Answer:
The prevailing opinion in Germany before our entry into war, was, that American was a money hunting nation, too engrossed in the hunt of the dollar to produce a strong military force. But since our troops have been in action the opinion has changed, and he says that though Germany is at present a defeated nation, he believes that they would be victors in a war with any nation in the world with the exemption of the United States.”
—Karl Finkl of Bolingen
“Americans are good fighters with nerve and recklessness.”
—Arunlf Oster, Lieut. of Reserve
“The accuracy of American artillery fire ... could have been considerably improved upon.”
—Karl Diehl of Selters
“Many of our young girls have gone wrong ... Martha Strodter is engaged to an A-----. Isn’t she crazy?”
—Letter from P. Stanier of Grenzhausen
“I fought in campaigns against the Russian Army, the Serbian Army, the Roumanian Army, the British Army, the French Army, and the American Army. All told in this war I have participated in more than 80 battles. I have found your American Army the most honorable of all our enemies. You have also been the bravest of our enemies and in fact the only ones who have attacked us seriously in this year’s battles. I therefore honor you, and, now that the war is over, I stand ready, for my part, to accept you as a friend.”
—Chief of Staff for General von Einem, commander of the Third German Army
“I would like to go to America for a half year or so because it is certain that these people possess a secret method which raises the most common fellows into an individual who stands up boldly and moves about freely and unconcerned.”
—Letter from Frau Lisbette Schafer of Vallender to William Straube
“The Americans were what might be called bad prisoners. A group of 14 were brought in one day and when asked about their units refused to talk. They refused to work and talked back to the officers, much to the annoyance of the officers and the concealed delight of the men.”
—Paul Heinman
“The Americans [prisoners] were the chief complainers when the food was bad, which was always.”
—Pietro D’Paris
