"
This time he made no answer.
But all the German prisoners repeated what he had said to me as a set
phrase. On the whole, when you have seen ten German prisoners you
have seen a thousand; when you have questioned one German officer you
have questioned fifty. The characteristic of the race is that they
have abolished all individuality. You find yourself in an amorphous
mass, cast in a uniform mold, not in the presence of human beings who
think their own thoughts.
I often saw trains stop in what is called a _gare regulatrice_, where
the prisoners are questioned and distributed. These trains bring in
prisoners and their officers. The commandant of the station, in
accordance with his duty, has the officers appear before him so that
he can question them:
"Your name? Your rank?"
The German states his name and rank, offering of necessity his
identification card.
"Your regiment?"
"Such and such a regiment."
"Your army corps?"
"Such and such an army corps."
"Who is the general in command?"
Like an automaton the officer replies:
"_Das sage ich nicht._" ("I can not answer that.")
And you know that it would be an easier matter to make the stone
beneath your feet talk than one of these prisoners.
However, the commandant frowns slightly, glances over his notes, and
says coldly:
"I know who your general is.
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