German Atrocities: An Official InvestigationMorgan, J. H. (John Hartman)
History
German Atrocities: An Official Investigation
Morgan, J. H. (John Hartman)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Atrocities
So far I have only dealt with the acts of small German units--_i.e._
companies of infantry. I now come to the most damning proofs of a
policy of coldblooded murder of wounded and prisoners, initiated and
carried out by a whole brigade under the orders of a Brigadier-General.
This particular investigation took me a long time, but the results
are, I think conclusive. It may be remembered that some months ago
the French military authorities published in the French newspapers
what purported to be the text of an order issued by a German
Brigadier-General, named Stenger, commanding the 58th Brigade, in
which he ordered his troops to take no prisoners and to put to death
without mercy every one who fell into their hands, whether wounded
and defenceless or not. The German Government immediately denounced
the alleged order as a forgery. I determined to see whether I could
establish its authenticity, and in February last I obtained a copy of
the original from M. Mollard, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who
is a member of the Commission appointed by the French Government to
inquire into the alleged German atrocities. The text of that order was
as follows:
“Befehl (Armee-befehl) vom 26. Aug. 1914, gegen 4 Uhr
nachm. wie er von Führer der 7 Komp. Reg. 112 (Infant.) bei
Thionville, am Eingang des Waldes von Saint-Barbe, seinen
Truppen als Brigade-oder Armee-befehl gegeben wurde:
“Von heute ab werden keine Gefangene mehr gemacht Sämtliche
Gefangene werden niedergemacht. Verwundete ob mit Waffen
oder wehrlos niedergemacht. Gefangene auch in grösseren
geschlossenen Formationen werden niedergemacht. Es bleibt kein
Mann lebend hinter uns.”
(“Army Order of 26 Aug., 1914, about 4 p.m., such as was given
to his troops as a Brigade or Army Order by the leader of the
7th Company of the 112th Regiment of Infantry at Thionville, at
the entrance of the wood of Saint Barbe.
“To date from this day no prisoners will be made any longer.
All the prisoners will be executed. The wounded, whether armed
or defenceless, will be executed. Prisoners, even in large and
compact formations, will be executed. Not a man will be left
alive behind us.”)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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