Evening star., 1945-02-18
Red Cross Sends Food
To U. 5. Prisoners in
Germany Via Sweden

Germany Via Sweden
Taken from an article by Mau-
rice Pate in prisoners OF ,oar
bulletin OF the American Red
Cross. Mr.. Pate recently toured
the ,Ddr areas.
Few Americans realize that the
main lifeline for food to their pris-
oner kin in Germany is now through
Sweden. Back of this is sequence
of events.
A year ago the American Red
Cross, backed by the United States
Government and military authori-
ties, sent large reserves of supplies
via Marseille to Switzerland. This
is why, though Switzerland was cut
off from France for five months last
summer and fall. we were able to
serve the camps in Germany out OF
reserves accumulated in Switzer-
land during the previous winter and
spring.
But two roads of relief are always
better than one Therefore, with
the aid of both Swiss and Swedes
we started planning as far back as
June, 1914, the new path via Cote
borg, Sweden, and North German
ports to the camps in Germany. This
has borne results. So far we have
shipped 10000 tons of war prisoner
relief supplies to Goteborg. Up tc
February, 1945, nearly 5000, ,00C
standard food packages shipped or
from Goteborg have reached Amer
ican and Allied camps in Germany
Mines Imperl Ships.
The Baltic Sea between Goteborg
and Lubbock, Germany, is sown with
anchored mines. So, when goods
are sent over this route, both we
and the Swedish shipowners who
provide the vessels are running con-
stant risks. Twenty voyages by
Swedish ships have SO far been
safely made between Goteborg and
Lubbock, though any day we know a
ship may strike mine. German
minesweepers cleared path for our
Swedish relief ships to Germany
and, at Lubbock. German freight cars
steadily move the food packages to
the camps.
The greatest single factor which
gives us strength in getting relief
and maintaining regular commune
cation with our prisoner kin is the
scrupulous attitude of the American
Army in fulfilling the Treaty Of
Geneva toward enemy prisoners.
Some have lightly called this policy
of our Army "mollycoddling." The
truth is that the Army has main
tanned the highest discipline in
handling enemy prisoners. 1t treats
these men strictly but fairly and
has obtained from them millions of
valuable man-work hours. In France
l saw tens of thousands of German
prisoners - fed, yes, but always
working intensively.
Food Better Than Guards Get.
The American prisoners receiving
regular Red Cross food packages eat
better, and have more tobacco, than
the Germans guarding them. Thus
far, too, the American prisoner with
his Red Cross and private parcels
eats as well as, or better than, the
average German civilian.
The plan worked out, and as 1t
now operates, permits reserves OF
one to two months-when railroad
cars are available, and when the
goods can be gotten safely through
but the Germans have prescribed
that the reserves must be stored in
depots adjacent to the camps. These
aepots are under double locks-one
controlled by the German COM
mander, the other by the American
camp spokesman. Stocks are then
brought periodically into the camps
and the goods distributed by the
American spokesman to his fellow
Americans.
Due to changes in the front,
camp may be suddenly moved
further inland in Germany. As a
part of military strategy the Ger
man authorities may sometimes
notify Geneva of such movement
only after a certain delay.
When sudden movements like
those of last December occur at the
front large numbers of new Amer
lean prisoners may Unexpectedly ar
rive in certain camps, increasing
many fold the existing American
strength. Then stocks of goods go
down rapidly and there may be a
temporary gap until Geneva can
rush new and larger amounts OF
supplies to the camp.
- There is a continuous struggle for
sufficient railroad cars, which, by
between the Swiss
and Germans, are furnished by the
German railroads.
Up to now the Germans have
given first priority after their own
military shipments to war prisoner
relief goods. However, these relief
are sometimes delayed
en- route by military movements and
by Allied bombing of railyards.
German Censors Swamped.
German censorship has been
swamped by letters from the hum
dreds of thousands of new German
prisoners and their families, whose
feeds through the
same channels as your letters to and
from American prisoners. And
prisoners have tripled in
since last June.
The report states that mail serv-
ice should be better in the future
for three reasons:
/. Last August the American Red
Cross, cooperating with the United
States post Office, moved all accu-
mulated parcels and land mail to
Sweden. Two solid freight trains
carried this American mail by land
and ferry from Sweden to Germany
in September.
2. The United States Army post
/1I--L W:l>J D.I@4