civilians forced to salute German officers

[paul guthrie]

In Storm of Steel Junger condemns the fact that French civilians were forced to salute German officers but states it went on for the entire war.

Lt. E J Ruffell comments on French civilians going to the gutter and saluting as British officers walked by, a practice the quickly had stopped. 342 Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery. This is from Tommy Goes To War.

Did any of the occupying powers do this in Germany in 1919?

Helen McPhails book on this occupation, The Long Silence is quite good, hardback was very high, paperback is reasonable.

[AOK4]

Paul,

I remember images used in several documentaries about WW1 about the Allies in Germany where French soldiers beat a German that apparently walked passed the marching the soldiers without taking his hat off. I can't give more details, but perhaps someone else also remembers the piece of film?

Jan

[paul guthrie]

I have no doubt there were many instances of Allied troops bahaving badly in occupied Germany. What I mentioned seemed to me to be policy, at least in some areas and Junger, when he said we did this the entire war seems to say the policy every where he was.

True? Was there any such Allied policy?

[paul guthrie]

To quote Junger:

The inhabitants were under strict discipline. Trespasses and transgressions were speedily visited by the town-majors with fines or imprisonment. Much as I am the disciple of the logical gospel of force, I was disgusted by the exaggerations of it. I witnessed in those days, such as the compulsion upon all inhabitants, women included, to salute officers. Such regulations are pointless, degrading and injurious. Such was our method throughout the war.

[Frank_East]

Lieut General Charles Fergusson,British Military Governor in the British Occupied German Territory based in Cologne issued the following order amongst many in his Anordnungen dated 5 January 1919.

All persons of the male sex will show proper respect to British officers and when addressing or being addressed by them will raise their hats.

Uniformed officials will always salute them.

When the British National Anthem is played ,civilians will remove their hats and persons in uniform will salute.

All persons of the male sex will pay respect to the Regimental Colours of the troops of the Allied Powers when carried uncased.Unformed officials will salute and civilians will raise their hats as the Colours pass.

The display of the German National Flag in the British Occupied Territory is forbidden both on land and by vessels on the waterways.

Deference has always been demanded by the victorious on the conquerored throughout history.Some of it was official as above but some unofficial at street level and extracted by the common soldier.

Regards

Frank East

[paul guthrie]

It's hard for me to understand this but it was a while ago and I am not a soldier. If anything this is worse since the war was over.

Thanks Frank.