There seems to be no doubt that Germany began preparing for a war of the kind that began in August 1914, long before its outbreak. Her technical and industrial preparations were taken by the world as a matter of course. But Germany was also equipping herself with an intimate knowledge of the territory where the encounters of the possible war were likely to take place. It is said that von Kluck visited incognito, more than once, the part of northern France through which he led his brilliant drive at the very beginning of the war. The story is also told that part of the present German positions on the Aisne as prepared long before the war.
The German preparations in Poland were even more extensive, although ostensibly they were quite innocent. All through the western part of Russia, especially in the Polish provinces, the German colonists bought up land and settled there. Their estates were examples of thrift and industry. The courtyards were covered with heavy cement, which later served as foundations for the German heavy artillery. The buildings were constructed like small forts, which, too, were used to advantage during the German drive through Poland. Some of the farms were equipped with radio-telegraph towers, and these also, had a service to perform. As was later found out, the estates were in many places connected by a system of underground passages, miles in length.
The Germans had a very extensive and thorough system of espionage. This was more elaborately applied in Russia than in the West. Their spies were all over the country, in all layers of society, and they kept their government constantly informed of what was going on. It is said that even Emperor William took part in the organization of the system of espionage.
The German Emperor had hunting parks and castles near Vierzhbolovo, on the Russo-German border. Whenever he visited the grounds he always invited to his castle an obscure lieutenant-colonel of the border gendarmes. It was explained that this lieutenant-colonel was an expert at relating German anecdotes and that the Kaiser invited him as an entertainer. The name of the gendarme, who entertained the German Emperor, was Miasoyedov. It was he, who, at the beginning of the war, received the commission of a colonel in the army, was arrested later on the charge of treason, and executed as the most dangerous of the German spies discovered in the Russian army.
A popular Russian publicist, Nemerovich-Danchenko, writing from the front, describes several devices used by the Germans, which may be considered as factors in their success. In
