The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-08

W pso NeetO'o GUN " Cft6 LIuUtOWIy III
surrection of October, 1928. For
nearly q gear, Hamburg had been
the scene of bitter fights for wages,
for the eight-hour day, for the pay
nlemt of aoa9es IN gold currency 1.-THE
continually falling exchange value
of the mark made paper money al
most VaIuetess before the qOorkers
could spend their aoages and also
for political demands, such as q
roorkers' government and control of
production. In October, 1928, the
a0hole aoorkipg class of Germany
stood on the Verge of insurrection,
but 1t aoas only IN Hamburg that
the Increment developed into organ
lied street aOarfare. Larissa Reiss-
mar describes the battle IN her book,
Hamburg at the Ba17'icades," from
achich this story is tdken.)
THE Barbados grew up as if out
of the earth, increased with in
credible rapidity. There were no
saws or shovels-they were obtained
from somewhere. The inhabitants
were set to work digging trenches
and erecting barricades. Toiling
and sweating they dug up the pave
ment and sawed down the sacred
trees of the public gardens.
Piled up right across the street,
the barricade renders it impossible
for the enemy to see what is behind
its rough, forbidding front; it
diverts his attention and serves him
as the only visible target. The barri-
cade receives with it's empty breast
the whole of the furious fire which
the troops direct against the in
visible opponent.
The troops are compelled to attack
in the open streets. The workers take
up the fight in their own quarters.
All attempts of the regular troops
to capture Barmbeck on Tuesday,
Octboer %, proved vain against the
scattered, invisible, and unseizable
position of the sharp-shooter who,
from somewhere or other, from the
windows of the second stories,
calmly take aim, while down below
the helpless crowd of police send a
hail of bullets against the empty
barricades.
in anticipation of an attack by
armoured cars, the insurgents
succeed without dynamite or other
explosives in destroying a concrete
bridge which looks as if it would last
forever. The workers discover it's
vulnerable artery--a huge gas main
break it open and set fire to it.
One Of the armoured cars drives
blindly into still and empty street.
A halt is made in order to repair its
mechanism. The next moment
barricade springs up in front of it.
The car turns about-sawn down
trees, their branches and limbs
stretching right across the road, bar
its retreat.
THE actual fights lasts the whole
of Tuesday. The first attacks
begin at about IL o'clock in the
morning. The most stubborn at
tacks take place in the Won Essen
Strasse and along the line of barri-
cades extending from both sides of
the railway embankment. The police
storm the railway station. Their de-
tachments run along the railway en-
bankment in order to dislodge the
workers from above.
They are allowed to pass the first
and second ambush unscathed. From
the third they are swept by a muir
derous fire. The insurgents fire
not only from behind cover, but also
from the neighboring housetops.
Shippers are scattered over the roofs
of the houses, and keep whole streets,
the most important crossings and
squares under fire.
In the street below is trench and
a barricade. The insurgents have al
ready held it for some hours. A de-
tachment Of police attacks with in
creasing fierceness. Then a cry is
suddenly heard from above.
"Away from the barricade"
The people do not know what is
the matter. A young worker of about
twenty-three, obviously wounded,
comes down to them. He tells them
to clear away from the barricade as
the insurgents lying on the roofs are
afraid Of hitting their own people
while firing at the police. The work
err disappears again in the entrance
Of house, and few minutes after
the fire from the roof forces the
police to withdraw.