The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 2 (of 10): From the Battle of Mons to the Fall of Antwerp.Parrott, Edward
History
The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 2 (of 10): From the Battle of Mons to the Fall of Antwerp.
Parrott, Edward
World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile literature
The stories which you have read in these pages have been told by British
soldiers. I am sure you would now like to read some French stories of
various incidents which occurred during the retreat. The following story
relates how a French cavalryman received the surrender of three hundred
Germans.
One fine morning in August, during a sharp engagement in a small village
of Alsace, a French hussar was captured by the enemy. The Germans, who
numbered three hundred, were then holding the village. Shortly
afterwards French artillery began to shell the place, and it was evident
that an infantry attack would soon follow.
When the French infantry were seen advancing, the German officer sought
advice from the captured hussar. "If you resist," said the Frenchman,
"your whole command will be shot down." To this the German replied, "We
are willing to surrender, but we are afraid that your people will put us
to death." The hussar gave his word of honour that no such fate would
overtake them, and assured them that in France the rules of civilized
warfare were always observed. "You need fear nothing," concluded the
hussar; "you will be well treated by my countrymen."
A sigh of relief escaped from the lips of the officer, and he said,
"Such being the case, we will surrender." At once the hussar placed
himself at the head of the column, gave the order to march, and with
three hundred Germans at his heels led the way to the French lines,
where he handed over his prisoners.
* * * * *
Here is a story in praise of German courage. It is told by a British
artilleryman. "The grandest thing I saw out there," he says, "was the
fight of a handful of Germans. These chaps were the last of a regiment
to cross a stream under a fiendish rifle and artillery fire.
"They were hotly pursued by French cavalry and infantry, and when they
saw that it was all up with them, the remnant made for a little hill and
gathered round the regimental flag, to fight to the last. The French
closed round them, and called on them to surrender; but not they! They
stood there, back to back, until the last man went down with the flag in
his grasp and a dozen bullet wounds in his body.
"Then the flag was captured by the French; but there was no shouting
over the victory, and every soldier who passed that way, and knew the
story of those chaps, bared his head to the memory of brave men."
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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