EX-CROWN PRINCE ON THE BRITISH SOLDIER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14039, 23 April 1920, Page 1

EX-CROWN PRINCE ON THE BRITISH SOLDIER.

Daily Telegraph Berlin Correspondent)

The cult ot the Crown Prince is coming out into the open, but. is taking curious and rather clumsy forms. A long article bv him which is to form a chapter of a "military scientific work on the world-war" appears this evening in the Tagliche Rundschau. Its subject. is a comparison of-the soldiers of U-lie chief combatants, but it opens with a ishort introduction in which the Prince expresses his views as to the causes of the war. He wrrtes: "Germany's enormoifs economic advance during the last decades made her a dangerous rival ot England. This fact was bound bv logical necessity to lead to! a serious settlement. Bub with a right policy on the German side it nnist. as I believe, have been possible to find means of arriving at-a peaceable and fair settlement with England, either by concluding an alliance before it was too late, or by big business agreements."

Naturally, the Prince is of opinion that it is now "senseless to continue the pu -nit embittering incitements," and that "it would he wise and sta teaman•like to damp down hatred." In his judgments on the fighting qualities Of the various armies the Prince distributes compliments all round with a liberal hand. Of course the Germans come m for the lion's share. Their defeat he explains in this wav: •

"The German soldier fought under tile-most unfavorable conditions imaginable. Apart- from the first months, he was faced by a hostile superiority of forces. His food, as contrasted with that of the euemv. was inadequate. In consequence ot the blockade our. Fatherland was in a situation of great need in respect of raw materials; there \vj\s a permanent dehc'encv m everything. Ammunition, field railway material. aeroplanes, motor columns could not be supplied m sufficient quantities. When the first enemv tanks obtained their great successes the cry was raised for tanks of our own. and it was ' bitter that, thev could not be satisfied, because the raw materials necessary for the construction of these most modern instruments ol attack did not exist in Germany. Whoever denies the devastating effects of the great enemy tank attacks on our over-tired and weak formations was never at the front." The section about the British Army begins with these words: "The English soldier has been aptly described bv Kipling. As this brilliant novelist paints him, so is Tommy Atkins. He is a mixture of soldier. • sportsman, and colonial pioneer." The troops which the Prince saw in peace time in the streets of London made upon lum "a splendid soldierly impression." Thev i were all big, well-grown men, who held themselves faultlessly and were perfect- i iy dressed." x The voluntary system "created professional soldiers who were i comparable with the old Roman Legion- i aries." Of o»urse. the Prince has a i word of appreciation for the cultivation i of sport in the British Army. It was "always very sympathetic" to him. He has "great esteem" for the Khyber Rifles, "who sat year after year in the sterile mountains of Afghanistan in constant conflict with treacherous hill tribes armed with modern weapons, .and who, though cut off from all civilisation! were modest and impassioned for their service."

British military leadeslup "was not on so high a level."' but. Sir Douglas Haig was "reallv a well-trained general according to our ideas." Summing up, the Prince writes: — "Thus, the English soldier, and especially during the first half of the war. was a" thorough, and estimable opponent. As a. trained and expert sportsman he had to be taken very seriously at close quarters. All that I saw personally of the captured English officers and men made a good impression on me. Thev were self-con-fident. though at'the same>time correct, and never lost their sense of humor. After the great spring offensive at Saint Quentin a body of six or seven hundred prisoners met us. I talked with the officers, some of whom knew me personally. A young officer said to me with 'smiling face: 'Look here. Crown Prince, vou have given us a nast\ smack this time, but the last round lias not been fought out. and we will still give ,\ou a jollv hard knock hack.' (This sentence is English m the original.) We parted with a handshake." While one section of the Prince's friends seek to qualify him fdr restoration by priifting his articles, Another is apparently pursuing the same aim In verv different methods. Yoiyvaerts states "that the "chairman of many associations which have been formed fot the defence of the Hohenzollerns." recently sent the following message to the Wieringen refugee: "Tf your Rojal Highness will not even \.et drop vour life" of dalliance (shaefcrleben) we can do nothing more for jou." With reference to the Prince's offer to surrender to the Allies one of the Conservative papers compared him with Marcus Curtius. and Yorwaerts, commenting on the. mc cc a <r e quoted abpve. s.ijs: "Tn contradistinction to old Marcus Curtius, who flung himself down a real precipice, the new Marcus Curtius only makes occasional little descents into the floweiy depths of pleasure. That is, firstly, more agreeable, and secondly not nearh so dangerous."