German Report On Our Men, Daily Racing Form, 1918-07-17

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GERMAN REPORT ON OUR MEN Two tilings are conspicuous in the official report made by Lieutenant von Berg German intelligence officer who examined American prisoners of war and whose conclusions have fallen into the hands of our army They are the admirable conduct of our men undergoing questioning and the respect which their interrogator shows for them as indivi ¬ duals and as soldiers soldiersThe The document reveals in what it contains as well as in what is not in it the discretion of American officers and men whoso responses to inquiries in turn reflect the highest credit on the policies of their general officers It is plain that none of tiie prisoners knew more than it was necessary for him to know of the dfeimsnl of our troops their strength the positions they hold and the plans of their superiors This ignorance protected their com ¬ rades Wiiat the prisoners knew they obviously con ¬ cealed effectively Their answers caused the ex ¬ aminer to record their lack of knowledge and lack of knowledge is a highly desirable attribute to a military prisoner prisonerOf Of the men as individuals Von Berg says the prisoners in general make an alert and pleasing appearance and of them as soldiers he writes the second American division may Iw classified as a good division perhaps cvon as assault troops and they at present lack only necessary training to make them redoubtable opponents A British or a French officer could scarcely have said more moreThe The gonpsis of this document its confidential nature and the necessity its author was under of Itaming and reporting only the truth give it a pQCiiliar authority It is unfortunate that any of our men were captured but as this had to lx It is gratifying to know that their demeanor in mis ¬ fortune was all that the most patriotic American iu khaki or out of it could hope New York Sun


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1918071701/drf1918071701_5_6
Local Identifier: drf1918071701_5_6
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800