Without Goose-Stepping

The President of Germany, like the President of the U. S., is Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, and has no uniform. While two army divisions and all ten of Germany's divisional staffs sloshed back and forth in the rain last week, President Paul von Hindenburg wore the last uniform that was his by right, crammed his grizzled head into the spiked pickelhaube of a Field Marshal of the Imperial German army, and motored, soaking wet, from regiment to regiment. At every headquarters he rumbled pertinent questions. When answers pleased lim he nodded vigorously, at other answers he scratched his grey jowls quizzically. Old Paul made no suggestions himself, "for fear," explained his' secretary "of influencing developments."

Problem of the maneuvers was how best to harass, surprise a huge, unwieldy advancing army (like the French or Russian) with a small, extremely mobile force. For two days the "Blue" army, (one division) inflating itself to look as much as possible like 50,000 Frenchmen, advanced slowly, methodically against the reds. Third day maneuvers went into reverse. General Heye, chief umpire, commander of the Reichswehr, announced that "the Red army has had enough practice in retreating," ordered the Blues to show their practice in retreat. At week's end maneuvers ended in a perfect holocaust of fire. Soldiers, determined not to carry any heavy ammunition back to barracks blazed away with enthusiasm. One machine gun crew ripped off belts of blank cartridges with such gusto that it was only after being surrounded by a squad of "enemy" soldiers and rebuked by several staff officers that they would take off their steel helmets, play dead.

On the final day Old Paul motored over from his headquarters in Castle Sternberg to review both armies. On parade ground, surrounded by thousands of jubilant burghers throwing their hats in air, the 82-year-old president stood grimly at salute while infantry marched (not goosestepping) and cavalry, artillery clattered past for two solid hours. Up & down, up & down went the old Feldmarschal's arm, returning salutes. Not for an instant, though his weak arches ached painfully, did he relax.

Commented General Groener, minister of defense:

"We are struggling to make the little army left to us by the Treaty of Versailles fit as possible for its task of defending the country. . . . That we are unable to devote more money than we have to the maneuvers clearly shows to what degree German disarmament has been carried out. While our western neighbor [France] a few weeks ago held two big maneuvers in each of which 50,000 men participated [TIME, Sept. 15], together more than the whole German army . . . our maneuver comprised one infantry division, one cavalry division, wooden cannons in place of heavy artillery, armored motor cars in place of tanks, and no airplanes. ... It is not a German army that is threatening European peace."

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