Evening star., 1941-09-02
By RICHARD MOWRER,


Foreign Correspondent of The Star and
Chicago Daily News.
BEIRUT, Sept. 2.-No fewer than
104 Frenchmen jumped ship here
this week end to join the Free
French troops when three French
steamers from Marseille docked in
the flarbor to take Vichy troops back
to France. This is the fourth con-
voy which has come from France
to take away Vichy troops and each
time the ships have had to return
to Marseille shorthanded.
Seven, 27 and 10 Frenchmen quit
the ships of three previous conveys,
respectively, in order to join the
Free French forces. This time three
steamers will return home definitely
undermined. Furthermore, squad
of 80 men of the Vichy troops have
changed their minds about sailing
to France since the news swept the
town of the fourth conveys 104
Free Frenchmen.
AT first I thought would have
to swim there" one of the 104 told
your correspondent. But we docked
and I waited until after noon, then
just walked down the gangplank
and nobody stopped me-"
Many Had Same Idea.
He was one of many who, during
the trip, had said nothing about his
intention. Then, when the ships
docked in Beirut, he found many
of his companions had exactly the
same idea as himself. Some of the
men who sneaked off their ships
returned to get their suitcases when
they found it was so easy. A score
were flyers. Two others were Chas-
seurs Alpins. Others were men
from various parts of France, who
got jobs on the ships thanks to the
shortage of seamen in Marseille.
The previous convoy brought a
physician who signed up. as stoker.
For an hour 1 listened to the upper
feelings of the 104, now released in
flood as the men told each other
what they had kept to themselves
until now.
ITS not knowing who's who" one
of them explained to me.
In the outpouring three refrains
kept recurring:
Les Allemandes, they eat every
thing"
IF they had ships at lie Havre
you'd see how many people would
come away" said man from Havre
who was Immediately followed up
by exclamations, "and Cherbourg
and Bordeaux"
All emphatically agreed that the
food situation in occupied and un-
occupied France was bad
Meat Rations Reduced.
A former Partisan, who proudly
identified himself as of the 18th
ACCOMPLISHMENT, stated that the
meat rations in Paris had been re-
duced to 40 grams Q25 ounces
weekly. An intent. blue-eyed man
from Bordeaux told of the lack of
vegetables there.
They (the Nazis) take every
thing. Once We were loading onto
a German ship what we thought
were barrels of wine. One burst and
dried vegetables fell out
Lack of vegetables is general in
French towns, according to what
the men from Cherbourg, Bordeaux,
Paris, Nantes and Dion had to say.
All are 100 per cent against col
laboration with the Germans and
they spoke of trouble with the police,
beatings by Germans. shootings by
Germans and bitter hatred. A
young Partisan machine tool worker
told of getting into fight with q
group of French National Socialists
and his arrest and detention by the
police. whereas the French Nazis
were not even questioned.
The police had a complete rec
ord of me-even my grades II
school," he exclaimed.
When released he was soon picked
up by the Germans and sent to Ber.
lin, where he was put TO work in
factory on the Khuenemannstrasse
He escaped, thanks to German
girl. who gave him money anc
friendship. he said, and got to Hol-
land, Belgium and occupied France
from which he finally reached Mar
seille after a close shave on the
demarcation line, where the Ger
mans now use police dogs.
Waded Rhine to Switzerland.
A short little man from Cassis-
Sur-Mer, near Marseille, was a
prisoner of war, who, after two tries
finally escaped from Germany by
wading across the Upper Rhine to
Switzerland. He was captured on
the Aisne Canal June 6, 1910, and