Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,821
The "Zabern Affair"!
Since the Franco-German War in 1870/71, Alsace has belonged to the German Empire as the "Reichsland" (ruled by a military governor).
Among them is the town of Zabern (French: Saverne)...
... now a German garrison town and as such the location of two battalions of the 2nd Oberrheinischen Infanterieregiments Nr. 99 under Colonel Ernst von Reuter ...:
It goes without saying that the - now German - residents of Alsace also have to do their military service!
There are several - verbal - attacks by German officers against the locals, who are disparagingly called "Wackes" - a contemptuous swear word, comparable with "Boches" (for "Germans" in French), "Moffen" (for Germans in Dutch) or "Piefkes" (as Austrians like to call the Germans when they are among themselves).
"Wackes" means something like "rascal" or "good-for-nothing".
Leutnant Günther Freiherr von Forstner particularly excels at these insults ...:
Forstner says in front of the assembled crew in the barracks yard: “If you are attacked, use your weapon! And if you stab such a "Wackes" over the heap, it won't do any harm! You will then receive a reward of ten marks from me. "
Sergeant Willy Höflich, who was present at the briefing, then declared that he was adding “another three marks”.
The insulting Esaers by their German officers gets around quickly - through holidaymakers - and it doesn't take long before they appear in the local newspapers.
On November 6, 1913, there was a first large-scale demonstration by the population against the Germans, who saw themselves discriminated against in many fields. On the next two days there will also be demonstrations that the Alsatians make no secret of the fact that - in their opinion - the Germans behave like an occupying power!
The German military in Zabern reacts to the demonstrations with brutal arbitrary acts:
The soldiers drive the crowd apart with their bayonets attached and arrest a large number of people without any legal basis.
Among the prisoners are the president, two judges and a public prosecutor of the Zabern regional court, who happened to get into the crowd when leaving the courthouse.
26 of the arrested people (including the two district judges, Kalisch and Boemelmanns) are kept overnight in the basement of the castle, the so-called "Pandurenkeller" ...
... detained and grossly harassed by their guards!
In addition, soldiers illegally search the editorial offices of a local newspaper for clues about the informants who brought Forstner's mistakes to the public.
**continued next post**
Since the Franco-German War in 1870/71, Alsace has belonged to the German Empire as the "Reichsland" (ruled by a military governor).
Among them is the town of Zabern (French: Saverne)...
... now a German garrison town and as such the location of two battalions of the 2nd Oberrheinischen Infanterieregiments Nr. 99 under Colonel Ernst von Reuter ...:
It goes without saying that the - now German - residents of Alsace also have to do their military service!
There are several - verbal - attacks by German officers against the locals, who are disparagingly called "Wackes" - a contemptuous swear word, comparable with "Boches" (for "Germans" in French), "Moffen" (for Germans in Dutch) or "Piefkes" (as Austrians like to call the Germans when they are among themselves).
"Wackes" means something like "rascal" or "good-for-nothing".
Leutnant Günther Freiherr von Forstner particularly excels at these insults ...:
Forstner says in front of the assembled crew in the barracks yard: “If you are attacked, use your weapon! And if you stab such a "Wackes" over the heap, it won't do any harm! You will then receive a reward of ten marks from me. "
Sergeant Willy Höflich, who was present at the briefing, then declared that he was adding “another three marks”.
The insulting Esaers by their German officers gets around quickly - through holidaymakers - and it doesn't take long before they appear in the local newspapers.
On November 6, 1913, there was a first large-scale demonstration by the population against the Germans, who saw themselves discriminated against in many fields. On the next two days there will also be demonstrations that the Alsatians make no secret of the fact that - in their opinion - the Germans behave like an occupying power!
The German military in Zabern reacts to the demonstrations with brutal arbitrary acts:
The soldiers drive the crowd apart with their bayonets attached and arrest a large number of people without any legal basis.
Among the prisoners are the president, two judges and a public prosecutor of the Zabern regional court, who happened to get into the crowd when leaving the courthouse.
26 of the arrested people (including the two district judges, Kalisch and Boemelmanns) are kept overnight in the basement of the castle, the so-called "Pandurenkeller" ...
... detained and grossly harassed by their guards!
In addition, soldiers illegally search the editorial offices of a local newspaper for clues about the informants who brought Forstner's mistakes to the public.
**continued next post**
