Behind the Scenes in Warring GermanyFox, Edward Lyell
History
Behind the Scenes in Warring Germany
Fox, Edward Lyell
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
Opening his book, until he finds the index number 92 he reads that "To
the southwest towards Neuville and Rotheux the country is very broken
and wooded. There is a good level cultivated landing place, however,
about 1500 yards south of the Fort de Boucelles.... Where communication
with Liége exists." To use this map a British aviator flying over the
section south of the line Charleroi, Namur, Liége and Brussels, would
see what point he was over and would then look it up by the index number
on the map and in the book he would read whether it was wise to make a
landing there and just what conditions he would meet.
Here are some bits verbatim from the book.
"In many cases the woods are so stunted and straggling that during
winter, aerial observation of troops actually in them would probably be
possible.... Somewhat soft after rain. Difficult for a landing.... The
spa race course on the Francorchamps road is useless."
In this and other ways were the British aviators cautioned about using
their aeroplanes in Belgium.
For the last few years we have all been hearing about the wonderful maps
and information that Germany had of all the countries in Europe. No one,
however, has ever seen any of these books; and no one has ever publicly
quoted any of their contents. I believe they exist. I think, however,
that the photographs printed here are the first permanent public records
of the most confidential books in use by the army of a world power. I
think they have a certain historical significance. At any rate, that
England should possess them is amazing--England whom everybody but
Germany thought was the least prepared of all.
XVI
THE FUTURE--PEACE OR WAR
_Impressions gained during my talk with the 1914 choice for the Nobel
Peace Prize--Professor Ludwig Stein_
In The Hague the Temple of Peace is empty; all over the world ordnance
factories are full. Since the day of that first convention in Geneva
educated men have organized and pushed the international movement, which
is called world peace. Is it a success or a failure?
At his home in Berlin, early in February, I talked with one of the
leading men of this movement concerning these things. I asked Professor
Ludwig Stein,--whose activities for world peace are well known in
America, he having been chosen for the Nobel Peace prize of 1914 which
was never awarded, he being formerly one of the three permanent members
of the Bern Bureau for International Peace, he having been selected to
present the famous declaration of peace to the late Edward the Seventh,
whom the peace people called Edward the Peacemaker, he having worked
side by side with Andrew Carnegie for the "ideal"--I asked him, could
peace soon be made in this war? A deliberate man is Professor Stein,
and he thought so long without replying that his personality impressed
itself upon you before he had uttered a word--a strange combination of
the dreamer and the man of to-day, a contrast of gentle eyes and grim
jaw.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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