Evening star., 1945-12-02
Orphan Areas Of Europe
V. The Rhineland

through with the effect OF stained glass
windows; the gabled roofs. spires and
turrets of its ornate Rhenish architec-
ture have long been described in the
most romantic and sentimental terms.
During the First World War the Rhine
land, like the rest of Germany, escaped
the devastation that left its mark on the
face of other nations. Today, corre-
spondents tell of extensive bomb and
shell destruction there Yet, like freak
tornadoes, the modern weapons of
World War II have played queer tricks
on the countryside, leaving some towns
virtually unscathed, while bringing
others to the ground
Towns Destroyed
Reduced to ruins are the three big
cities Of Cologne Roln), Koblenz and
Mainz, along the west bank Of the
Rhine, which after World War were
administrative headquarters for Allied
armies of occupation. British held
Cologne in the north, American Koblenz
in the center, and French Mainz in
the south were bridgeheads of the three
zones for which occupation dates were
set at five, ten, and fifteen years re-
spectively. AS it turned out, the Ameri-
can troops were withdrawn in 1923, and
all the Allied occupation forces had left
by the end Of 1880, five years before the
specified end of the period.
In the present Allied occupation of
Germany, the British have been as
signed to the northern half of the
Rhineland area, with Cologne again
in their hands The French hold the
southern portion, including both Koblenz
and Mainz, as well as the Saar District.
The Americans are not represented west
of the Rhine; their zone stretches to
the east and southeast.
From the fiat and open country Of
the northern tip of the triangle, Dip
ping deeply into Netherlands territory.
the Rhineland rises toward the south
into hilly region where submits reach
above 1000 feet. Hill ranges in the
central and southern section stretch
diagonally like fingers pointing the way
for traffic to and from the Rhine Fol-
lowed by big and little rivers, railroads,
and highways their valleys became the
bloody thoroughfares along which
American troops fought toward con-
quest of their main river barrier, the
Rhine.
Such Rhineland streams as the Mosel,
the Roer and the Saar have taken their
places in the history of the second
World War, along with the Abr, whose
little bridgehead at Remagen burst
suddenly into fame when Yank forces
first crossed the Rhine by way of the
bridge there which the Germans had
surprisingly left intact.
Productive Land
Before the Allied invasion, the Rhine
land was one of Germany's most fertile
and productive regions. Outstanding
was the cultivation of vineyards, rising
thickly along the terraced hillsides of
river banks. From it's highlands, its
broad meadows and sheltered valleys
came rye, wheat, barley, oats, corn and
potatoes. sugar beets, fruits, tobacco and
garden vegetables. It's forest resources
supported wood carving and other time
tested local trades. Its coal deposits, to-
gether with the still greater concentra-
tions of mines and factories in the
nearby Ruhr and Saar areas, provided
power and material for the many big
and middle-sized industrial centers that
lined the banks of the Rhine, and clus-
tered here and there to the west.
Transportation in this part of Europe
is especially well developed. A close,
meshed network of railroads and high.
ways covers the Rhineland "A trunk
line parallels the great t'river, and is fed
normally by lines reaching it from all
directions. The Rhine itself is one of
Europe's chief trade arteries. carrying
vast quantities of coal, iron, timber,
grain, and manufactured goods. Com.
mercially valuable in peace. this traffic.
became war vital source Of supply and
transport for the Nazis.
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