Evening star., 1945-04-10

Dunkirk They began the trek west
ward when the Russians pushed
their way into Germany. Some
times nearly a million Germans,
fleeing the invading Soviet armies,
were on the road.
The jeep driver, Thomas Barnes
of Richmond Hill, N. Y, and l had
joined an infantry division late
yesterday as the troops were enter
ing the old university city Of Goet-
tingena There. couple of Palestine
Jews told for the first time the ter
rible story of the forced winter
march and said their comrades were
still at Duderstadt.
Maj. Willard Morris Of River
Forest, ILL.,, was ordered to take
Duderstadt and release the prison.
ers at any cost Maj. Morris, with
his battalion, started at dawn. My
driver and 1 accompanied the at
tack, and just before noon we
literally waded into Duderstadt.
1t may seem trite to say we waded
through blood as we entered the
town, while guns on tank destroyers
shot up. facing German horse-drawn
conveys. But, as I write this seven
hours later, my boots are still bloody.
'4ater, while the infantry was still
moppir p the city, Barnes and I
drove . ad to the prison camp
where the haggard men were lean
ing over their wire enclosures, wait
ing for us.
New Zealander in Charge.
The man left in charge here is a
remarkable mana sergeant major
of the New Zealand Army who was
captured four years ago in Africa.
He has done his best to keep up
morale and discipline during the
barbarous march across Germany.
But the prisoners, especially the
Americans, are in an indescribable
condition. 1t is hard to tell you
about them. There was the Mary
land man captured in the bulge
last December 10. whose emaciated
body is completely covered with
loathsome sores.
The Americans are wearing Brit
iSh uniforms which the English
prisoners pieced together for them.
Both the British and the French
were treated much better than the
Americans. They themselves con-
cede this. They, too, are mere
masses Of skin and bones, but they
were less Disseminated against.
American bombings of German
cities was given as the reason for
the German resentment against the
American prisoners.
A sergeant major and young
French priest have been war pris-
oners for five years. The two, with
another priest, British captain of
South African forces and a Jewish
doctor from London. all of whom
have been prisoners at least four
years, were largely responsible for
keeping up the morale of the pris-
oners on their terrible winter trek.
March Began in January.
The march began in January from
three prison camps-one in Upper
Silesia, one near Dresden and an
other at Saigon, on the Polish border.
The men were marched from Is to 30
miles a day, without food, sleeping
without blankets. sometimes in barns
and sometimes in snowdrifts. The
prisoners died like flies along the
way. The story of their hardships
was almost unbelievable; yet, 1 am
discounting all but the most con-
servative testimony-that of the
doctor who, by the way, was grad
uate of Goettingen University, near
where the trek ended.
Some of the German guards, with
impossible orders to carry out, often
risked their own necks to do little
kindnesses for the prisoners, the
doctor said, but the attitude of the
German higher officers was beyond
description.
Don't condemn the Germans al
together for this" the doctor said.
The little people, soldiers and civil
ians, were often good to us. But
(See HENRY, Page A-5D