Читать книгу German Atrocities: An Official Investigation - J. H. Morgan - Страница 18

It is extraordinary also that although this murderous and carefully planned attack began at 7.30 “I had just finished my soup,” says Major von Manteuffel, who sat down to dinner at 7.30—(Appendix D 3), or at 8 p.m. (D 6), yet at 9 p.m., says Corporal Hohne, who entered the town with his regiment at that hour (D 36), “the conduct of the civilians was quiet and not unfriendly,” and his regiment was allowed to march right into the town—“up till then nothing noteworthy had occurred.” A N.C.O. of the same battalion says that “between 9 and 10 p.m.” the Belgians were standing about the streets; all was “quiet,” and they were “not unfriendly” (D 36). Another witness heard nothing till “9 or 9.30” (D 25). Another says (D 45) the signal was given at “9 o’clock.” To the same effect another soldier (D 18). What is even more remarkable is the statement of Major von Klewitz that at 4 a.m. the next morning, after the Landsturm had cleared the houses, the infatuated inhabitants opened fire on an Army Corps which appears to have arrived in the interval and was then “moving out to battle” (D 2); and the presence of a whole brigade of Landwehr (D 1) does not seem to have exercised any restraining influence on these insane civilians. Like flies to wanton boys was a whole Army Corps to the burgesses of Louvain, who killed it for their sport. The German authorities contend that, with intermittent executions, they tolerated this kind of thing for two whole days. They appear, however, to have borne a charmed life—the chief casualties among them were horses. Battalion Surgeon Georg Berghausen, in particular, who records as a remarkable fact that he once paid a hotelkeeper (“to please him and his employees”) for meals he had ordered, was “repeatedly shot at” the whole length of a street but never so much as hit. He thinks this was due to its being so dark, though whenever the witnesses are concerned to testify that the firing was undoubtedly by civilians, or by soldiers disguised as such, they can see “quite plainly.”