Laurel outlook., 1945-06-13
Years of Toll
Facing Germans
Work of Rebuilding Europe
Which They Ravaged Is
Gigantic Task.

SUPREME HEADQUARTERS
AEF.-Less than one-fourth of the
ESQ, 900 German prisoners taken on
the western front have been put to
work, but the Allies are considering
a plan to make them work and keep
them working, for years perhaps, in
rebuilding the Europe which they
ravaged.
1t may be that this plan of en-
forced labor as Germany's major
reparation will not be dissimilar to
the already announced plan by the
Russians to make the Germans re-
store all they have destroyed how
ever long it may take, according to
the Associated Press.
Already from the liberated lands
of western Europe, France foremost
among them, have come requests
for prisoner labor to till fields, re-
build roads and mine coal-labor by
the tens of thousands.
These are the essentials now,
but the rebuilding of towns and all
the rest of the gargantuan task will
come next and probably soon.
The plan has been criticized as
slave labor, but here where there is
so much to do and so few men and
little mechanical means with which
to do it, it is vital labor. 1t is widely
regarded here that only by sweat
car Germany repay and restore.
For it is doubtful that she can be
allowed to rehabilitate her economic
structure and still be throttled in her
power to prepare for or wage an
other war.
Prisoners probably at this mo-
ment present the Allies with their
most troublesome over supply.
Flood of Prisoners.
In round numbers there are now
something like $3.50, 900 of them
and of that number over 1000, 900
have been scooped up this month
alone, faster than they could be put
to work and almost faster than they
can be processed into huge camps.
Long ago the Allies adopted the
policy of simply kicking out the
volkssturm prisoners. They were
simply disarmed, told what was
what and sent back home. 1t would
have been folly even to feed them,
what with Europe's present food
needs, much less paying them the
doughboy rate-$60 IT so a month
while they were being held-better
money than they probably earned
before their short-lived venture as
civilian soldiers.
Prisoners have come in so fast it
is difficult to account for where
they all are-but a great majority
of them are simply sitting it out In
prison camps over here.
Some $50, 900 to 200, 900 have been
sent to the United States. Most of
the rest would like to join them.
Even the doughboys have scratched
their heads a bit over published &C
counts of the new hard boiled
policy of feeding prisoners in Ameri-
ca which still provides menus with
oranges and salad and dressing.
Doughboys eating food concentrate
out of cardboard cartons would like
some of that, too.
Millions Won't Go Home.
What the German prisoners are
over in these lands of hungry
people is nothing that would cause
the average doughboy any envy.
Several hundred thousand prison
ers, mostly those taken by the 21st
army group but including 0 10000
turned over by the Americans, are
in England and Canada. Five thou
sand have been turned over to the
French. The rest are either in hos
in transit or just waiting. A
small minority are working in hos
pitfalls and in the camps.
But this situation is not going to
last long. The French have asked
for tens of thousands to clear mine
fields that still are a terrific hazard
throughout France and rebuild
roads that are one bottleneck in
Frances serious transport problem.
But mostly they are needed to help
on the farms for the vast job of
feeding the nation.
Belgium's needs T the same.
Holland, the worst victim of the wal
on the whole western front, has a
need that cannot yet be estimated.
&c Allies have not yet an
bounced what their final decision will
be, but there are going to be a few
Germans who will not go
back home on the day the war ends
not a year later, nor probably long
that.