Impression sketch
of Latvian girl giving
drugged wine to German sentries - by Jamie.
Within the
fighting lands between Russia
And Germany,
included the area of Latvia
And the historical
region of Courland -
This low-lying,
undulating land of lakes
And marsh, with
pine and spruce across
Woody dunes formed
homeland of Letts.
A Baltic ethnic
group who shared a common
Voice of Latvians
- with the spread of war
January 1916, saw
fleeing of Letts people
From the path of
Germans that overran
One Courland
village, to tell a brave story.
Making their
military movements a German
Detachment came
upon a Courland farm -
The small number
of men took the house
By force, in
order to eat and rest - upon
A nearby hill sentries were put on guard,
To remain there in
the bitter chill of night.
Within the farmhouse warmth the soldiers
Found their
supplies of drink low - a German
Lieutenant
addressed the farmer’s daughter
Of 17 years,
ordering her to get them wine,
Or their house
would burn to the ground.
Along with promise of being subjected
To violence –
With a stash of old liqueur
In the cellar,
this girl had an idea before
Serving them wine
from the two barrels -
Taking a sleeping
powder draft formed
From bluebells she
added this to the drink.
With one barrel
swiftly emptied, the soldiers
Demanded more -
the girl did as they bid -
Having dropped
twice the amount of draft
Into that second
barrel - as drink passed lips
The Germans began
to roll onto the floor.
With the drunk
men slumbering all about
The barrel, the
girl filled a bowl and took
This out into the
bitter night, to where sentries
Stood on freezing
guard – the girl's ruse
Was to tell them
she was under Lieutenant's
Orders to bring wine for them to drink.
On returning to
the farmhouse her father had
Already tied tight rope about arms and legs
Of the
unconscious Germans - Meanwhile
She gathered
together their weapons and hid
Them deep down
within the darkened cellar.
With this task
done and the father guarding
The Germans, the girl left into the night
To make her way
over paths of forests and
Swamps - finally to
reach a Siberian outpost -
There she
addressed the officer of Siberian
Rifles to tell
them what had occurred.
With high
excitement, the Lett girl informed
Them how she had
overcome and disarmed
Twenty German
soldiers and their officer -
This fact they
found hard to believe, when
Finally convinced
they followed her home.
With the disarmed
roped soldiers sound
Asleep in a
drunken stupor, pails of ice cold
Water were thrown
over them – roused
In their surprise, was to find themselves
Prisoners of
Russian Forces - afterwards
The girl shook
hands with Russian General.
The farmer's
daughter was praised for this
Brave act, which
was reported to higher
Military
authority - the girl was later awarded
For her heroism, to receive the decoration
Of the Russian
army; a St Georges Cross.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1916. A
Russian Heroine - Peasant Girl's Ruse - Trapping The Germans. The Daily
Telegraph, [online] 8 February 1916.
P.6. Col.3. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12138807/Daily-Telegraph-February-8-1916.html
[Accessed: 8 February 2016].
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