The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-09-21
10000 Sudetens
 Ready For Action
All Anxious to Start Fighting Women and Children
 Being Sent to Northern Germany

ences in getting across the border. One woman 1 saw slipped across Saturday with her 14-day-old baby and three-year-old son. Her hus- 1 band accompanied her but in cross ing the frontier they couldn't ham, dle both children. A young man with them took the baby. Another woman from the town of Baeren- stein waded the frontier creek with two children in her arms. She said Czech soldiers got her other two children and held them in Czecho- slovakia.
 Others reported brushes with frontier guards trying to stop them. One said that only intervention of the German guards on the other side of the frontier prevented the Czechs from firing on her party.
 The refugees come to Germany by many means Some-the older ones not subject to military service-come on busses. Some women snuggled themselves on trains. But most of them sneaked through the woods at night and slipped across the from tier.
 All of the men appeared to be eager to get back and start fight ing. One man told me that "one reason why so many of us have fled is because at any time there might be a call to take arms and shoot our fellow Germans in Ger many"
 "There was plenty of food Czecho- slovakia," he said, "but we didn't have much to eat because unless we have work there is no money to buy food and most of us have had no work"
 Many of the men appeared to be in excellent health. Some had hol- low cheeks and every appearance of undernourishment. Physicians and two nurses of the Red Cross corps at the camp said there was no serious sickness among the refu- gees but that most were in poor physical condition due to lack of food. There were a few cases of diphtheria among smaller chil- dren.
 The men said that, once their families are sent to the Baltic coast, they will feel free to fight. The chief worry of most of them was ita regard to the fate of their relatives still in Czechoslovakia.
 We cannot send any letter." one man said, flor letters are seized as soon as they reach Czechoslo- vakia. Our folks do not know whether we have been shot or put in a Czech prison or escaped to Germany.
 Worse than that, if we try to send a letetr, the receiver gets into trouble"
 The men have been lined up and drilled to be ready to go into &C., ton as units by Friday if neces- sary. Little preparation is needed because of the military experience of most of them. They have not, however, had much experience handling rifles which may be of an unfamiliar make or with artil- lery. -.
 In the village, saw theaters and drill halls being taken over. The men were bunked on the floor of big auditorium on straw. Men and women line up at kitchens for food and eat in the open. Wash rooms are provided in an emergency man. ner with basins and chairs. All work is done on ail emergency basis but 1t appeared efficient.
 Women and men are separated as there are not sufficient quarters to keep families together. Every man is registered and must answer a long list of questions. A careful check is made to make sure that no spies are among the refugees.
 After being enrolled the men are drilled and otherwise kept busy as much of the time as possible.
 Tn the part of Czechoslovakia where we came from the popula- ton is 95 per cent German" one refugee said. Tn spite of this all our officials were either Czechs or Communists. We had nothing to say in our own country. The Czechs and Communists alone had weap- ons. They are now in the frontier guard.
 "When we get back in our own country, which we will certainly do as soon as word is given, the only place there will be for Communists will be Soviet Russia"