German Atrocities: Their Nature and PhilosophyHillis, Newell Dwight
History
German Atrocities: Their Nature and Philosophy
Hillis, Newell Dwight
Pangermanism; World War, 1914-1918; World War, 1914-1918 -- Atrocities
(_Affidavits in Alcove 867._) The dead body of a young girl nailed by
her hands to the outside door of a cottage. She was about fourteen or
sixteen years of age.
(_Page 21. Affidavits H-67._) "September 14th. One hundred and eight
inhabitants are stated to have been shot after they had dug their own
graves. Innumerable houses have been destroyed. The population looks
bitter and scowling." August 22nd, notebook of Private Max Thomas. "Our
soldiers are so excited, we are like wild beasts. To-day, destroyed
eight houses, with their inmates. Bayonetted two men with their wives
and a girl of eighteen. The little one almost unnerved me, so innocent
was her expression."
(_D. 10. 45._) In retreating from Laines eight drunken soldiers were
marching through the street. A little child of two years came out and
a soldier skewered the child on his bayonet, and carried it away while
his comrades sang.
Withdrawing from Hofstade, in addition to other atrocities the Germans
cut off both hands of a boy of sixteen. At the inquest affidavits were
taken from twenty-five witnesses, who saw the boy before he died or
just afterwards.
(_Affidavits D. 100-8._) Passing through Haecht, in addition to the
young women whom they violated and killed, a child three years old was
found nailed by its hands and feet to a door.
That all these atrocities were carefully planned in advance for
terrorizing the people is proven by the fact that on the morning of
August 25th the officers who had received great kindness from Madame
Roomans, a notary's wife, warned her to make her escape immediately, as
the looting and killing of all the citizens, men, women and children,
was about to begin.
(_D. 186._) "The captain served a requisition upon all the farmers
hereabouts, taking horses, oxen, wagons, milk and butter. These
people are so ignorant that they did not know when he gave them false
receipts and signed this name--Herr von Koepenick." Other peasants
received receipts stating that in return for the goods that had
been requisitioned by the German officers, the owner was to come to
the German quartermaster and receive his pay in twenty strokes of a
whip-lash. If all the diaries of the Germans now in the hands of the
English, Belgian and French authorities were brought together and
published, they would make a small library, and the title would be
"Confessions of Crime by German Soldiers."
"August 19th. Halted and plundered a villa, as invariably the
surrounding houses were immediately plundered; dined splendidly, drank
eleven bottles of champagne, four bottles of wine and six bottles of
liquor."
John VanderSchoot, 10th Company, 39th Infantry, 7th Army Corps. "August
19th. Quartered in the University. Boozed through the streets of Liège,
lie on straw, booze in plenty, little food, so we must steal. We live
like gods here in Belgium."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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