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
The commander of the 23rd Infantry Division accordingly arranged that a
mixed force under Colonel Meister (Grenadier Regiment No. 101, Hussar
Regiment No. 20, 1st Section, Field Artillery Regiment No. 12) should
first be put across. The (Guards) Grenadier Regiment No. 100 was to
follow next, while the remainder of the Army Corps was directed to the
bridge of the 32nd Infantry Division at Leffe.
According to an Army Order sent at 7.15 p.m. to the east of Dinant, the
pursuit was to be taken up with the available troops on the western
bank of Meuse; XII. Army Corps; direction, Philippeville.
For correct transcript.
Signed: VON LOEBEN, Captain on the General Staff.
C. App. 2.
EXTRACT from the Report of Rifle (Fusilier) Regiment No. 108 on the
fighting in Dinant during the night of the 21st-22nd August 1914.
When the rear of the 2nd Battalion had reached the first houses in
Dinant, a signal shot suddenly rang out. The next moment there was a
rattle of musketry on all sides. There was firing from all the houses;
from all the slopes, which are honeycombed by cellars and vaults, there
came flashes. All the houses were firmly barricaded. An attempt was
made to penetrate into the houses. If rifle-butts and hatchets were
not adequate, there were pioneers at hand to throw in hand-grenades.
Machine-guns had been fixed up in a corner house.
C. App. 3.
EXTRACT from the Report of the 1st Field Company of Pioneer Battalion
No. 12 on the reconnaissance in force of August 21st, 1914, carried
out with the 2nd Battalion, Rifle (Fusilier) Regiment No. 108.
As soon as the first houses in Dinant were reached, the street-lighting
was destroyed; the columns marched closely along by the two rows of
houses and arrived as far as the first cross-street. Here the head of
the infantry column suddenly received from the corner house on the
right a very violent fire, which was immediately returned. Instantly
there was firing from all the houses. A violent street-fight then
ensued. The pioneers forced the fastened doors open with hatchets and
axes, threw hand-grenades into the lower rooms, and set others on fire
with the torches which had been in the meantime ignited.
Lieutenant Brink turned into the first side-street on the left. This,
however, had been obstructed by trip-wires; from the houses came
firing, and stones were thrown.
All at once the company was fired at from the rear, and was obliged to
return to the corner of the street. Non-commissioned Officer Grosse,
who had been struck by several stones and lay unconscious by the
trip-wires, was also brought back.
The 1st Company had fifteen slightly wounded and one severely wounded.
C. App. 4.
DRESDEN, _November 6th, 1914_.
Chief Military Court, Dresden.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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