The War Book of the German General Staff / Being "The Usages of War on Land" Issued by the Great General Staff of the German Army

by Prussia . Armee. Grosser Generalstab. Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung II

J. H. M.

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CONTENTS

		PAGE
DEDICATION		[v]
PREFATORY NOTE		[vii]
INTRODUCTION—
I	THE GERMAN VIEW OF WAR	[1]
II	GERMAN DIPLOMACY AND STATECRAFT	[16]
III	GERMAN CULTURE: THE ACADEMIC GARRISON	[44]
IV	GERMAN THOUGHT: TREITSCHKE	[53]
V	CONCLUSION	[65]
CONTENTS OF THE WAR BOOK OF THE GERMAN GENERAL STAFF—
Introduction		[67]
PART I
USAGES OF WAR AS REGARDS THE ENEMY’S ARMY
I	WHO BELONGS TO THE HOSTILE ARMY	[75]
	Regular Army—Irregular Troops—People’s Wars and National Wars.
II	THE MEANS OF CONDUCTING WAR	[84]
	A.—MEANS OF WAR DEPENDING ON FORCE	[85]
	1. Annihilation, slaughter, and wounding of hostile combatants.
	2. Capture of Enemy combatants:
	Modern conception of war captivity—Who is subject to it?—Point of view for treatment of prisoners of war—Right to put prisoners to death—Termination of the captivity—Transport of Prisoners.
	3. Sieges and Bombardments:
	(a) Fortresses, strong places and fortified places. Notification of bombardment—Scope of bombardment—Treatment of civil population within an enemy’s fortress—Diplomatists of neutral States within a besieged fortress—Treatment of the fortress after storming it. (b) Open towns, villages, buildings and the like, which, however, are occupied or used for military purposes.
	B.—METHODS NOT INVOLVING THE USE OF FORCE	[110]
	Cunning and deceit—Lawful and unlawful stratagem.
III	TREATMENT OF WOUNDED AND SICK SOLDIERS	[115]
	Modern view of non-effective combatants—Geneva Convention—Hyenas of the battlefield.
IV	INTERCOURSE BETWEEN BELLIGERENT ARMIES	[117]
	Bearers of flags of truce—Treatment of them—Forms as to their reception.
V	SCOUTS AND SPIES	[124]
	The notion of a spy—Treatment.
VI	DESERTERS AND RENEGADES	[127]
VII	CIVILIANS IN THE TRAIN OF AN ARMY	[128]
	General—Authorizations—The representatives of the Press.
VIII	THE EXTERNAL MARK OF INVIOLABILITY	[133]
IX	WAR TREATIES	[135]
	A.—TREATIES OF EXCHANGE	[135]
	B.—TREATIES OF CAPITULATION	[136]
	C.—SAFE-CONDUCTS	[140]
	D.—TREATIES OF ARMISTICE	[141]
PART II
USAGES OF WAR IN REGARD TO ENEMY TERRITORY AND ITS INHABITANTS
I	RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE INHABITANTS	[147]
	General Notions—Rights—Duties—Hostages—Jurisdiction in enemy’s provinces when occupied—War rebellion and War treason.
II	PRIVATE PROPERTY IN WAR	[161]
III	BOOTY AND PLUNDERING	[167]
	Real and Personal State Property—Real and Personal Private Property.
IV	REQUISITIONS AND WAR LEVIES	[174]
V	ADMINISTRATION OF OCCUPIED TERRITORY	[180]
	General—Legislation—Relation of inhabitants to the Provisional Government—Courts—Officials—Administration—Railways.
PART III
USAGES OF WAR AS REGARDS NEUTRAL STATES		[187]
	Idea of neutrality—Duties of neutral States—Contraband of war—Rights of neutral States.

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CONTENTS
OF EDITOR’S MARGINAL COMMENTARY

	PAGE
What is a State of War	[67]
Active Persons and Passive	[67]
That War is no respector of Persons	[68]
The Usages of War	[69]
Of the futility of Written Agreements as Scraps of Paper	[70]
The “flabby emotion” of Humanitarianism	[71]
That Cruelty is often “the truest humanity”	[72]
The perfect Officer	[72]
Who are Combatants and who are not	[75]
The Irregular	[76]
Each State must decide for itself	[77]
The necessity of Authorization	[77]
Exceptions which prove the rule	[77]
The Free Lance	[78]
Modern views	[79]
The German Military View	[80]
The Levée en masse	[81]
The Hague Regulations will not do	[83]
A short way with the Defender of his Country	[83]
Violence and Cunning	[84]
How to make an end of the Enemy	[85]
The Rules of the Game	[85]
Colored Troops are Blacklegs	[87]
Prisoners of War	[88]
Væ Victis!	[89]
The Modern View	[89]
Prisoners of War are to be Honorably treated	[90]
Who may be made Prisoners	[91]
The treatment of Prisoners of War	[92]
Their confinement	[92]
The Prisoner and his Taskmaster	[93]
Flight	[94]
Diet	[95]
Letters	[95]
Personal belongings	[95]
The Information Bureau	[96]
When Prisoners may be put to Death	[97]
“Reprisals”	[97]
One must not be too scrupulous	[98]
The end of Captivity	[99]
Parole	[100]
Exchange of Prisoners	[102]
Removal of Prisoners	[102]
Sieges and Bombardments: Fair Game	[103]
Of making the most of one’s opportunity	[104]
Spare the Churches	[105]
A Bombardment is no Respector of Persons	[105]
A timely severity	[106]
“Undefended Places”	[108]
Stratagems	[110]
What are “dirty tricks”?	[111]
The apophthegm of Frederick the Great	[111]
Of False Uniforms	[112]
The Corruption of others may be useful	[113]
And Murder is one of the Fine Arts	[114]
That the ugly is often expedient, and that it is a mistake to be too “nice-minded”	[114]
The Sanctity of the Geneva Convention	[115]
The “Hyenas of the Battlefield”	[116]
Flags of Truce	[117]
The Etiquette of Flags of Truce	[119]
The Envoy	[120]
His approach	[120]
The Challenge—“Wer da?”	[120]
His reception	[120]
He dismounts	[121]
Let his Yea be Yea, and his Nay, Nay	[121]
The duty of his Interlocutor	[121]
The Impatient Envoy	[122]
The French again	[122]
The Scout	[124]
The Spy and his short shrift	[124]
What is a Spy?	[125]
Of the essentials of Espionage	[126]
Accessories are Principals	[126]
The Deserter is faithless, and the Renegade false	[127]
But both may be useful	[127]
“Followers”	[128]
The War Correspondent: his importance. His presence is desirable	[129]
The ideal War Correspondent	[130]
The Etiquette of the War Correspondent	[131]
How to tell a Non-Combatant	[133]
War Treaties	[135]
That Faith must be kept even with an enemy	[135]
Exchange of Prisoners	[135]
Capitulations—they cannot be too meticulous	[136]
Of the White Flag	[139]
Of Safe-Conducts	[140]
Of Armistice	[141]
The Civil Population is not to be regarded as an enemy	[147]
They must not be molested	[148]
Their duty	[149]
Of the humanity of the Germans and the barbarity of the French	[149]
What the Invader may do	[151]
A man may be compelled to Betray his Country	[153]
And worse	[153]
Of forced labor	[154]
Of a certain harsh measure and its justification	[154]
Hostages	[155]
A “harsh and cruel” measure	[156]
But it was “successful”	[156]
War Rebellion	[157]
War Treason and Unwilling Guides	[159]
Another deplorable necessity	[159]
Of Private Property and its immunities	[161]
Of German behavior	[163]
The gentle Hun and the looking-glass	[165]
Booty	[167]
The State realty may be used but must not be wasted	[168]
State Personalty is at the mercy of the victor	[169]
Private realty	[170]
Private personalty	[170]
“Choses in action”	[171]
Plundering is wicked	[171]
Requisitions	[174]
How the docile German learnt the “better way”	[175]
To exhaust the country is deplorable, but we mean to do it	[175]
Buccaneering levies	[177]
How to administer an invaded country	[180]
The Laws remain—with qualification	[181]
The Inhabitants must obey	[182]
Martial Law	[182]
Fiscal Policy	[184]
Occupation must be real, not fictitious	[185]
What neutrality means	[187]
A neutral cannot be all things to all men; therefore he must be nothing to any of them	[187]
But there are limits to this detachment	[188]
Duties of the neutral—belligerents must be warned off	[188]
The neutral must guard its inviolable frontiers. It must intern the trespassers	[189]
Unneutral service	[191]
The “sinews of war”—loans to belligerents	[191]
Contraband of War	[191]
Good business	[192]
Foodstuffs	[192]
Contraband on a small scale	[193]
And on a large scale	[194]
The practise differs	[194]
Who may pass—the Sick and the Wounded	[195]
Who may not pass—Prisoners of War	[196]
Rights of the neutral	[196]
The neutral has the right to be left alone	[197]
Neutral territory is sacred	[197]
The neutral may resist a violation of its territory “with all the means in his power”	[197]
Neutrality is presumed	[198]
The Property of Neutrals	[198]
Diplomatic intercourse	[199]

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