The German Army from Within; By a British Officer Who Has Served in It (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ...to him. But stay--I had still my treasured cigar. i lighted it for him, and placed it between his teeth. You should have seen the poor fellow's grateful smile. I never enjoyed a cigar so much as that one which I never smoked." Another habit which is more prevalent in the German ranks than in other armies is that of snufftaking. Pretty well every private and most of the non-coms. carry their snuff-boxes with them. There are often occasions during manoeuvres, or routemarching, or drill, when it is impossible to light up pipes or cigars; and then a surreptitious pinch 'of snuff may give considerable solace. The habit has probably become popular in the Army owing to the great von Moltke's addiction to it. During the week of Sedan, he consumed over a pound of the brown powder; and at the moment of the capitulation of the Emperor he was emptying pinches into his nose as fast as his fingers could move. In my time it was mostly schnapps that was drunk. It is prepared from corn or potatoes and is largely consumed in East Prussia, where the raw climate requires a stimulant of that kind. As agriculture decreased and population increased in the towns, there sprang up a doubled and trebled demand for schnapps which led to the production of a much inferior article. This stuff, I find, has an extremely bad effect on the non-com. in every way, since he regards it as the swagger thing to drink schnapps instead of beer, but does not hesitate to consume the same quantity. -It was the custom in my regiment, and I believe in most others, that the junior subaltern of the squadron should be ready to produce a glass of schnapps at any moment during squadron training. In fact, it was regarded as one of his principal duties to carry it with him; and I still have...