Present:
Officer of the Court, Ahrens.
Secretary, Heinhorst.
At the investigation regarding the events at Louvain the following witnesses appeared, and, after the importance of the oath had been pointed out to them, made the following statement:
1. Officer's Deputy Walter Kruse, 3rd Company, Reserve Battalion, Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 75.
On the evening of August 25th, 1914, at about 9 o'clock, the 3rd Battalion, Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 75, entered by train the station at Louvain. At a distance of about 300 metres from the station building our train was suddenly fired at from both sides of the railway embankment. I heard the shots rattling against the carriages. The train stopped, and an order was given to leave the train. I made my men at once deploy along the track and reply to the firing. We were about three to four minutes under fire when I received some small shot in the right upper thigh. I then had myself bandaged, and was not a direct witness of the subsequent events. The firing, after scarcely ten minutes, suddenly ceased, whereupon the companies were rallied. In the dark one could only see the flashes of the shots. They came for the most part from above, so that one was obliged to assume that they had been fired from the windows, roofs, and trees. I did not see any individual persons who fired. About an hour and a half later I heard from the railway station, where I lay wounded, another burst of violent firing, which, however, ceased again at once.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: Walter Kruse.
The witness was sworn.
2. Sergeant-Major Ludwig Hilmer, 3rd Company, Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 215, at present at Bremen.
When the train with the 3rd Battalion, Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 75, entered the station at Louvain on the evening of August 25th, 1914, at about 9 o'clock, we were suddenly fired at from both sides, at a distance of about 300 to 400 metres from the station building. The window-panes in my compartment broke at once. We got out and replied to the firing. The enemy could not be seen, because it was already quite dark. We only saw the flashes of the shots, and assumed that they came from the houses at each side of the railway. Five men of my company were wounded in this fight. I ascertained that the wounds were partly caused by small shot. After about ten minutes the firing ceased, but was resumed again at once. Only when we had the lights on the station extinguished did the firing cease. The companies now rallied to the station, removed their packs, and were ordered to fire all the houses from which firing had taken place, after searching them first. With this order we received strict injunctions not to hurt a hair of women and children. My company entered in groups the houses of the section allotted to it. Captain Brinckmann and I entered an inn diagonally opposite the station, and found there behind the bar a waiter with a ball-gun and ammunition. He was immediately taken to the railway commandant by some men. We then continued searching. Various civilians were led off by my men, and after a final decision of the commandant they were shot in the place before the station. In accordance with my orders, I helped to fire several houses, after having convinced myself in every case that no one was left in them. At about 12 o'clock p.m. this work was finished, and the company returned to the station building, in front of which lay about fifteen inhabitants, shot. Two clergymen also stood there who were to serve as hostages. I heard a patrol report that in a church inhabitants had been taken with guns and munition. Sleep was not to be thought of during the night, because the town was echoing with the explosion of bombs and munition stored in the burning houses. One might have believed oneself in a heavy artillery fire. On the morning of August 26th the company was again alarmed, because baggage was being fired at in the town. We advanced into a street about five minutes' distance from the station, and were here fired at from the houses, apparently with shot-guns. We entered the houses and took prisoner several civilians whose behaviour had been suspicious. The houses from which the firing had come were then set on fire. About noon the company returned to the station. At about 3 o'clock p.m. I stood with an acting-sergeant-major at the monument in front of the station, when we were suddenly exposed to a violent fire. Immediately afterwards five riderless horses galloped towards us, coming from the street in which the shots had been fired. As was ascertained subsequently, the horses were those of gendarmes whose riders had been shot in the town. Arrangements were now made and published in the whole town by the ringing of bells and the beating of drums that every company advancing into the town must be headed by a number of hostages. These were to be shot the moment there was any more firing from the houses. Among the hostages held at the station were clergymen and state officials. In spite of these measures, the inhabitants again fired on that evening and during the night. The morning of August 27th passed without any special events for my company, because we urgently needed rest. It was only during the afternoon that we were again active. As peace could not be restored in the town by means of hostages, the order was issued to take all male inhabitants, aged seventeen to fifty. I carried out this order by the help of a strong platoon of eighty men after the order had been read out everywhere by a lieutenant. The people had to be fetched out of every house. After three hours' work I took 200 to 300 persons to the station. Every man on whom arms or munition was found was shot; these again numbered some fifteen to twenty persons. The others were notified that if shots were again fired during the night they would all be put in front of a machine-gun. This announcement was effective, for the next night passed perfectly quietly. On the following morning, hardly were the prisoners dismissed when the firing began afresh. My company, accompanied by hostages, advanced again into the town, and was again fired at. Again we had to fire some houses. On this occasion I saw with my own eyes how a civilian fired from a high window upon Captain Brinckmann. I heard the shot fall in the street. The Captain at once ordered the burning of the house. From here we advanced to a monastery on a hill. It was said that firing had taken place there, but we found neither arms nor munition. But immediately we again heard cries for help from the main road leading past the monastery; we hurried back, and had to assist an artillery column that had been fired at. We again set a few houses on fire, whereupon the command was given for all inhabitants to leave Louvain, as firing with artillery was to commence. This happened between 2 and 4 o'clock p.m. whilst our battalion was still at the station. I observed myself that the artillery projectiles only fell in those parts of the town in which attacks had been made.
Read over, approved, signed.