Under these circumstances, the Belgian civil population who took part in the fights could of course make no claim to the treatment due to belligerents. On the contrary, it was absolutely necessary for the preservation of the German Army to have recourse to the sharpest measures against these francs-tireurs. Individuals who fought against the German troops had therefore to be cut down; prisoners could not be treated as prisoners of war, according to the laws of war, but as murderers. All the same, the forms of judicial procedure were complied with, in so far as they were compatible with the necessities of war; the prisoners were, when the circumstances permitted, only shot after a hearing in accordance with the regulations, or after sentence by a military court (Apps. 19, 20, 37, 40, 41, 43, 44, 48). Old men, women, and children were spared to the widest extent, even when gravely suspected (Apps. 49; C5, 6, 25, 26, 28, 31, 35, 41, 47, 79); and indeed the German soldiers, although their patience was put to an extremely hard test, looked after such people, whenever possible, sometimes in the most self-sacrificing manner, taking the helpless under their protection when in danger, sharing their bread with them, bringing the sick and weak to places where they could be cared for (Apps. C45, 47, 51-53, 55, 58, 80-86). That the Belgian Government are largely to blame for the illegal attitude of their population towards the German Army is indisputable. For apart from the fact that a Government has, under all circumstances, to bear the responsibility for actions of this kind, which are the expression of the popular will, the serious accusation must be made against them that they did not put an end to this guerilla war, although they could have done so (Apps. 33, 51-53; D42, 43, 48). It would certainly have been easy for them to give the necessary instructions to their officials, such as the Burgomasters, members of the Garde Civique, and the soldiers, in order to check the passionate excitement of the people, which had been artificially aroused. Therefore the full responsibility for the terrible blood-guiltiness which rests upon Belgium must be attached to the Belgian Government.