German Officers in Paris

Experiences of captured German Officers in Paris
December 1870

This is an account written on 10th December 1870 by a German civilian doctor working outside Paris. In early December he accommodated four German officers who had been released by the French. They had been captured by the French during the fighting which began when the French sortied on the south-east side of Paris on November 29th in an attempt to break through the German lines and link up with the Army of the Loire in the Forest of Fontainebleau. The Germans held the French attacks, then on 2nd December they counterattacked and it was during this fighting that the four officers were captured. The doctor describes their experiences in Paris.

Experiences of captured German Officers in Paris

I accommodated four officers in my room who had been captured during the sortie on 2nd December and brought into Paris. They were two Prussians, a Saxon and a Württemberger. They have now been released because the authorities in Paris were not able to guarantee their safety. From what they have seen Paris has enough food to hold out for a long time. There are still many horses at work in the streets, and the streets are generally full of life with no sign of concern in the crowds. The four German officers were treated with the utmost courtesy by the French civil and military authorities. They had lunch with the Minister of the Interior, m.Picard, where they were served the finest foods and wines. Also present at the meal were Trochu and the Chief of the General Staff in Paris, Schmitz, an Alsatian. The Parisian gentlemen were surprised that the bombardment of Paris had not begun long ago. General Schmitz seemed to want it to happen, as he was hoping for an outburst of fury from the population which would lead to the German siegeworks being overrun at the first attempt. The German officers bought themselves civilian clothes and wearing them were allowed to wander freely through the city. Unfortunately they conversed in German whilst in a cafe, and this was noticed with anger by the other customers; they found themselves threatened by a furious crowd and were able to save themselves only with difficulty. They complained about the incident to General Trochu, who stated that he couldn`t give them any guarantees and suggested that he could release them provided they gave their word of honour that they would return if the German command did not release four French officer prisoners into Paris in exchange. They gave their word to this agreement and were brought safley to the French outposts, where their weapons were returned to them. Their situation was reported to the Grosses Hauptquartier, and whilst they were still staying with me official confirmation came that the exchange had been agreed and completed.

Source: Kürschner, "Der grosse Krieg 1870-71 in Zeitberichten", Hermann Hilger Verlag, Berlin/Leipzig/Eisenach/Chicago 1895.

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