Saturday, March 22, 2008
RANDOM WW1 POST
been reading Gibbon's rousing gung ho john waynesque treatment of the marne. many germans dead. many marines. many town in france displaced, but they captured many germans and recovered letters and messages. one letter was found on dead german-
he wrote- i hope that i will be lucky enough to escape from this horrible mess, for up to now i have been lucky. -talks about his commades buried and the horrid food they are getting on the front.
then a military message on the american fighters. one of ours they captured told them-'we kill or get killed.'
"morale-the prisoners in general make an alert and pleasing impression. regarding military matters, however, they do not show the slightest interest. their superiors keep them purposely w/out knowledge of the military subjects. for example, most of them have never seen a map. they are no longer able to describe the villages and roads through which they marched. their idea of the organization of their unit is entirely confused. for example, one of them told us that his brigade has 6 regiments and his division 24. they still regard the war from the point of view of the 'big brother' who comes to help his hard pressed brethren and is therefore welcomed everywhere. a certain moral background is not lacking. the majority of the prisoners simply took to a matter of course that they have come to europe to defend their country.
only a few troops are of pure american origin: the majority is of german. dutch, and italian parentage, but these semi americans, almost all of whom were born in america and never have been in europe before, fully feel themselves to be true born sons of their country.
and now we try to stop immigration. it seems so civilized. i doubt the used torture.
also the germans seem far more militarized, yet our more amateur troops kicked their asses. as are the iraqqis kicking our ass.
been reading Gibbon's rousing gung ho john waynesque treatment of the marne. many germans dead. many marines. many town in france displaced, but they captured many germans and recovered letters and messages. one letter was found on dead german-
he wrote- i hope that i will be lucky enough to escape from this horrible mess, for up to now i have been lucky. -talks about his commades buried and the horrid food they are getting on the front.
then a military message on the american fighters. one of ours they captured told them-'we kill or get killed.'
"morale-the prisoners in general make an alert and pleasing impression. regarding military matters, however, they do not show the slightest interest. their superiors keep them purposely w/out knowledge of the military subjects. for example, most of them have never seen a map. they are no longer able to describe the villages and roads through which they marched. their idea of the organization of their unit is entirely confused. for example, one of them told us that his brigade has 6 regiments and his division 24. they still regard the war from the point of view of the 'big brother' who comes to help his hard pressed brethren and is therefore welcomed everywhere. a certain moral background is not lacking. the majority of the prisoners simply took to a matter of course that they have come to europe to defend their country.
only a few troops are of pure american origin: the majority is of german. dutch, and italian parentage, but these semi americans, almost all of whom were born in america and never have been in europe before, fully feel themselves to be true born sons of their country.
and now we try to stop immigration. it seems so civilized. i doubt the used torture.
also the germans seem far more militarized, yet our more amateur troops kicked their asses. as are the iraqqis kicking our ass.
