Signed: Zielsche, Lieutenant.
App. 6.
Military Court Examination of Non-commissioned Officer of Reserve Rasch (Reserve Regiment No. 74).
Hanover, November 20th, 1914.
Present:
President of the Court, Lindenberg.
Secretary, Lühe.
There appeared as witness Dentist Rasch, Non-commissioned Officer of Reserve, now in Reserve battalion, Infantry Regiment No. 74, who stated:
As to Person: My name is Gustav. I am 29 years old; Lutheran.
As to Case: When the mobile Infantry Regiment No. 74 was marching on Liège in August 1914, I received the order to remain behind with a detachment of the 9th Company for the protection of the baggage collected in the market-place at Poulseur. There were also available a few infantry soldiers and hussars as escort. Amongst the officers personally known to me was an Artillery Lieutenant of Reserve, Hildebrandt, who came from Hanover. When the regiment itself had already advanced from Poulseur in the direction of Liège, and night had fallen, the baggage and the escort beside it in the market-place were suddenly fired upon from all the surrounding houses. This hostile firing had clearly been planned and concerted beforehand, for immediately before the fire began the lights in the surrounding houses were simultaneously extinguished, and at the same moment came firing from all sides. We did not know what was happening to us. Moreover, we were not only fired at from the houses, but assailed with cartridges of dynamite or some similar explosive, which possibly were derived from one of the mines in the neighbourhood of Poulseur.
The firing continued, with certain intervals, the whole night through. We on our side of course opened fire and tried as far as possible to find shelter behind the baggage waggons. Nevertheless we had dead and wounded; among these was a Lieutenant of Reserve of a hussar regiment, whom we placed in an inn belonging to a German. I myself took part with my men in storming a number of houses. During this process persons who actually opposed us in the houses with weapons in their hands were shot down. Where we found arms and munitions in the houses, we brought the occupants into the market-place. I can affirm with absolute certainty that all those who resisted us or were brought to the market-place wore no uniforms; on the contrary, they were, without exception, civilians. Next morning when we had proceeded with the baggage to the outskirts of the town there arose from the town an extremely violent series of crackling sounds which served to indicate the existence of thousands of cartridges. Some of the men said that the countless cartridges which had been found in the Burgomaster's house were exploding.
Further, when the baggage of Regiment No. 74 withdrew on the following day through Poulseur from the direction of Liège, we were again fired upon.