File:Behind the German lines, a narrative of the everyday life of an American prisoner of war (1920) (14595502557).jpg

Identifier: behindgermanline01elli (find matches)
Title: Behind the German lines, a narrative of the everyday life of an American prisoner of war
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Ellinwood, Ralph E
Subjects: World War, 1914-1918 World War, 1914-1918
Publisher: New York, Knickerbocker press
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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in the main square of the hospi-tal, attired in their best uniforms, wearing theirswords and polished helmets. I did not see theceremony when they received him, but I noticedlater, when I managed to get within twenty feet ofhim, that the officers, except those of very high rank,stood at rigid attention and bowed stiffly wheneverthey were addressed. From the pictures that I had seen of the Kaiser, Ihad expected a more imposing figure. He was ofonly average stature, distinguished looking, tannedfrom exposure in the field, and with a rather tiredexpression which seemed to be emphasized by the factthat his mustache was drooping instead of upturned.His hair was on the verge of whiteness, and hiswithered arm, which rested on his sword, was verynoticeable. So this was the most hated man in the world; thisman of average size, who, had he been wearing acivilian suit and walking down Broadway, mighthave passed for an American of the middle class. Iwondered at the time whether he believed in his
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Mont Notre Dame 35 heart that the German cause was as secure as he hadbelieved it to be in 1914, and whether he thought thatwhen the present war was over he would rule in glorythe Pan-German Empire. As he mingled freely among the Allied woundedand prisoners, I was a bit nervous for fear some hare-brained patriot might attempt to take his life, forwhich there was ample opportunity. This nervous-ness was not in the least for his safety but for that ofthe prisoners, the wounded, and the personnel at thehospital. Nothing happened, however. His inspection pro-ceeded without interruption. In the English wardhe talked excellent English, asking the patients inwhat regiment they had served, and then saying thathe was familiar with their success when they hadbroken the German lines at such and such a place.He remarked on the cleanliness of the English wardsas compared with the German, and in truth, this wasvery noticeable, for the English orderlies kept theirwards immaculate. The German hospita

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