The roads were empty, too, except that there were wrecked shells of automobiles and bloated carcasses of dead troop horses.

When the Germans, in their campaigning, smash up an automobile--and traveling at the rate they do there must be many smashed--they capsize it at the roadside, strip it of its tires, draw off the precious gasoline, pour oil over it and touch a match to it.
What remains offers no salvage to friend, or enemy either.
The horses rot where they drop unless the country people choose to put the bodies underground.

We counted the charred cadavers of fifteen automobiles and twice as many dead horses during that ride.

The smell of horseflesh spoiled the good air.

When passing through a wood the smell was always heavier.