My name is Hermann Folz. I am 32 years of age; Protestant; Captain, 49th Infantry Regiment, at present with the Reserve Flying Corps, Section 3. On a day in August, the date of which I have forgotten, I arrived in Aerschot, as my regiment's billeting officer, with the Staff of the 8th Infantry Brigade. It was between three and four in the afternoon when we rode into the place. Of German troops, the 3rd Infantry Division had already passed through in batches, and already the narrow and angular little town was full of commissariat, artillery, and ammunition columns. We had been about three hours in the little town, when suddenly violent firing began. The firing seemed to come from the north-west exit of the village.

Immediately afterwards the Medical Corps, I believe it to have been the 2nd (including a certain Dr. Wild) as well as a section of the supplies of the 3rd Division, came towards us, under incessant fire, and informed us they had been fired upon. A Belgian battalion was supposed to be advancing. With difficulty we managed to make headway with our machine-gun company, and by taking a seat on the last waggon, with the company leader, Captain Schleusener, I proceeded in the direction of the alleged advance of the Belgian force. About three kilometres before the town, near a windmill, we discovered that there was no enemy at hand. I thereupon returned on foot to Aerschot. We had already, during our march out of the town, heard continuous firing. Entering Aerschot by a bridge, I noticed that our troops were being fired upon from the houses. Shots came sometimes from the upper floors, sometimes from the cellars, and one could distinctly tell by the sound that both rifles and machine-guns were being used. The situation developed in such a manner that our own men had to seek cover with their backs to the houses, and as soon as a marksman was observed in the opposite house he was fired at. I saw several of our men wounded by these shots, and the bullets also whistled round my head. Near the town hall, which was to have been converted into an artillery depot, stood a captain of the 140th Infantry Regiment, who continuously ordered the bugles to sound the "Cease fire." Evidently the officer first wished to stop the firing of our men in order to be able to settle upon a plan of action. Brigade Adjutant Schwarz, since fallen, met me in the market-place and informed me that the officer commanding the 8th Brigade, Colonel Stenger, had been shot. I immediately hurried to the Mayor's billets, which were situated in the Mayor's house in the market-place, and there found Colonel Stenger dead on his bed. The orderly officer present, Lieutenant Beyersdorff, Dragoon Regiment No. 12, told me he had found the Colonel in the room, about three metres from the window, lying dead on his face. On the spot one distinctly saw two pools of blood, and I also noticed that the wall opposite the window was marked by many bullet-holes, and the window-panes were shot through. I saw a wound on the corpse stretching from the right eye to the right ear, and also a shot through the right breast, but of the latter one saw only the broad hole caused by the bullet. The regimental doctor of the 140th Infantry Regiment, who on the following day opened the corpse in my presence, found in the passage of the breast wound a shapeless lead bullet, which had broken up on coming in contact with a hard substance. The bullet had torn a main artery and caused immediate death. According to the evidence of the doctor, the facial wound was not caused by a shot from an infantry rifle. Owing to the vertical passage of the wound, and the nature of the shot, there can be no doubt that the Colonel was not fired at from the street, but by an inhabitant of the opposite house. To judge by the calibre of the breast bullet, the weapon used must have been a muzzle-loader. The bullet taken from the body I gave into the keeping of the paymaster of the 2nd Battalion, 49th Infantry Regiment. The paymaster's name is Wirowski. The revolt was then systematically suppressed, and the houses searched for francs-tireurs. In this way about forty civilians, amongst whom were several—at least two—priests, were found with weapons in their hands. According to my observations and to the events described, there is no doubt that a systematic plan of attack on the German troops had been adopted by the Belgian civilians. The regimental adjutant, Lieutenant v. Oppen, was also witness to the events, and will be able to make a statement regarding them. The Captain of the II. Corps of Military Police, named Karge, was also present.

Read over, approved, signed.

Signed: Folz.

Legally sworn.

Signed: Bernhards.
Signed: Hofmann.

Supplement to the Record of November 15th, 1914.

APPENDIX B.—ANDENNE

App. B.