The Memoirs of Prince Max of Baden Vol. II by Prince Max of Baden Baden W. M. Calder

Author:Prince Max of Baden Baden, W. M. Calder [Prince Max of Baden Baden, W. M. Calder]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781789120431
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Arcole Publishing
Published: 2018-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER VI—POLITICAL EFFORTS DURING THE VICTORIOUS OFFENSIVE (MARCH TO JULY 1918)

THE feeling of irresistibility which accompanied our troops at the beginning of the battle cannot be described. The front frozen for years was thawing. Confidence in leadership and victory had never been greater, not even in August 1914.

In the military section of the Foreign Office there worked a young officer, a well-known writer, with a talent for description, who was always sent to the ‘big shows’ to write an account of them. Before the offensive he had been an enthusiastic supporter of the peace of understanding. He now came back from the battle in the west and rushed into Haeften’s office with the words: ‘Never worry! What an experience!...World dominion!’

The exultation leaped over to the population at home. An associate wrote: ‘It would seem that we needn’t say “No” to Briey and Longwy.’ The peace resolution could not be referred to in the presence of the Reichstag Majority—they took it ill. In the Inter-Party Committee Fischbeck shouted triumphantly to Haussmann: ‘The gas shells are doing it, aren’t they?’ At the Press conference an editor asked Lieutenant-Colonel von Haeften whether wireless stations had been provided for the various stages of the German advance to enable the correspondents to send out news of the victories. The public announcements of these days cannot be read without fear of the envy of the gods. But at the time they reflected the temper of the army and of the people at home.

On 25th March, 1918, General Field-Marshal von Hindenburg was awarded the Iron Cross with Golden Rays, a distinction which had only been given once before—to Blücher for his victory at Waterloo. The battle itself received the name of the ‘Kaiser battle’—against the wish of the Kaiser.

On 1st April the Reichstag was given a mild rebuff by the General Field-Marshal, an experience which it did not seem to mind:

‘The Briton and the Frenchman must not think that the new blood offerings which they have forced us to make, can be made for nothing. I share the army’s confidence that the Reichstag appreciates this desire of the brave men at the front, the best sons of the people, and will also, for its part, stand up for the strong German peace which alone can spare us war in the future.’

At the end of March I received the following report on the situation:

‘Lieutenant-Colonel von Haeften left on Sunday evening, as the result of an unexpected summons, to see General Ludendorff, who is conducting the operations in a quiet place close to the front....

I should like in conclusion to refer once more to the necessity for intervention. At present a wave of jingoism is going through the country. Close friends of mine are being swept away by it. This is of course partly the just pride of a people standing once more on its feet, a people which felt as humiliated by the insolence of the enemy as it did by the cries of distress which Erzberger sent to the enemy countries.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.