Evening star., 1944-06-18
Gaeta Woman, Born
In U. s., Tells Of Nazi
Brutality in Italy
BY NEWBOLD MOVES,
Star War Correspondent.

[ WITH THE 5th ARMY Delayed
Mary Patterson, born quite while
ego In New York, stood on the side.
walk, her hands on her hips, a smile
on her face, watching scores OF
American trucks roll through the
streets Of Gaeta.
ITS = good thing you people
came" she said. Mine months we
have been waiting for you. Nine
months now we have been living
mostly on weeds. I think you got
here Just in time"
A block down the street the people
OF Gaeta milled BY the hundreds
around recently in1psovised field
kitchens from which AMG rationed
the special soup, flour, soap, canned
meat and, for the children, con-
densed milk. Most OF them were
women-thin, hollow eyes. hungry.
Fight for Place in Line.
They fought for their places In
line, clutching with grim hands the
pots, tin cans and pieces Of wrap
ping paper in which they hoped to
carry away their precious loads.
Less than 1000 Italians are in
Gaeta now. The normal popula-
ton Of the town Is about $4,000. A
few Of the absentees were still hid
ing In the hills where they had fed
to escape the Germans. The rest
the Germans had taken with them.
The Germans were terrible here,
she said. ''They did every color. You
don't understand? I say they did
every color, which means they did
everything. They gave us nothing
to eat-nothing to eat at all--and
yet they made us work harder. If
anybody refused to work they killed
him. Il they wanted any OF the girls
they took them. It is good you came.
You must believe 1.-THE people are
all 80 happy now that you are here" /"
3 Freedom Restored.
There could be no question in the
mind Of anybody who saw these peo-
pie today but that Mary Patterson
spoke the truth. The people Of
Gaeta were hungry: now they had
food. Since the occupation Of the
town the Americans had not only
pushed the front Is miles up the
coast but had afterward actually
restored to the people the freedom
from want and the freedom from
fear.
Probably 1t win not be long before
they find that they have freedom OF
speech as well. When that day
comes and the first feverish flush OF
gratitude is paled a little they will
find, as the Neopolitans have found,
that 1t is their. privilege to complain
II they do not like the macaroni we
proyide-that they would rather
have spaghetti.
But their immediate gratitude is
both genuine and pathetic. When
we stopped our jeep In the Via
Faustina today these hungry people
dragged US into what was left OF
their houses and made us drink the
wine they had hidden from the
Germans.
Hatred for Germans.
Their hatred Of the Germans wasI
genuine, VoO.s 81 I'D
Pia Caliendo's husband, . police
man, died five years ago. It al
started. she says, when three Ger
man soldiers pointed their guns at
him and ordered him to bring them
some girls. He ran away and hid
In the hills.
"The Germans made him die"
she says. Hiding in the hills he
became sick. used to 90 to the
Germans and try to get q little
soup or bread for him. They would
give me nothing. could feed him
only weeds cooked in oil. He was
sick and he starved TO death. They
made him die.
"The American people have a
heart. I know lived is years In
the United States. The German
people have no heart"