Signed: Grasshoff. Signed: Pahl.
D. App. 47.
Present:
President, Dr. van Gember.
Secretary, Lempfrid.
Wesel, January 8th, 1915.
There appeared as a witness Musketeer Schmidt, who, after the importance of the oath had been pointed out to him, was examined as follows:
As to Person: My name is Alfred Schmidt, aged 32; Protestant; butcher; musketeer, 9th Company, Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 53.
As to Case: With regard to participation of civilians in the battle I know the following: I was attached to the Staff of the 2nd Battalion, Landwehr Regiment No. 53, as a butcher. On August 25th we had arrived at Louvain in the afternoon about 5 o'clock. At first we could not go to our quarters. In the evening at 9 o'clock I was near the baggage. A lieutenant, who was leader of the baggage, called us together and explained to us that we were to keep our eyes open, because things did not seem quite safe. We had hardly returned to our baggage, which stood in a somewhat narrow turning in the market, when I heard a loud shot. This was evidently not a rifle-shot, but rather a shot from a small gun, and evidently a signal; for its sound had hardly died away when we were fired on from all sides from the houses. The shots came from the cellars and from all floors; it was real rapid fire. The horses having shied and the carts having become interlocked, as I stood between two carts, I could not at first get out. After about five minutes I got free, looked about for my comrades, and could see none. I therefore ran to the market, but was fired at there too, also in two side-streets into which I wished to turn. At a third street I finally succeeded in finding cover inside a new building. After a time a few comrades assembled there. We then determined to advance together towards the gun-fire which we heard in the distance. Coming through a street in which firing went on continually, I stepped on an iron grate with which cellar holes are covered in Louvain; I fell through, fell on my arm, and broke my wrist. Immediately behind me two other comrades fell into the cellar. We had hardly fallen on the floor when we were fired at from the interior of the cellar. After some time a sergeant-major of artillery came who had evidently seen us fall down, and he asked from the road whether we were Germans. I then stepped up to the cellar opening, and was pulled up by him by my uninjured hand. The other two could not rise. I told this to the sergeant-major, who then said that help was coming immediately. I was taken to a barrack and bandaged. I cannot say from own knowledge what happened to my comrades who had fallen in with me. On the following day, however, I was told at our quarters that they had been severely wounded.
On August 26th, at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon, we were to be sent off by rail. The signal for starting had already been given when the train was heavily fired at from the houses near the station. One could hear the rattling of the bullets. Everybody who could do so had to load. Not till half an hour later were we able to proceed, the firing lasted so long. The train was only a hospital train, and was marked as such with the red cross.
Read over, approved, signed.
Signed: Schmidt.