GERMAN DEPRESSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16983, 17 October 1918, Page 6

GERMAN DEPRESSION.

ENTHUSIASM LACKING.

Most of the prisoners taken by the British on the western front just prior to the present great offensive, whether offioers or men, were both despondent and confident about the war; despondent as recognising the failure of the German offensive and also of the submarine warfare, but confident in the belief that Germany can never be crushed on the field. Without exaggerating German depression, it is at least fair to say that in the army there is now a singular lack of enthusiasm for the war, says the special correspondent of the Times. Illustrating this lack of en- j thusiasm, a story is told by men taken in' the Meters region in the north, that the I German High Command was recently anxious to obtain information about British regiments opposed to them and called for volunteers to make a raid to obtain identification, A reward was offered to « n / l i na . obtaining such identification of £7 lOsin money, 14 days' leave, and the iron Cross. No volunteers came forward Two oases are reported from the fighting of the last three days of German aimen in Fokkec biplanes, after being shot down by our men, escaping from the. falling machine* by parachutes. Apparently the parachute, which seems, to be made of white silk, and is smaller than a balloon parachute, opens automatically by air pressure as.the machine rushes downwards and automatically pulls the airman out of his seat. In one case observed the parachute did not stem to begin to work until the machine had fallen at least 2000 ft Other devices now used' by the enemy appear to be gas masks for both messenger dogs and pigeons, as well as for horses _ Evidence continues to accumulate of the immense damage done by our bombing aeroplanes since the German advance last Mmb as we go through the masses of documents recently captured. It is a common topic in letters from soldiers at the front to those at home, and various instances are given of our bombs getting direct hits on shelters and causing heavy, loss of life, and on trains.: One train hit was a.mail-train, when large quantity of aajJs aj?4 valuables gas destroyed, i .. .... ........?•:..... . -tf&wM