German Troops in China (Part VI)
Edwardian Armies
In 1901, the Adjutant General of the US Army published a report, written by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph T. Dickman of the 26th Infantry, on the German contingent of the international expeditionary force dispatched to deal with the Boxer Rebellion. The report, which dealt mostly with details of organization and equipment, concludes with an appreciation of the German officers serving in China.
The German troops are not provided with canvas but depend upon billeting. In a country as densely populated as China, this is, of course, eminently feasible. One serious disadvantage is the danger of infection to men and animals. Proper officers precede the main body of the command and mark the accommodations for men and animals on the entrances to houses and enclosures. Practice makes them skillful and they do it very rapidly.
The marching of the troops, as far as observed, has been excellent. ...
The German officers are well educated - many of them speaking several languages - clean and well dressed, polite, punctilious in their military courtesies, and imbued with zeal for their service. ...
The German soldier strikes me as obedient and thoroughly under the control of his officers.
Source: Adjutant General, Reports on Military Operations in South Africa and China (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1901)
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