The Wilmington morning star., 1945-04-12
WITH THE AEF: 81"
Disintegration OF The Reich
By IVES GALLAGHER
Substituting for Kenneth l.. Dixan]

hGMIO, Germany, - Up - A
British prisoner who recently was
in Danzig, then met the American
advance through the Hanover
plain reported seeing eight Ger
man soldiers hanged in one group
from telephone poles because they
had refused to fight any more.
The prisoner, taken at bunker.
que in 1910, had a fantastic es-
cape tale. He was a medic and
had been working four years un-
loading coal in East Prussia. He
escaped, fell in with an English
speaking German woman with four
children who had relatives in Eng
land. She befriended him and OBJ
tanned false Wehrmacht papers
for him which stated that he was
to work for her, helping to take
care OF the children in fleeing
from Prussia to Lage, near Belle
field. In the full uniform of 2 Brit
ish soldier he Travelled through Dan
zig to Lage just in time to meet
the Americans.
He said Danzig Germans wanted
to declare the city open and let
the Russians enter, that German
forces were in confusion and that
many soldiers were hanged for de-
sertlon. He said he saw many hang
ed publicly. Both he and the Ger
man woman reported seeing a
great number of German troops on
the Eastern Front and almost none
on the Western Front in the Han
mover area. Hanover, they said,
was a city of the dead, with not
single factory working as a re-
suit of American airraids.
The prisoners story Of many
Germans being hanged for deser-
ton or being AWOL was verified
by a German soldier at Russian
prisoner of war camp who was a
clerk in military court. He said
more Germans were tried by the
court and shot in recent weeks for
deserving their jobs than Russians.
'The SIS also punished their
families he added.
The Second Armored Division
hit a new record low in German
prisoners when it took an 11-year-
old Hitler youth. He was one of
200 found fighting near Bielefeld
under command of fanatical one
armed Nazi. Their total effort did
not equal that of one well-trained
soldier. American authorities are
pszzled about what to do with such
youths. They don't want to treat
them as regular prisoners, nor turn
them loose.
Armored warfare is hazardous
for liaison officers and those who
must travel on their own, including
correspondents. After the main
body of tanks of a combat COM
mand pass through, the Germans
often flock back over roads be-
cause armored forces never bother
to mop up.
An executive officer, 1t. Col.
Lindsay Herkness of Philadelphia,
Pa, started back to division head
quarters. the other night and had
his jeep shot out from under him.
He made his way to telephone,
called his commanding Off er, Col.
Sidney Hids of Nashville, Tenn,
and said: Sorry, sir. but I have
not enough strength to make the
trip back to the DIVISION
The colonel sent tank to carry
him through.
Hungry slave workers in Ger
many worry American soldiers
more than battle. There are SO
many of them and the sight of
gaunt skeletons scrambling for
food shake the Americans. Cpl.
Woodrow H. Harris of Jaspera
La, and PFC. Eugene Ford of
Los Angeles, Calf, both of the
Second Armored Division, looked
around the cellar of Wehrmacht
training school and found good
quantity of food. They loaded it
into jeep and started a relief
mission of their: own.
"You never saw anyone so hap
py,' said Harris. ''It made you
feel good
The best biscuit maker in the
Army, PFC. Claudio Jackson, "a,
of Dyersburg, Tenn, who cooks
for the Second ArmoDed Division,
wants no part of cooking in. civilian
life.
He wants to own portable skat-
ing rink.
In the same kitchen is PFC.
George McCerry of Philadelphia,
Pa, who used to cook in his faith
ers restaurant but spends all his
time washing dishes in the Army
and does, it by choice.
mo cooking for me-" he said.
There are too damn many COM
plaints.''
Hampstead Soldier Held
Az Corman Wor pr;eonor