The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-12-15

WOrkman--tOld me today much that
he had seen from the viewpoint OF
professional soldier.
Being an officer, he was given
a choice-as are other captured
officers in German prisons of
either remaining in prison or
working outside, the latter natur-
ally meaning a better chance OF
escape. But If an officer chose
outside work, for instance as a
shop foreman, the Germans re-
quired the signing of an affidavit
swearing not to attempt to escape
and never again to take up arms
for his homeland.
Like every other officer in his
prison, this man refused such q
pledge. He remained confined for
two years. Three attempts at es-
cape ended In failure. The fourth
succeeded, and there began the
long trek which ended here today.
In our discussion, as he changed
his clothes, drank some OF my
American coffee and prepared to
live again, he told me that Ger
man transportation remains the
weakest link in the German war
machine but that much remains
to be done before the transport
system is crippled.
The German trains are moving
better than We have thought. he
said. For example, in blitzed
Cologne, near the famous cathe-
dral, the railway station familiar
to so many Americans was hit hard
but the long four-track bridge lead
ing from the station across the
Rhine still operates daily and Is
repaired whenever hit.
In the opinion of this escaped
ofIker and others. that point
should be vital in REIMBURSEMENT
Of any idea we may have that the
bombing OF trains and tracks
means an early collapse of Ger
many.
What Is happening. however, is
that supplies are believed deliv-
cred to German plants so errati-
cally that our estimate Of the eff
feet OF such bombings on industry
is correct, and this will have It's
impact on the battle lines some
months from now.
Equally important Is the slow
down among the amazingly high
percentage Of foreigners working
in Nazi plants. The highest sucn
proportion I found from talking
here to persons formerly employ
ed in these plants and now
escaped is 15 Germans to ITO
Frenchmen, Belgians, Poles and
Russians In one motor repair shop
at Frankfurt.
The fall of italy improved the
coal supply in Germany some
what, because of less diversion of
coal to Italy. 1t Is the shattered
windows in the big cities that
hurts the heating situation most
now, and makes winter such a
factor on the home front.
The cleavage In thinking between
young Germans ard older ones Is
as great as ever. The old ones have
been drawing fatal parallel with
the last war since America entered
this one. The young ones, however,
have never known anything but the
idea of victory. 1t Is almost impos-
sib,e for Americans to realize the
extent of the indoctrination of the
German youth. For example, their
continued references to danger to
the United States from South Amer
lea, and their conviction that a
secret upon will destroy England,
where they believe we have concern
trated everything.
Both New York and Washing
ton have been heavily bombed,
they are sure. and I am "A liar
when I deny 1t to Germans in the
neutral capitals because they
know OF aviators who have bomb
ed us. They associate the Cairo
and Teheran meetings with the
great Arabian war" now going
on SO mysterioulsy. as q result OF