Evening star., 1945-08-22
Todoy's War Story
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star staff Cnrrespnndent.


PRAGUE-It is unfortunate but
true that, up to the present, the
American soldier has been none too
popular in Czechoslovakia.
The fault, it seems, is two-sided
and the situation has been due
largely to misunderstanding on
both sides. Perhaps the sorest point
with the Czechs has been the situa-
ton in Sudetenland, which consti-
tutes large part of the American
occupied territory. The population
there is, for the present, predomi-
nantly German. The present Czech
plan is to oust all but about 500,-
900 out of an estimated 100000 as
soon as the Americans and British
agree to such a wholesale exodus.
At present about all that can be
done is to confiscate their prop
erty, put them on Jew rations"-
the barely adequate rations al
lowed by Germans to Jews which
were less than those received by
the Czechs themselves-and dis
tinguish them by yellow armbands
which supposedly make them OBJ
jects Of general contempt.
The hatred Of the Czech for the
Sudeten German is beyond words.
1t was through these people that
the liberty of the nation was lost.
Unfortunately the American SOL
dier lacked the historical perspec-
tive. He was unfamiliar with the
intense national, racial and re-
ligious hatreds Of Central Europe
To him, anybody living in Czecho-
slovakia was a Czech. The yellow
armband meant nothing.
Now, on the whole, the Sudeten
German was quite agreeable and
the Sudeten girls were quite pretty
The American soldier in Sudeten-
land fell into much the same error
as did the Rhineland Army of Oc-
cupation after the last war when
at times it showed a distinct pre-
ference for Germans over French.
Sudetens Have Best Homes.
The Sudeten Germans had the
incest homes, the most supplies, the
best educations. They long hac
been the master race" After the
last war the Czech government
hoping to make them loyal citizens
gave them what amounted nearly
to autonomy. They kept their prop
erty. They conducted German
schools and German newspapers
Constantly they plotted for Der
Tag" and led the Sudeten Czechs
miserable existence. This mis-
take, the Czech government leaders
ore determined, will not be made
again.
The Sudeten German girls prob
ably are prettier than the Czech
girls. They should be since they
have lived in relative ease and lux
ury for seven years while their
Czech sisters were starving and
forced to hard labor.
The Sudeten Germans talked
German. The average doughboy
picks up enough of this language
to carry on a Irritation in few
weeks. Czech remains completely
incomprehensible to him. I doubt
If a single American soldier in this
country who Is not Of Czech an
cestry has yet picked up a word OF
the language.
There were, of course, the we'll
known rules against fraternization
and they applied, in Sudetenland
to girls wearing yellow armbands.
But 1t must be admitted that these
excellent rules seldom were very
efficiently enforced anywhere and it
was particularly hard for conscien-
tious officers and non-coms to spot
yellow armbands in the dark. Many
were none too anxious to do so,
since they were "fraternizing
themselves.
Furthermore, 1t is unfortunately
necessary that the divisions now