The remainder of the charge is that “long before August 2nd,” French airmen had dropped bombs on South German towns.  The towns in question are Frankfort and Nuremberg.  The Koelnische Zeitung contained this paragraph on August 2nd:  “A military report has just come in, stating that French airmen dropped bombs in the neighbourhood of Nuremberg this morning.  As war has not yet been declared between France and Germany, this is a breach of international law.”

Two remarks are necessary to supplement the above “news.”  Firstly, in the Reichstag, the Chancellor said this attack had occurred “long before August 2nd.”  Secondly, the Cologne Gazette received the report from the military authorities.  That betrays the source from which all these lies emanated.

The author has in his possession a Nuremberg paper (Fraenkische Tagepost) for the whole of August, 1914.  It contains absolutely no mention of any air raid on or near Nuremberg.  If bombs had been dropped in the vicinity, it is quite unthinkable that the local papers should contain no report of the affair.

President Poincare, on July 15th, 1915, declared the Nuremberg flight to be a fable.  The Fraenkischer Kurier (a Nuremberg newspaper) on August 1st, 1915, contains an article which states that the news of these alleged airmen, whom nobody saw, was spread throughout the length and breadth of the German Empire.  This same paper ridicules the whole affair.

Another extract gives the key to the whole mystery.  “Yesterday (Monday, August 3rd), at 8 p.m., the following official announcement was given out for publication.

“Up till now, the German troops, in obedience to orders given, have not crossed the French frontier.  In contrast to this since yesterday (August 2nd) French troops have attacked our frontier posts without any declaration of war.  They have crossed the German frontier at several points, although only a few days ago the French Government assured us that they would keep a zone ten kilometres wide free from their troops. Since last night French troops hold German places in occupation. Since yesterday bomb-dropping airmen have come into Baden and Bavaria; further, by violating Belgian neutrality, they have fled over Belgian territory into the Rhine province and tried to destroy our railways.  Thus France has begun an attack upon us, and thereby created a state of war.  The safety of the Empire compels us to take defensive measures.  The Kaiser has given the necessary orders.  The German Ambassador in Paris has been instructed to demand his passports."[25]

[Footnote 25:  From the Berliner Lokal Anzeiger of August 4th.]

Germany had no earthly excuse to begin war on France, and imitating the noble example of Bismarck in forging the notorious Ems telegram which precipitated the 1870 war, the German military authorities forged the “news” of alleged attacks by French airmen and French troops.  The German Official Press Bureau completed this vile, criminal work.