The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-05-25
Observations
German Prisoners
Tough, Smart But
Lack Initiative
BY Helen Essary

You get a first hand glimpse OF
our Nazi Zoe when you see a Ger
man soldier in a United States
prisoner of war camp. You think:
Here is the enemy Is he tough
an smart? As tough and smart as
We hear he is
Certainly he's tough and smart.
He's a fine soldier" Col Philip
Moisan and Maj. William Gleason.
war prisoner camp commanders
at Fort Lee and Fort Pickett, des-
cribed the German soldier in al.
most identical words He's a
first class hghting man. We've
watched him work in captivity. He's
been trained TO obey orders and
give the best he has TO the task
at hand So when we study him
We say, II we're honest This IS
what we've got to beat We've
GOT TO beat him So we've GOT
TO be better than he is
asked many questions OF the
W. P camp commanders Of Fort
Lee and Fort Pickett about the
German soldier. watched the
German soldier as best could
from the distance | was permitted
10 see him on my recent visits 10
the forts. What | learned of this
young hghting man who typihes
the enemy we are struggling TO de-
feat | shall now condense in small
paragraphs.
The German soldier is NOT a
superman. He has health,
strength. industry and stamina.
He has had years OF military train
ing. But he is NOT superior to
the average American soldier Put
American uniforms on Germans
and German uniforms on Ameri.
cans. Mix them up and you
wouldn't be able to tell them apart"
Both Colonel Moisan and Major
Gleason TO. me this individually.
Each commanding officer was una
ware that the other had so spoken.
The German soldier has been
disciplined TO obey like a machine.
But such machine-like obedience
has its weakness. 1t kills initia-
tive. For example-put so German
P. W.'s-as the prisoners OF war
ar called-to work at S o'clock
some morning on a swamp clean
ing project At 10 O'Clock take
% OF them of the project and
move them, under guard. OF course,
TO a new project-say farming.
The % P. VS. left In the swamp
Job will be completely demoralized.
They won't know how 10 fll in the
gaps the departing % have made.
The departing % put into the farm
Job for which they had not been
given early morning instructions
will be demoralized in their unex-
pected environment. The result
OF the change will be that no work
wi be had out OF so men all day.
American soldiers in a similar
situation would bang ahead and
try 10 fill the gaps left In the first
Job and plunge into the second job
Undoubtedly there are Nazis and
political maneuvers in the P W.
camps. How could II be supposed
there would be none? Perhaps
among the P. WIS there are young
Germans who are not Nazis. But
how would it be possible ever to be
sure which we're which?
Yes. there have been some I'M
pleasant disturbances in several
OF the P W. camps. There have
been rebellions and fighting among
N, prisoners. There was the Ger
man P. ". who was found hanging
10 a rafter in his room sae morn
ing. 1t is not possible to supply
enough guards to watch every P.
W. The guards and the command
in officers do the best they can.
In civilian prisons fighting is not
unheard OF. Prisoners in civilian
prisons have been known TO kill
each other. and to commit suicide.
We know we are not up against
lollypops in the Germans either
on the battle field or in the war
prisoner camp. Handling the war
prisoner is delicate and hazard
Gus job.
Most OF the German prisoners in
the United States camps are aware
OF their rights under the Geneva
conference, TO which all the ma
lions engaged in this World War
II except Japan agreed Several
minor disturbances in the P. W.
camps have been caused by rebel
lious groups that thought they
were receiving unfair treatment.
Some P. WIS objected through their
camp Spokesman TO working with
fertilizer on the ground that u
was unhealthy work from which
they were protected by the Geneva
convention. Medical advisers ex-
planned that fertilizer work was
unpleasant but not harmful. The
p WIS went back TO work.