Evening star., 1919-09-28
The :: S.Mission and Repatriation Days in Berlir


: Spartacans and government troops
put on q show in the Pafiser Plats
that didn't conduce much for sleeping
at night. Their typewriter guns"
played spirited tattoos at .'timcs. and
a good many casualties were, the re-.
suit. N'Af
The top of the Brandenburger Thor
was favorite place for machine gun
nests. and in the shooting some stray
bullets hit the Adlon.
One day when Gen. Harries was
standing behind drawn shutters in
his suite facing the Platz from the
Adlon second story. machine gun
bullet from somewhere hit near his !.
window sill and dug hole in the
? granite coping about eight inches deep.
There was always q question as to
whether the general was seen from
the street and whether the pot-shot
was deliberate. The Incident was.
however, believed to have been acci-
dental and no question was ever raised
about 1t. It was easily possible that
the bullet went astray, as 1t was not
impossible that some ex-veteran ma
chine gunner who harbored a grudge
against blood enemy Of twp months
previous had taken this means to 81. .
press his grudge. ~:
#I*%*
On this occasion, as on the occa- .
sion Of the big shows in Berlin 4
later. q guard was put on the tAdlon I
by the Germans. They. manned two 3
machine gums which were placed An {
the entrances lobby to the hotel and 4
which would have swept the street !
In case they were put into operation.
They had no occasion. however, to
use them. : =. {
,They peculiar feature about this
guard was tho .fact that the Sparta
cans and the government troops. who .
were running q close race at that
time, both placed q guard ct the Adj
Ion door. Tho government troops !
held one side Of tho entrance. the
Spartacans the other. Neither was
to .be outdone In offering protection
lived In, the hostelry. Naturally
there was an arntistice between the
contendfns factions.
= When the American prisoners were
all checked UP and repatriated, the
awork'.of the American STAN broadened
to takescars OF other prisoners. These
were. notably. at first; Rumanians.
Serbians,: Poles. And. last, but BY, 10
means least. the Russians. Of which
~ !.
This. hgure was never accounted for.
however. the. medical star Of the !.
American mission only. being able TO
take d cehsus of around 500. 900. I
The assumption of. repatriating
these other. prisoners. /. the .American.
,stan being q part. Of the interallied !
comm tssion' for the repatriation Of all
lied prisoners, naturally snecessitated- :
increasing the personnel Of the Amer
lean mission. y. '"$.'. -
The Berlin STAFF had to be. substan- !
TALLY Increased. while the field per-.t
sonnel sent to the. various Russian :
prison. camps. throughout unoccupied
Germany was recruited from our !
forces IN France and in the army: OF 4
occupation mounting UP to-. about =
500 American of1icers and men. ~. /. )
The Berlin group or stan attained {
the; average permanent proportion. Of )
about: twenty-five oficers. and about :
forty enlisted mon. This staff was,
concerned mainly with. handling and
distributing. .commissary stores for
the near battalion spread all over
Germany. ,Itworked as, part ana par.
eel Of the allied mission. under the :
chalrntanshfpo OF the British. Gen, Mall
colin. serving IN cooperation with. ths
arn1tstice commission. ::
!, The call for volunteers for .,.Russian
prisoner" work went out in Tebruasy.' !:
and was generously answered by
American, officers and mens anxious to
get Into anoccupied Germany and keen
IN love OF adventure. - -,
Z, THE frst contingents came through
In February. reporting to Berlin for
assignment to q prison, camp.
:, When: I arrived in Berlin, February
is. there were about; a half dozen !
junior otncers then waiting for assign
:. mene to camps. We put up at q hotel :
In the Anhslterstrasse called the Allie.
, mania. Here we had an interesting !.