“=True strategy consists in hitting your enemy, and hitting him
hard. Above all you must inflict on the inhabitants of invaded
towns the maximum of suffering, so that they may become sick of the
struggle and may bring pressure to bear on their Government to
discontinue it. You must leave the people through whom you march
only their eyes to weep with.=
“=In every case the principle which guided our general was that war
must be made terrible to the civil population, so that it may sue
for peace.=”
=BISMARCK.=
“On Thursday, August 6th, before a fort at Liége, German soldiers
continued to fire on a party of Belgian soldiers (who were unarmed, and
had been surrounded while digging a trench) after these had hoisted the
white flag.
“On the same day, at Vottem, near the fort of Loncin, a group of German
infantry hoisted the white flag. When Belgian soldiers approached to
take them prisoners the Germans suddenly opened fire on them at close
range.
“Harrowing reports of German savagery at Aerschot have reached the
Belgian Government at Antwerp from official local sources. Thus on
Tuesday, August 18th, the Belgian troops occupying a position in front
of Aerschot received orders to retire without engaging the enemy. A
small force was left behind to cover the retreat. This force resisted
valiantly against overwhelming German forces, and inflicted serious
losses on them. Meanwhile, practically the whole civilian population of
Aerschot, terrorized by the atrocities committed by the Germans in the
neighbouring villages, had fled from the town.
“Next day, Wednesday, August 19th, German troops entered Aerschot,
without a shot having been fired from the town and without any
resistance whatever having been made. The few inhabitants that remained
had closed their doors and windows in compliance with the general orders
issued by the Belgian Government. Nevertheless, the Germans broke into
the houses and told the inhabitants to quit.
“=In one single street the first six male inhabitants who crossed their
thresholds were seized and shot at once, under the very eyes of their
wives and children.=
“The German troops then retired for the day, only to return in greater
numbers on the next day, Thursday, August 20th.
“They then compelled the inhabitants to leave their houses and marched
them to a place two hundred yards from the town. There, without more
ado, they shot M. Thielemans, the Burgomaster, his fifteen-year-old son,
the clerk of the local judicial board, and ten prominent citizens. They
then set fire to the town and destroyed it.
“The following statement was made by Commandant Georges Gilson, of the
9th Infantry of the Line, now lying in hospital at Antwerp:--
“I was told to cover the retreat of our troops in front of Aerschot.
During the action fought there on Wednesday, August 19th, between six
and eight o’clock in the morning, suddenly I saw on the high road,
between the German and Belgian forces, which were fighting at close
range, a group of four women, with babies in their arms, and two little
girls clinging to their skirts. Our men stopped firing till the women
got through our lines, but the German machine guns went on firing all
the time, and one of the women was wounded in the arm.
“=These women could not have got through the neighbouring German lines
and been on the high road unless with the consent of the enemy.=
“=All the evidence and circumstances seem to point to the fact that these
women had been deliberately pushed forward by the Germans to act as a
shield for their advance guard, and in the hope that the Belgians would
cease firing for fear of killing the women and children.=
“This statement was made and duly certified in the Antwerp hospital on
August 22nd by Commandant Gilson in the presence of the Chevalier Ernst
N. Bunswyck, Chief Secretary to the Belgian Minister of Justice, and M.
de Cartier de Marchienne, Belgian Minister to China.
“Further German atrocities were continuously being brought to notice and
made the subject of official and expert inquiry by the proper
authorities.
“In publishing the above statements the only comment the Press Bureau
can offer is, that these atrocities appear to be committed in villages
and throughout the countryside with the deliberate intention of
terrorizing the people, and so making it unnecessary to leave troops in
occupation of small places, or to protect lines of communication. _In
larger places, like Brussels, where the diplomatic representatives of
neutral Powers are eye-witnesses, there appear to have been no
excesses._”
=Such was the document issued by the Press Bureau. I have quoted it word
for word= (emphasizing only in italics or in heavy type certain
passages).