The sortie from Antwerp on August 25th was evidently the signal for the commencement of activities.
Consequently the whole population had to be removed from the district; to as large an extent as possible they were taken as prisoners to Germany. For as Antwerp is not completely shut off, they could always rise again, and would do it with the courage of despair. Their removal to Antwerp would therefore be no real remedy.
The witness was then sworn. Apart from that, he had taken the oath on his opinion given in to-day's report of the proceedings.
Court of the Government-General at Brussels.
Present: Dr. IVERS, Judge of Military Law. Secretary, REISENER.
Major von Klewitz, officer of the General Staff, IX. Reserve Corps, declares as follows:
As to Person: My name is Wilhelm von Klewitz, born at Magdeburg on February 3rd, 1872; Protestant.
The witness was told that the Governor-General, Field-Marshal General Baron von der Goltz, had arranged judicial proceedings for the purpose of ascertaining whether military persons, and, if so, which, are guilty of the destruction of Louvain by fire; he then made the following statement:
As to Case: When the General Staff arrived at Louvain station, Captain Albrecht, who has since fallen and who had preceded the General Staff, reported that he had prepared quarters in the town, at the Hôtel Métropole, where the Commander-in-Chief had also stayed, and that the town was perfectly quiet. We then proceeded to the Hôtel Métropole in the town, and from there to our offices. This was about 6 o'clock p.m.
We had just spread out our maps and were informing ourselves with regard to the situation when Acting-Sergeant-Major Fischer returned by motor from the III. Reserve Corps and reported that the III. Reserve Corps before Antwerp was attacked and asking for immediate support from the IX. Reserve Corps. At that time about half of our corps was detrained and the other half still on the rails. The Chief of the General Staff and I immediately went to see the General in command. Meanwhile the greater part of the officers of the General Staff with the horses had arrived and were still busy with the unloading. It must also be mentioned that on driving up to the battlefield the Commanding General ordered the alarm to be sounded, and the troops already quartered in Louvain were ordered to the battle-ground.