Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-21
Many French Patriots
Reported Still HOLDING
Out in Mountains
Lack Of Food and Arms
Forces Some to Give Up,
But Others Organize
r. the Associated Pre-

~ the Associated Press.
AT THE FRENCH FRONTIER
IN SWITZERLAND, March 20
Lack Of food, arms and adequate
leadership have driven a numheI
OF French patriots down from thu
hills Of the Haute Savoie region
where they took refuge in an efort
to escape the NaZi forced labor pro-
gram, but reports persisted tonight
that a substantial portion of then
had succeeded in reaching organized
insurgent bands, which were sale
to be awaiting an opportune mo-
nent to strike.
For The last two weeks along the
Swiss-French border there have
been various mconfirmed reports
but they reflected the uncertainty
OF the youths who thought the hour
Of the Allied invasion of Europe
had arrived.
They fed to the woods and noun
tains. attempting to evade the Maj
efforts to recruit labor ard at the
same time empty France Of all DOS
slble manDoWer which could be mo-
bilized in the event OF an American
British landing.
Reports of Resistance Conflict.
Reports today continued to con-
f1ict, One placed the number of
organized insurgents who were re-
ported adequately supplied with
food and ammunition as high as
1000 Another said the chief CEN
ter Of resistance was not Haute
Savoie. but the wilder region Of
Averyon However, this could not
be confirmed.
A dispatch from Auxerres. in
North Central France, to the Del
mont Democratic said the youth of
France suffered cruel disillusion-
ment" the last few days. during
which reports circulated from the
Vosges Mountains to the Pyrenees
and from Dunkerque to ChamoiniX
that Americans, English and Fight
ing French would certainly" land
In Normandy. Belgium and Norway
The dispatch said that wherever
the youths organized they awaited
only the order to place themselves
under the command of resolute
chiefs to lead them against the oc-
cupation troops, but the. hour, the
dispatch said. did not strike"
The Democratic dispatch declared
that in all cities as we'll as the
country the groups were ready for
the supreme sacrifice" but that they
frequently lack firm direction, pre-
else orders and information service"
The Journal Geneye said resist
ance varies in different areas and
that 1t is strongest above Cluse.
Women May Be Recruited.
La Suisse reported today that
large part of the mobile guards
were sent to Cluse and Scionzier
because the people there were te-
raciously opposing labor recruit
ment.
The Gazette lausanne said that
In Eastern France reports insisted
that girls and young women Of
France would be called next for COM
pulsory labor il Germany,
In the Haute Savoie region some
Of the original group of patriots,
which was estimated as high as
5000, were said to have walked 100
miles or more in their attempt to
hide. The confusion of some of
these boys vas indicated by one
who walked $50 miles and crossed
the Swiss-French border. He said
he heard" that fighting occurred
between the French mobile guards
and youths in which grenades were
thrown and that Pierre Laval had
declared state of siege in all
Haute Savoie."
The French Minister of Informa-
ton attempted today TO minimize
the uprising. described by the Jour-
nal Geneve as the important first
appearance of spiritual resistance
The French minister declared no
ultimatum had been issued by the
Nazis and that French authorities
brought the youths ito their duty"