The German Army in Belgium, the White Book of May 1915Germany. Auswärtiges Amt
History
The German Army in Belgium, the White Book of May 1915
Germany. Auswärtiges Amt
World War, 1914-1918 -- Atrocities; World War, 1914-1918 -- Belgium
During the street-fighting in Charleroi, in the course of the fight
we passed the main street and reached a side-street leading from the
main street. When I had come to the street corner and fired down the
side-street, I saw some 50 to 60 paces in front of me a German dragoon
lying in the street. Three civilians were near him, one of whom was
bending over the soldier, who was still kicking with his legs. I fired
among them and hit the last of the three civilians; the others ran
away. On coming nearer I saw that the civilian I had shot had a long
bloodstained knife in his hand. The right eye of the German dragoon had
been cut out, and the left one as well, though this was still hanging
from the side of his head. From the nature of the wounds there could be
no doubt that the eyes had been cut out, not in the fighting, but by
sheer malice. A great deal of smoke came from the body of the dragoon.
He had no doubt been soaked in inflammable liquid and set alight.
Later on I saw other bodies burning, though there was no sort of fire
in the vicinity; these also must have been set alight.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: ALWIN CHATON.
The witness was thereupon sworn.
Signed: BEHME. Signed: DE BOER.
App. 64.
MILITARY COURT EXAMINATION of Acting-Sergeant-Major Weinreich,
Infantry Regiment No. 20.
Court of the 6th Infantry Division.
Present:
Deputy-President of the Court, SCHMETZER.
Secretary, HÄNSE.
URSEL, _November 10th, 1914_.
There appears as witness Acting-Sergeant-Major Weinreich, Machine-gun
Company, Infantry Regiment No. 20, who, after the importance of the
oath had been pointed out to him, made the following statement:
As to Person: My name is Adolf Weinreich. I am 32 years of age;
Protestant.
As to Case: One day in the middle of August this year, I proceeded with
the Company Transport, behind the company, which was taking part in
the fight. At the entrance of Neer-Linter I saw a German hussar lying
in the house covered with a sack. I dismounted from my horse, lifted
the sack, and noticed that the hussar was dead. His face was covered
all over with blood, the eye cavities were bored out, the eyeballs
themselves had been completely cut away and had disappeared. The coat
was torn open, the breast exposed, and showed marks of some twenty
stabs. I covered the corpse again with the sack.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: ADOLF WEINREICH.
The witness was hereupon sworn.
Signed: SCHMETZER. Signed: HÄNSE.
App. 65.
Herzogliches Amtsgericht.
Present:
Oberamtsrichter Dr. SCHILLING, Judge.
HORNIG, Secretary.
BLANKENBURG (HARTZ), _November 14th, 1914_.
There appeared as witness Fusilier Paul Rohr, 8th Company, Fusilier
Regiment No. 36, at present in the Reserve Hospital at this place; he
was examined as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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