Evening star., 1945-04-08
German War Prisoners in u. S.
Beg Countrymen to End War

Deg 9NOuntVHe
An appeal by German prisoners
of war in the United States to Ger
man soldiers and people to put
down your weapons Immediately is
being broadcast to the Reich.
The War Department made public
the text of the message last night,
saying the petition was "Spontane-
ously initiated and signed Volun-
tarily by 1891 of the 3,l02 German
prisoners of war held at Camp
DevenS, Mass.
The message was forwarded to
the camp commander for transmit
tai, and the War Department said
arrangements had been made TO
broadcast it to the German people.
Addressed to All Germans.
The peace appeal was addressed
by the prisoners TO the German
soldiers and workers, German men
and women
The text of the appeal follows:
AT a moment when the severest
fate has Cyertaken the German peO-
pie as a result of Hitler'S II years
of political power. we. the German
war prisoners in America, raise our
voices, voluntarily mOtivated by the
anxiety for your destiny in the
homeland and by the lmperiouS
necessity to be called to action. in
order to enforce an immediate
peace How often we speak about
that during these hours!
We are prisoners of war from the
fighting fronts in Africa. Sicily,
Italy and Normandy. We are your
husbands, your brothers. your sons
and your fathers. Men of your own
blood are speaking to you, admon-
ishing you to come to your senses.
we are calling you to action, to
deliverance from despair and rum.
Listen to us, German brothers.
comrades of the armed forces, WOm-
en- and workers. Be not blind fac
ing the danger of a frlghtful end,
about which Hitler is trying to de-
ceive you by telling you tales of
secret weapons-"trumps. Listen
to us. who present to you this
question: What is going to happen?
What will happen to my wife, my
children? What must be done?
Illusions Shattered.
only recently Hitler made you
promises of victories Are you still
believing anything like that? Only
now. the Red Army is carrying its
mightieSt offensive into the heart
of Germany. In the West Rund-
stedt's Belgian offensive is smashed,
and the armies of the United States
and Great Britain, restored, move
on to overrun the West Wall. The
illusions of those who were dazzled,
who depended upon a miracle TO
happen and relied on a promised
turning point, have been shattered.
In fact, nothing can change what
has happened.
Germany, our homeland, has now
itself become just what its own
armies made out of other countries
-theaters of war operations. Those
are the conditions after II years OF
the Hitler regime!
In view of this catastrophe which
is daily gaining momentum, you
will be called upon by the guilty
ones for defense to the last. Dc
you know what that means? That
means death! Mobilization of the
entire people, insuficiently equipped
everybody a front trooper: chill
dren, women, cripples and old peo-
pie are given rifles or spades and
are instigated to their own de-
struction. The policy of the parched
earth is proclaimed. That means
suicide for Germany. The guilty
ones, fearing the day of settlement
are determined in a frantic manner
to force the people into self -destruc-
ton.
Hitler Knows Game Is Up
"War of defense? Why? Was
Germany ever attacked? Germany
was not attacked, but Hitler at
tackled other nations, invaded for
eign soils. Now those nations call
the guilty to an account If you
continue to fight, you defend those
guilty OF this war in Germany.
You are not fighting for your ma
tive land, but for Hitler, Himmler
Goering, Goebbels, Ley, Koeckner
Krupp and accomplices-the Nazi
regime. Are you willing to sacrifice
yourselves for that; to sacrifice your
wives and children? Because they
must perish, those guilty ones want
to plunge the whole German ma
ton into perdition. When they nc
longer can be rulers. they want the
people to cease to exist Hitler
knows that his game is up. He only
prolongs the war.
THE continuation of this combat
which was mad from the beginning
brings us only closer to the total
destruction of our homeland, our
native country; the bleeding to
death of our people The German
nation is not Hitler! The German
people are you and we. And all OF
us want to live, we want to live
with our families. The dead have
no future. There is hope and a
future only for those who live.
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