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Someone forgot to tell the Germans, as the headlines of “The Marshall Messenger” January 2nd, 1919, revealed; “Fighting Continues in German Poland”. The sub-headline reads; “Fortress of City Occupied by Poles; 20,000 Hun
Solders Disarmed; One Entire German
Regiment Refused to Surrender.” The article begins; “By the Associated Press:”
“Warsaw, Jan. 2”
“Fighting has raged in the city of Posen between Polish and German troops. In the last few days the fortresses of the city have been occupied by Poles, while over 20,000 German soldiers have been disarmed. The 6th German regiment has refused to surrender and is now surrounded in a barracks in the city. The entire Polish Population is said to be aiding the Poles. They include Boy Scouts and young women.”“There is no accurate estimate of the number killed and wounded.” Armies in several countries, continued to fight, and soldiers, including Americans, continued to die, for many weeks after this battle, but few remember this tragic detail of the Armistice. The Rotary Four-Way Test begins by asking “Is it the Truth?”, and the truth, in this case, is that we started celebrating way too soon, and for too many of the wrong reasons, and soldiers continued to fight and die, along with innocent women and children. When we meet August 24, 2019, Rotarians in Marshall Texas will remember not only the veterans, who died 100 years ago, but the innocents as well, including the Boy Scouts who died during this battle in Posen, Poland. |
