiment 178 were marching in front of us. Near a small village the
latter were fired on by the inhabitants. About 220 inhabitants were
shot and the village was burnt--artillery is continuously shooting--the
village lies in a large ravine. Just now, 6 o'clock in the afternoon,
the crossing of the Maas begins near Dinant * * * All villages,
châteaux, and houses are burnt down during this night. It was a
beautiful sight to see the fires all round us in the distance.
"Aug. 24th. In every village one finds only heaps of ruins and many
dead. (From the diary of Matbern, Fourth Company, Eleventh Jäger
Battalion, Marburg.)
* * * * *
"A shell burst near the 11th Company, and wounded seven men, three very
severely. At 5 o'clock we were ordered by the officer in command of
the regiment to shoot all the male inhabitants of Nomény, because the
population was foolishly attempting to stay the advance of the German
troops by force of arms. We broke into the houses, and seized all who
resisted, in order to execute them according to martial law. The houses
which had not been already destroyed by the French artillery and our
own were set on fire by us, so that nearly the whole town was reduced
to ashes. It is a terrible sight when helpless women and children,
utterly destitute, are herded together and driven into France." (From
the diary of Private Fischer, Eighth Bavarian Regiment of Infantry,
Thirty-third Reserve Division.)
Other German soldiers, too, we are glad to see, show their horror at
the foul deeds.
"The inhabitants have fled in the village. It was horrible. There was
clotted blood on all the beards, and what faces one saw, terrible to
behold! The dead, sixty in all, were at once buried. Among them were
many old women, some old men and a half-delivered woman, awful to see;
three children had clasped each other, and died thus. The altar and
the vaults of the church are shattered. They had a telephone there
to communicate with the enemy. This morning, September 2, all the
survivors were expelled, and I saw four little boys carrying a cradle,
with a baby five or six months old in it, on two sticks. All this
was terrible to see. Shot after shot! Thunderbolt after thunderbolt!
Everything is given over to pillage; fowls and the rest all killed.
I saw a mother, too, with her two children; one had a great wound on
the head and had lost an eye." (From the diary of Lance-Corporal Paul
Spielmann, of the Ersatz, First Brigade of Infantry of the Guard.)
* * * * *
* * * In the night the inhabitants of Liége became mutinous. Forty
persons were shot and 15 houses demolished, 10 soldiers shot. The
sights here make you cry.
"On the 23rd August everything quiet. The inhabitants have so far
given in. Seventy students were shot, 200 kept prisoners. Inhabitants
returning to Liége.
"Aug. 24th. At noon with 36 men on sentry duty. Sentry duty is A 1, no
post allocated to me. Our occupation, apart from bathing, is eating and
drinking. We live like God in Belgium." (From the diary of Joh. van der
Schoot, reservist of the Tenth Company, Thirty-ninth Reserve Infantry
Regiment, Seventh Reserve Army Corps.)
* * * * *
"August 17th. In the afternoon I had a look at the little château
belonging to one of the King's secretaries (not at home). Our men had
behaved like regular vandals. They had looted the cellar first, and
then they had turned their attention to the bedrooms and thrown things
about all over the place. They had even made fruitless efforts to smash
the safe open. Everything was topsy-turvy--magnificent furniture,
silk, and even china. That's what happens when the men are allowed to
requisition for themselves. I am sure they must have taken away a heap
of useless stuff simply for the pleasure of looting."
"Aug. 23rd. * * * Our men came back and said that at the point where
the valley joined the Meuse we could not get on any further as the
villagers were shooting at us from every house. We shot the whole
lot--16 of them. They were drawn up in three ranks; the same shot did
for three at a time.
"* * * The men had already shown their brutal instincts; * * *
"The sight of the bodies of all the inhabitants who had been shot
was indescribable. Every house in the whole village was destroyed.
We dragged the villagers one after another out of the most unlikely
corners. The men were shot as well as the women and children who were
in the convent, since shots had been fired from the convent windows;
and we burnt it afterwards.
"The inhabitants might have escaped the penalty by handing over the
guilty and paying 15,000 francs.
"The inhabitants fired on our men again. The division took drastic
steps to stop the villages being burnt and the inhabitants being shot.
The pretty little village of Gue d'Ossus, however, was apparently set
on fire without cause. A cyclist fell off his machine and his rifle
went off. He immediately said he had been shot at. All the inhabitants
were burnt in the houses. I hope there will be no more such horrors.
"At Leppe apparently 200 men were shot. There must have been some
innocent men among them. In future we shall have to hold an inquiry as
to their guilt instead of shooting them.
"In the evening we marched to Maubert-Fontaine. Just as we were having
our meal the alarm was sounded--everyone is very jumpy.
"September 3rd. Still at Rethel, on guard over prisoners. * * * The
houses are charming inside. The middle class in France has magnificent
furniture. We found stylish pieces everywhere and beautiful silk, but
in what a state * * * Good God! * * * Every bit of furniture broken,
mirrors smashed. The Vandals themselves could not have done more
damage. This place is a disgrace to our army. The inhabitants who fled
could not have expected, of course, that all their goods would have
been left intact after so many troops had passed. But the column
commanders are responsible for the greater part of the damage, as they
could have prevented the looting and destruction. The damage amounts to
millions of marks; even the safes have been attacked.
"In a solicitor's house, in which, as luck would have it, all was in
excellent taste, including a collection of old lace and Eastern works
of art, everything was smashed to bits.
"I could not resist taking a little memento myself here and there. * *
* One house was particularly elegant, everything in the best taste. The
hall was of light oak; I found a splendid raincoat under the staircase
and a camera for Felix." (From the diary of an officer in the One
Hundred Seventy-eighth Regiment, Twelfth Saxon Corps.)
But this horror apparently was not shared by the German commander in
chief, as is evident from the following:
"ORDER.
"_To the People of Liége._
"The population of Andenne, after making a display of peaceful
intentions towards our troops, attacked them in the most treacherous
manner. With my authorisation, the General commanding these troops has
reduced the town to ashes and has had 110 persons shot.
"I bring this fact to the knowledge of the people of Liége in order
that they may know what fate to expect should they adopt a similar
attitude.
"Liége, 22nd August, 1914.
"GENERAL VON BÜLOW."
The following "Order of the Day" shows how the town of Huy escaped a
like fate. Drunken German soldiers were frightened and began to shoot
men and burn houses. The commanding officer condemned this because it
was not done by his order and because two German soldiers were wounded.
It is evident that massacres and arson were permitted only when
commanded by the officers.
"Last night a shooting affray took place. There is no evidence that
the inhabitants of the towns had any arms in their houses, nor is
there evidence that the people took part in the shooting; on the
contrary, it seems that the soldiers were under the influence of
alcohol, and began to shoot in a senseless fear of a hostile attack.
"The behavior of the soldiers during the night, with very few
exceptions, makes a scandalous impression.
"It is highly deplorable when officers or noncommissioned officers set
houses on fire without permission or order of the commanding, or, as
the case may be, the senior officer, or when by their attitude they
encourage the rank and file to burn and plunder.
"I require that everywhere strict instructions shall be given with
regard to the treatment of the life and property of the civilian
population.
"I prohibit all shooting in the towns without the order of an officer.
"The miserable behaviour of the men caused a noncommissioned officer
and a private to be seriously wounded by German bullets.
"The Commanding Officer,
"MAJOR VON BASSEWITZ."
In his report of September 12, 1917, to the Secretary of State,
Minister Whitlock has much to tell of the policy of frightfulness. The
following passages refer to the subject of massacres:
[Sidenote: Germans force wives to witness husbands' executions.]
"Summary executions took place [at Dinant] without the least semblance
of judgment. The names and number of the victims are not known, but
they must be numerous. I have been unable to obtain precise details
in this respect and the number of persons who have fled is unknown.
Among the persons who were shot are: Mr. Defoin, mayor of Dinant;
Sasserath, first alderman; Nimmer, aged 70; consul for the Argentine
Republic, Victor Poncelet, who was executed in the presence of his
wife and seven children; Wasseige and his two sons; Messrs. Gustave
and Léon Nicaise, two very old men; Jules Monin and others were shot
in the cellar of their brewery. Mr. Camille Pistte and son, aged 17;
Phillippart, Piedfort, his wife and daughter; Miss Marsigny. During
the execution of about forty inhabitants of Dinant, the Germans placed
before the condemned their wives and children. It is thus that Madame
Albin who had just given birth to a child, three days previously, was
brought on a mattress by German soldiers to witness the execution of
her husband; her cries and supplications were so pressing that her
husband's life was spared."
"On the 26th of August German soldiers entered various streets [of
Louvain] and ordered the inhabitants of the houses to proceed to the
Place de la Station, where the bodies of nearly a dozen assassinated
persons were lying. Women and children were separated from the men
and forced to remain on the Place de la Station during the whole day.
They had to witness the execution of many of their fellow-citizens,
who were for the most part shot at the side of the square, near the
house of Mr. Hemaide. The women and children, after having remained on
the square for more than 15 hours, were allowed to depart. The Gardes
Civiques of Louvain were also taken prisoners and sent to Germany, to
the camp of Münster, where they were held for several weeks.
"On Thursday, August 27th, order was given to the inhabitants to
leave Louvain because the city was to be bombarded. Old men, women,
children, the sick, priests, nuns, were driven on the roads like
cattle. More than 10,000 of the inhabitants were driven as far as
Tirlemont, 18 kilometers from Louvain."
"One of the most sorely tried communities was that of the little
village of Tamines, down in what is known as the Borinage, the coal
fields near Charleroi. Tamines is a mining village in the Sambre; it
is a collection of small cottages sheltering about 5,000 inhabitants,
mostly all poor laborers.
[Sidenote: Massacres in Tamines.]
"The little graveyard in which the church stands bears its mute
testimony to the horror of the event. There are hundreds of new-made
graves, each with its small wooden cross and its bit of flowers; the
crosses are so closely huddled that there is scarcely room to walk
between them. The crosses are alike and all bear the same date, the
sinister date of August 22d, 1914."
"But whether their hands were cut off or not, whether they were
impaled on bayonets or not, children were shot down, by military
order, in cold blood. In the awful crime of the Rock of Bayard, there
overlooking the Meuse below Dinant, infants in their mother's arms
were shot down without mercy. The deed, never surpassed in cruelty by
any band of savages, is described by the Bishop of Namur himself:
[Sidenote: Slaughter of the innocents at Rocher Bayard.]
"One scene surpasses in horror all others; it is the fusillade of the
Rocher Bayard near Dinant. It appears to have been ordered by Colonel
Meister. This fusillade made many victims among the nearby parishes,
especially those of des Rivages and Neffe. It caused the death of
nearly 90 persons, without distinction of age or sex. Among the
victims were babies in arms, boys and girls, fathers and mothers of
families, even old men.
"It was there that 12 children under the age of 6 perished from the
fire of the executioners, 6 of them as they lay in their mothers' arms:
"The child Fiévet, 3 weeks old.
"Maurice Bétemps, 11 months old.
"Nelly Pollet, 11 months old.
"Gilda Genon, 18 months old.
"Gilda Marchot, 2 years old.
"Clara Struvay, 2 years and 6 months.
"The pile of bodies comprised also many children from 6 to 14 years.
Eight large families have entirely disappeared. Four have but one
survivor. Those men that escaped death--and many of whom were riddled
with bullets--were obliged to bury in a summary and hasty fashion
their fathers, mothers, brothers, or sisters; then after having been
relieved of their money and being placed in chains they were sent to
Cassel [Prussia]."
Mr. Hugh Gibson, the secretary of our legation in Belgium, visited
Louvain during its systematic destruction by the Germans. In _A Journal
from our Legation in Belgium_, New York, 1917, pages 164-165, he
relates what the German officers told him:
"It was a story of clearing out civilians from a large part of the
town, a systematic routing out of men from cellars and garrets,
wholesale shootings, the generous use of machine guns, and the free
application of the torch--the whole story enough to make one see red.
And for our guidance it was impressed on us that this would make
people respect Germany and think twice about resisting her."
German pastors and professors far from the excitement of the firing
have defended this policy of frightfulness, e.g.:
[Sidenote: Pastor defends frightfulness.]
"We are not only compelled to accept the war that is forced upon us
* * * but are even compelled to carry on this war with a cruelty, a
ruthlessness, an employment of every imaginable device, unknown in any
previous war." Pastor D. Baumgarten, in _Deutsche Reden in schwerer
Zeit_, "German Speeches in Difficult Days."
* * * * *
"The fate that Belgium has called down upon herself is hard for
the individual, but not too hard for this political structure
(_Staatsgebilde_), for the destinies of the immortal great nations
stand so high that they cannot but have the right, in case of need,
to stride over existences that cannot defend themselves, but live,
as parasites, upon the rivalries of the great." Prof. H. Oncken, in
_Süddeutsche Monatsheft_, "South German Monthly."
Would they have dared to defend such a policy if they could have seen
the announcement sent out by the parish of St. Hadelin with its silent
eloquence?
This is an invitation to a service in memory of 60 men and women from
one parish, of whom all but two were killed by the Germans in the
massacre of August 5 and 6, 1914. The closing sentences are: