Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 258, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 October 1914 — Page 2

Revelations of the Kaiser’s Personal Spy

By Dr, Armgaard Karl Graves

Who, for a Number of Year* Prior to Hi* Arrest and Betrayal in England in 1912, was Emperor William’* Most Trusted Personal Spy.

German War Machine the Most Elaborate Ever Devised by Man. (This article on the German war machine was written by Dr. Graves several weeks before Germany’s declaration of war upop Russia precipitated the European war. In reading the article it would be well to keep this fact in mind.) The numerical strength, disposition and efficiency of the German army are more or less well known. The brain and all-prevailing power controlling a fighting force of 4,500,000 men is, however, not known. Here for the first time is published an account of the inside workings of the German war machine so far as it is possible for any one man to give them. Through my intimate connections .with the German and other secret service systems, through ponetant contact with prominent army and navy officers, I have enjoyed special facilities, of which I have availed myself to the full to gain the inside knowledge which I here commit to paper. The Fighting Force.

The most elaborate system ever devised by the ingenuity of man, used not only for war and destruction, but as an intelligence clearing house for the whole of the empire, is the German war machine. Conceived by General Stein in the days of the Napoleonic wars, added to and elaborated by successive administrations, solely under the control of the ruling house, its efficiency and perfect and smooth working are due to the total absence of political machinations or preferences. . * Brains, ability and thorough scientific knowledge are the only passports for entrance in. the Grosser General Stab, the general staff of the German empire. You will find blooded young officers and gray-haired generals past active efficiency, experts ranking from an ordinary mechanic to the highest engineering expert, all working harmoniously together with one end in view, the acme of efficiency. Controlled and directed by the war lord in person through the chief des Grossep General Stabs —at present General Field Marshal von Heeringen—this immense machine, the pulsing brain of a fighting force of 4,500,000 men, is composed of from 180 to 200 officials. At the peace of Tilsit, after the crushing defeat of the Prussian armies at Prussian Eylau and Friedland, Bonaparte had Prussia and the whole of central Europe at his mercy. Contrary to the advice of his generals, especially the snccinct advice of his often unheeded mentor, Talleyrand, completely to disintegrate Prussia, Napoleon, through his fondness for pretty women, let himself be tricked by Louise of Prussia. The interesting historical etory of this incident may be apropos here, showing how the world’s history can be changed by a kiss. At the peace conference in Tilsit Napoleon, on the verge of disintegrating Prussia, met the beautiful Queen Louise of Prussia. Through her pleadings and the imprint of a kies on her classic arm, Bonaparte granted Prussia the right to maintain a standing* army of 12,000 men. That in itself did not mean much, hut it gave able and shrewd Prussian patriots the opportunity to circumvent and hoodwink Bonaparte’s policy.! Beginnings of German Army.

Prussia has always been fortunate in producing able men at the most needed moment. A man arose with a gift for military organization. He had every province, district, town and village in Prussia carefully scheduled and the able-bodied men thereof put on record. He selected the permitted Prussia under the Napoleonic decree and drilled them. No aponer were these men drilled than they were dismissed and another 12,000 called in. From this point dates modern conscription—the father of which was General Stein—eind this also inaugurated the birth of the war 180,000 well-drilled men and 120,000 reserves, quite a different proposition from the 12,000 men Napoleon thought he had to face on his retreat from Moscow, and. which played a decisive factor in the overthrow of the dictator of Europe. Through the wars of 1864 and 1866 to 1870, the Franco-Prussian wjar, the war machine of Prussia was merged into that of the German empire and is a record of increasing efforts, entailing unbelievable hard work and a compilation of the minutest details. The modern system of organization—especially the mobilization schedules —is the work of Helmut von Moltke, the “Grosse Schweiger,*' the Great Silent One, the strategist of the campaign of 1871. Ito Present Head. It Is curious that -there is a great similarity between the late Moltke and Heeringen. They have the same aquiline features, tall, thin, dried-up body, the Mae taciturn disposition, even

(Copyrifht. 1914, by the Wheeler Syndicate, Inc.)

the same hobbies —Moltke being an incessant chess player, Heerlngen using every one of his spare moments to play with lead soldiers. He le reputed to have an army of 30,000 lead soldiers with which he plays the moment he opens his eyes—much in the same manner as Moltke, who used to request bis chessboard the first thing in the morning. In military circles Heerlngen is looked upon with the same respect and accredited with quite as much strategical knowledge as Moltke was. It is a significant fact that, whenever there has been any tension in Europe, especially between Germany and France, General von Heerlngen or his comrade in arms, General von Hul-sen-Haeseler —also a great strategist and an iron disciplinarian—immediately has taken command of Metz, the most important base and military post in the emperor’s domain. There is no man alive, who knows one-half as much about the strategical position of Metz and the surrounding country as General von Heeringen. Often on stormy, bitter cold winter nights, sentries on outposts stationed at and guarding the approaches of Metz have been startled to find a gaunt, limping figure, covered by a gray army greatcoat with no distinguishing marks, stalking along. • Accompanied by orderlies carrying camp stools and table, night glasses and electric torches, halting repeatedly, his men taking down in writing the short, croaking sentences escaping between the thin, compressed lips, the “Geist of Metz” has prowled round, measuring every foot of ground fifty miles east, west, north and south of his beloved Metz.

The visible head of this vast organization is called Der Grosse General Stab, with headquarters in Berlin. Each army corps has a “Kleine General Stab,” which sends its most able officers to Berlin. These officers, in conjunction with the most able scientists, engineers and architects the empire can produce, compose the great general staff. The virtual head is the German emperor. The actual executive is called “Chef des Grossen General Stabs."

The Maker of War. There is a small, dingy, unpretentious room in the General Stabs Gebaude where, at moments of stress and tension or international complications, assemble five men—his majesty, at the head of the table; to the right the chef des Grossen General Stabs; to the left his minister of war; then the minister of railways and the chief of the naval staff. You will notice the total absence of the ministers of finance and diplomacy. When these five men meet the influence of diplomatic and financial affairs has ceased. They are there to act. The scratching of the ejnperor’s pen in that room means war, the setting in motion of a fighting force of 4,500,000 men. In order to give the reader a fairly correct view of this mighty organization I have to explain each group separately. The whole system rests on the question of .mobilization, meaning the ability to arm, transport, clothe and feed a fighting force of 4,500,000 men in the shortest possible time at any given point in either eastern or western Europe. For let it be clearly understood that the main point of the training of the German armies ie the readiness to launch the entire fighting force like a thunderbolt to any given point of the compass. Germany knows through past experience the advisability and necessity of conducting war in an enemy’s country. The German army is built for aggression. There are four main groups: 1. Organization. 2. Transportation. 3. Victualization. 4. Intelligence. Each of these groups is, of course,, subdivided into numerous branches, which we shall go into under each individual head. First comes organization. The German army is composed Of three distinct parts—the standing army, the reserves and Landwehr, or militia. The standing army comprises 790,000 officers and men. This body of men is ready at an tjistant. It is the reserves who need an elaborate system of mobilization. The reserves are divided into two classes, first and second reserves. So is the Landwehr, having two levies —the first and secon Aufgebot. Every able-bodied man on reaching the age of twenty-one may be called upon to serve the colors. One in five only is taken, as there is more material than the country needs—the fifth being selected for one of five branches —infantry, cavalry, artillery, Genie corps or the navy. The time of service in the Infantry is two years; in the cavalry three, in the artillery three, in the Genie corps two, and in the navy three. The real backbone and stiffening of the German army and navy are the noncommissioned officers recruited from the rank and file. In fact, this body of .men is the mainstay of the thrones in the German espe-

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

dally of Prussia. These men, after about twelve years M service in an army where discipline. Obedience and efficiency are the .first and last word, are then drafted into all the minor administrative offices of the state, such as minor railway, post, excise, municipal and police. The reader will see the significance of this when it is pointed out that not only the empire but the war machine has these welltrained men at its beck and call. The same thing applies to the drafting of officers to most of the higher and highest administrative positions in the state. There are twenty-five army corps, all placed in strategical positions. The Control of the -army in peace or in war lies with the emperor. He is the sole arbiter and head. No political or social body of men has any control in army matters. The War Chest. Last but not least under the heading of organization comes the financial aspect. Out of tire five milliards of francs, the war indemnity paid by France to Germany in 1871, 200,000,000 marks in gold coins, mostly French, were put away as the nucleus of a ready war chest In a little medievallooking watch tower, the Julius Thurm near Spandau, lies this ever-increasing driving force of the mightiest war engine the world has ever seen. It is ever increasing, for quietly and unobtrusively 6,000,000 marks in newly minted gold coins are taken year by year and added to the store. . This money is under the sole control of the military authorities. It has often been declared a myth. I ‘know it to be a fact. Notwithstanding the financial straits Germany has gone through at times, or may go through, this money will never be touched. It is there for one purpose only and that purpose is war. Almost Perfect Transportation Facilities. One of the most important parts of the organization is the question of transportation. Napoleon’s central European wars owed their success irf a

A Gaunt, Limping Figure, Covered by a Gray Army Greatcoat, With No Distinguishing Marks, Stalking Along.

great measure, if not wholly, to his quickness of motion. This applies about tenfold in modem warfare. In actual armament the leading powers of Europe are practically on a par. The personnel, as regards personal courage, stamina, or whatever you wish to call it, is fairly equal also. There is little difference in the individual prowess of French, Russian, English and German soldiers. This is well known to military experts. The difference is mainly a question of discipline, technique and preparedness. Only in a country where all railroads, highways and waterways, and where post and telegraph are owned and controlled by the state is it possible to evolve and perfect a system of transportation such as Is at the disposal of the German general staff. Every mile of German railroads, especially the ones built within the last twenty years, has been constructed mainly for strategical reasons. Ninety per cent of all the railway officials are ex-soldiers. Five minutes after the signing of the mobilization orders by the emperor the whole of the railway system is under direct military control. Specially trained transportation and railway experts on the general staff take over the direction of affairs. Operate Railways From One Room. The same applies to the waterways and highroads of the empire. A keen observer will often wonder at the broadness, solidness and excellent state of repair of the chaussees and country roads, out of all proportion to the little traffic passing along. They are simply strategical arteries kept up by the state for military purposes. The heads of the transportation and railway corps In Berlin sit before huge glass-covered tables where the whole of the German railway system to its minutest detail is' shown in relief, and by pressing various single buttons can conduct an endless chain of trains to any given point of thesm-

A* every class Al vessel in the merchant marine of Germany, especially the passenger boats of the big steamship lines, can be pressed into government service, so can all motor vehicles, taxis and trucks owned either privately or by corporations be called upon if considered necessary. Through this vast and faY-reachlng system of transportation Germany is enabled to throw a million fully equipped men on to either of her frontiers within 48 hours. She can double this host in 60 hours more. Vlctualization. Napoleon’s dictum that an army marches on its stomach is as true today as it was then, adequate provisions for man and beast being the most Important factor in military science. The economic feeding of threequarters of a million men in peace time is work enough. It becomes a serious problem in the event of war, especially in a country like Germany, which is somewhat dependent on outside sources for the feeding of her millions. The authorities, quite aware of a possible blocking and consequent stoppage of imports, have made preparations with their usual thorough German completeness. At any given time there is sufficient foodstuff for man and beast stored in state storehouses and the large private concerns to feed the entire German army for twelve months. This ipight seem inadequate, but it is not, the authorities being well aware that war in Europe at the present time could not and would not last longer than such a period. Once a year these storehouses are overhauled and perishable or deteriorating provisions replaced.-" Tens of thousands of tons of foodstuffs, especially fodder, are sold far below their usual market value tb the poorer classes, notably farmers. Likewise the material used by the army is as far as possible supplied by the farmer direct Intelligence. Without doubt the most important division of the general staff and upon whose information and efforts

tlje whole machine hinges, is the intelligence department, really covering many different fields —for instance, general science, especially strategy, topography, ballistics, but mainly the procuring of information, data, plans, maps, etc., kept more or less secret by other powers. In this division the brightest young officers and general officials are found. The training and knowledge required of the men in this service are exacting to a degree. It requires in most cases the undivided attention—often a life study—to a sin» gle subject. , It has been the unswerving policy of the Prussian military authorities to know as much of the rest of the European countries as they know of their own. In the war of 1870-71, German commanders down to the lieutenant leading a small detachment had accurate information, charts and data of every province in France, giving them more accurate knowledge of a foreign country than that country had of itself. Exhaustive Knowledge of Enemies. While undergoing instructions in the admiral stab in the' Koniggratzer Strasse 70 previous to my being sent on an English mission, a controversy arose between instructor and myself as to the distance between two towns on the Lincolnshire coast. He pushed a button and requested the answering orderly to bring map 64 and the officer in charge. With the usual promptness both map and officer appeared. The officer, who could not have been more than twentyfive years of age, discussed with me in fluent colloquial English the whole of this section of Lincolnshire. Not a hummock, road, roadhouse, even to farmers', residences and blacksmith shop, of which he did not have exact knowledge. Subsequently, through careful inquiries and research—my work bringing me into constant contact with the various divisions—l found that the whole of England, Franco end Russia

was carefully cut Into sections, each of those sections being in charge of two officers and a secretary whose sole duty it was to acquaint and make themselves perfectly familiar with everything in that particular locality. Through the far-reaching system of espionage, the latest and most up-to-date information is -always forthcoming, and time and again I myself, often returning from a mission like cne of those to the naval base in Scotland, have sat by the hour verbally amplifying my previous reports. A part of the intelligence system is the personality squad, whose duty it is to acquaint themselves with the personality of every army and navy officer of the leading powers. Aerial Weapons. Within the last few years an entirely new, and, according to German ideas, most important factor has entered and seriously disturbed the relative military power of European nations. This is the aerial weapon. Since the days of Otto Lilienthal and his glider, it has been the policy of Germany to keep track of all inventions likely to be embodied and made use of in the war machine. It is a far cry from Lilenthal’s glider to the last word in aerial construction such as the mysterious Zeppelin-Parseval sky monster that, carrying a complement of twenty-five men and twelve tons of explosives, sailed across the North sea, circled over London, and returned to Germany. It is my purpose here to tell you how far Germany has advanced and progressed in this struggle for mastery of the sky. I shall disclose facts about her system that have never appeared in print—that have never been heard in conversation. They are known only to the general staff at Berlin, not even in the cabinets of Europe. Secret Aerial Strength. Germany without doubt has the most up-to-date aerial fleet in the world. The budget of the reichstag of 19081909 allowed and provided for the building and maintenance of twelve dirigibles of the Zeppelin type. So far as the knowledge of the rest of the world is concerned this is all the sky navy that Germany possesses. It is a fact, though, that she has three times the number that she officially acknowledges. The diribigle-balloon centers in Germany are five, and they are situated at vitally strategic points. There are two on the French border, one on the Russian border, one on the Atlantic coast, and a central station near Berlin. The exact places are Strassburg, Frankfort on the Main, Posen, Wilhelmshafen and Berlin. This does not include the marvelous station at Helgoland in the North sea, this being a strategic point in relation to Great Britain. Nothing is known about this Helgoland station. None but those on official business are permitted within a thousand yards of it. I shall tell things concerning it.

Besides these purely military posts there are a number of commercial stations necessary as depots of the regular transportation aerial lines that operate for the convenience of the public. Like Germany’s commercial steamers, however, they are controlled and subsidzed by the government. At a few hours’ notice they can be converted and made use of for government purposes. Taking these transportation lines into consideration, it is safe so state that by now Germany could send fifty huge airships to war. Revolutionizing Discoveries. It may be a puzzle to Americans why, in the face of disasters and accidents to these Zeppelins, Germany is spending about $4,000,000 on her aerial fleet. Now we come to a very, significant pqfht. I know, and certain memberWof the German general staff know as well as trusted men in the aerial corps, that there are two conditions under which airships are operated in Germany. One is the ordinary more or less well-known system which characterizes the operation of all the passenger lines now in service in the empire. It is the system under which all the disasters that appear in the newspapers occur. Airships that are used in the general army flights and maneuvers are also run under the same system as the passenger dirigibles —for a reason. The other system ie an absolute secret of the German general staff. It is not used in the general maneuvers, only in specific cases, qnd these always secretly. It has been proved to be effective in eliminating 75 per cent of the accidents which have characterized all of Germany’s adventures in dirigibles and heavier-than-alr machines. These statistics are known only among the German general staff officers. z Critics of the German dirigible who rate the French aeroplane superior point out that' the Zeppelins have three serious defects —bulk and heaviness of structure, inflammability of the lifting power—the gas that floats them —and insufficiency of fuel carriage. In other words, they cannot ship enough gas to stay in air a desirable length-of time without coming down. The secret devices of the German war office have eliminated all these objectionable features. They have overcome the condition of bulk and heaviness of structure by their government chemists devising the formula of a material that is lighter than Aluminum, yet which possesses all of that metal’s density and which has also the flexibility of steel. Airships not among the twelve that Germany officially admits are made of this material. Its formula is a government secret and England or France would give thousands of dollars to possess it Ths objection of inflammability of

the lifting power ha* also been overcome. The power of the ordinary hydrogen gas in all its various forms has been multiplied threefold by a new gas discovered at the Spandau government chemical laboratory. This gas has also the enormous advantage of being absolutely uninflammable. The wonderful system of the German war machine has been installed with rare detail in the aerial corps. The equipment of the different stations is really marvelous, for everything human Ingenuity has been able to devise concerning the dirigible you will find in application. Each station is fully equipped and is an absolutely independent center in itself. Take the base at Helgoland. It is the newest and the one that is always cloaked with secrecy. Guarding the Dirigibles. At the extreme eastern corner of the island of Helgoland one sees, amid the eandy dunes, three vast oblong iron-gray structures. At a distance they are not unlike overgrown gasometers. I eay at a distance, for it is impossible for any visitor to get within a thousand yards of the station. The solitary approach is guarded by a triple post of the marine guard. ‘lf you walk toward the station, before you come a hundred yards of the guard, you will find large signs setting forth in unmistakable and terse language that dire and swift penalties follow any further exploration in that direction. Not only English but German visitors to Helgoland have found out that even the slightest infringement of the rules of these signs is dangerous. I shall, however, take you a little closer. Walking on until you are within fifty yards of the&great balloon sheds, you pause before a tall fence of barbed wire, this connected with an elaborate alarm bell system that sounds in the two guard houses. For instance, if an enterprising secret agent of France were to try and steal up on the station, if he came by night and cut through the barbed wire, a series of bells wouldF immedately sound the general alarm. Having passed through the six strands of barbed wire a tall octagonal tower meets the eye. In this tower are installed two powerful, searchlights as well 'as a complete wireless outfit. All the Zeppelins carry wireless. By means of elaborate reflectors it is possible with the searchlights to flood the whole place with daylight in the middle of night. Thus ascensions can be made safely at any hour of the twenty-four. . The three oblong sheds stand in a row, the middle being the largest, having spaces for two complete dirigibles, while the other sheds house but one each. They are about 809 feet long, 200 feet broad and 120 feet high. The whole structure itself can be shifted to about an angle of forty degrees, this being worked on a plan similar to the railroad engine turntable. The reason for it is that with the veering of therwind the sheds are’turned so that the doors will be placed advantageously for the removal of the airship. The whole layout and the vast area of space show that it is the government’s intention still further to increase the plant

Let us consider one of these new war monsters, i„the latest and most powerful, the X-15. The latest Zeppelins, charged with the newly discovered dioxygenous gas, giving these sky battleehips triple lifting capacity; the perfecting of the Difsel motor, giving enormous horsepower percentage with light fdel consumption (fifty of these Dickel engines, their workings secret to the German government, are stored under guard at the big navy yards at Wilhelmshafeu and Kiel, ready to be installed at the break of war in submarines and dirigibles), have given the German type of aircraft an importance updreamed of and unsuspected by the test of the world.

Guns on the Zeppelin*. The operating sphere of the new balloons has extended from 100 to 1,400 kilometers. Secret trial trips of a fully equipped Zeppelin like X 15. carrying a crew of 24 men, six quickfiring guns, seven tons\<if explosives, have extended from Stettin, over the Baltic, over the Swedish coast, recrossing the Baltic and landing at Swinemunde, with enough gae, fuel and provisions left to keep aloft another 36 hours. The distance all told covered on one of these trips was 1,180 kilometers. This fact speaks for itself. The return distance from Helgoland to London, or any midland towns in England, corresponds to the mileage covered on recent trips. Picture the havoc a dozen such vultures could create attacking a city like London or Paris. • In attacking large places the Zeppelins would rise to a height of from 6,0.00 to 8,000 feet, at which distance these huge cigarshaped engines of death, 700 feet long, would appear the size of a football, and no bigger. I know that Zeppelins have successfully sailed aloft at an altitude of 10,000 feet Picture them at that elevation, everybody aboard in warm, comfortable quarters, ready to drop explosives to the ground. The X .15, sailing over London or Paris, could drop explosives down and create terrible havoc. They don't have to alm. They simply dump overboard) some of the new explosive of the German government, this new* chemical having the property of setting on fire anything that it hits, and they san on. Aeroplanes, biplanes, monoplanes and the other innumerable host of small craft so often quoted as a possible counter-defense against the Zeppelin are overrated, according to the German military authorities. And they base this belief on vast and exhaustive trials in these matters.