The German Army in Belgium, the White Book of May 1915

by Germany. Auswärtiges Amt

As to Person: My name is Richard Gruner, aged 23; Protestant.

As to Case: I repeat, first of all, all the statements made during my judicial examination at Altona on March 1st, 1915. This statement, which has just been read to me, is perfectly true in all respects. I add further what follows:

The examination of the volunteers brought forward by the German troops on the station square at Louvain on the night of August 25th to 26th, 1914, was conducted by Captain Albrecht, who was then reporting officer on the staff of the IX. Reserve Army Corps, and who fell later, at the end of October 1914, at Noyon. Captain Albrecht was attached to the Grand General Staff in peace time. I was requested by him to act as interpreter during part of the examinations. The examination proceeded in such a way that the soldiers brought forward the civilians taken by them, whilst the firing in the town continued. I was given about 100 to 200 persons to search and to examine. Captain Albrecht passed from one group of persons assembled in the station square for examination to another group, and inquired the result in order to give instructions for the further treatment of the accused. Altogether about 600 persons may have been brought forward, at least 500 of whom were spared death by shooting because no sure proof of their guilt was brought forward during the examination. These persons were led aside; the men amongst them were later on sent to Germany, whilst it was left to the women and children to go to Anvers.

It is not true that the persons were arbitrarily selected when arrangements for shooting them were made; on the contrary, the examinations were carried out strictly according to the facts. I examined myself the persons brought forward for arms, and frequently found arms on them. I also had instructions to see whether the accused were Belgian soldiers, which could be seen from the identification disc. On many of the persons brought to me I found the military disc in the pocket or in the purse. Captain Albrecht proceeded—I assume on higher command—in such a way that he ordered those to be shot on whom either arms or a rallying sign was found, or those of whom it was testified by at least two witnesses that they had fired upon the German troops. In my opinion it is quite out of the question that any innocent person lost his life; particularly Captain Albrecht did under the circumstances all that was possible to exhort the soldiers to speak the truth; if no arms or identification discs were found, he himself questioned the witnesses as to whether they could make their assertions with certitude, and he pointed out to them that the life and death of a man depended upon their word. And only when the soldiers maintained their assertions after this admonition, the command for the shooting of the condemned was given.

Amongst the persons brought forward were a number of priests; of these about ten to fifteen in all were shot. I ascertained myself that one priest carried a loaded revolver which had been fired once, and the empty cartridge-case was still in the barrel. I furthermore recognised another priest as the one who, according to the testimony of the soldiers, had intentionally decoyed them into the fire of the francs-tireurs. These two were undoubtedly genuine clergymen. On a third man wearing clerical garb, and civilian clothes underneath, I found a military identification disc.

I was in the station square during the whole examinations, and I can therefore testify from my own knowledge that no mock-execution of priests has taken place, and that not one of the involuntary spectators of these scenes was forced to applaud.

Among the persons brought forward there were many civilians who, when they became aware that I spoke French, called to me that they were innocent, and that the priests bore the whole guilt of what had taken place. They expressly pointed to the priests who had been brought forward. Amongst them was a Belgian civilian who, as a sign of his goodwill to the Germans, showed a document, according to which the King of Prussia had bestowed the Order of the Red Eagle upon him. I took the opportunity to remonstrate with this person that he, an educated man, and the other men of his station had not stopped the populace from making the attack; he replied, "It is quite impossible for us to prevail upon the people who are in the hands of the clergy."

I remained at Louvain until August 26th, 1914, 4 p.m. During August 26th I still heard and saw, now and again, firing from the houses; comrades of mine were wounded actually at my side; thus also the voluntary soldier Wuppermann. During the morning of August 26th I spoke in the station square, where there were many women prisoners, with two of them who evidently belonged to the educated classes. One of them, an American from St. Louis, addressed me in English and begged me to release her and another known lady from imprisonment, as they were innocent. She explained to me that the clergy were responsible for the events. She then called the other lady, a Belgian, with whom I also conversed in French. She also confirmed to me that the firing from the houses was due to the conduct of the clergy. She related the following: In the evening, Belgian soldiers dressed as civilians entered individual houses and forced the inhabitants by threats to receive them and to admit them to the windows in order to shoot from them; previous to that the clergy had gone into the houses and declared to the inhabitants that it was their duty to receive and support the Belgian soldiers because the German troops were making war upon the faith of the Belgians.

During the critical days, particularly violent firing on the German troops came from a convent outside Louvain, on the road from Louvain to Bueken. I have heard this repeatedly from soldiers, and on August 26th, 1914, in the afternoon, whilst going in my automobile to Bueken, I had to pass the street near the convent under special protective measures. In order to be safe from any firing from the convent we had to take with us several civilians, who were placed partly upon the footboard of the car, partly upon the cooler.

I wish to emphasise that even during the examinations in the station square we were fired at from houses there. I particularly remember the incident when about ten to twelve young people in sporting-caps—which was frequently the distinguishing mark of disguised Belgian soldiers—were brought up quite close to the station building, and that I was fired upon from a building opposite on my way to see these persons, and that the prisoners ran away, and that we Germans fired after them.