Evening star., 1945-12-24
A "THE EVENING STAR, Washington, D. c.
British Policy Holds
Wehrmacht Remnants
Intact Within Zone
By the Associated Press.

6s tue hsSoClht6o PreSS,
BERLIN, Dec. 24.-British mill
tary authorities continue to keep
closed to outsiders what is re-
garded officially as a huge prisoner
OF war camp on the east coast of
SchleSwig- -Holstein where approxi-
mately 100000 miserable German
troops are awaiting rehabilitation
Known as Area F." the camp con-
tains the real wreckage of the
Wehrmacht. One British officer
said only a few British Army men
outside of intelligence teams and
security police have gained permis-
sion to enter the area.
Generally, the British officer said,
the Germans live wretchedlys on
prisoner of war rations. They are
kept as busy as possible at road re-
pair work, log cutting and similar
tasks. From this giant pool the
British pull out prisoners they might
want to question or to send to in
ternment camps as security sus-
poets.
Russians Critical.
The majority of the Germans in
the area are understood to be from
the Russian, French or American
zones of occupation. Because of the
difficulties of returning them to
their homes, the British thought it .
best to keep them concentrated
rather than demobilize them and
have them wandering around the
British zone.
(This policy has resulted in
considerable criticism in Russia,
where suspicion still exists that
the Western Allies do not desire
to see Germany complete mil
itary vacuum between Russia and
the rest of Western Europe)
Before the trap was closed on
these Germans they were joined by
thousands of other troops fleeing
westward. They are unarmed; but
few arms are issued to the guards |
on their ration dumps.
Various other jobs are found for
the Wehrmacht units, probably the
most interesting of which is that
of chauffeuring war correspondents,
military government personnel and
control commission personnel
around the country in the new
"teardrop liner" volkswagons which
are being turned out by the hun
dreds in factory near Brunswick.
No Military Training.
There is no military training for
these men; and special teams now
are being employed in a general
speedup of the rehabilitation of
ground troops and naval personnel
in the British zone.
The hierarchy of control over the
German forces still awaiting de-
mobilization is headed by German
Gen. John Won Cramer, who, with
his staff, has set up the headquar-
ters of "Wehrmacht staff north"
in large unchanged building in
downtown Hamburg.
Cramer, who was Field Marshal
Erwin Rommel's right hand man in
North Africa, sits stiff1y in his COM
Portable office, still dressed in
colorful generals uniform encrusted
with insignia of rank and bearing
the armband of the famed Afrika
Corps. But he takes orders from
the Birthstone being that he not
talk to the press about the func-
tions of his staff.
British Clamp Down.
Since the recent Soviet allega-
tions that large formations of Ger
man forces continue to exist in the
British zone, the British have
clamped down on any outside in
quiries into the subject. However,
a British statement said that 100000
members of the Wehrmacht were
yet to be disbanded. They would
not permit an interview with
Cramer through official channels.
The British have said officially
that Cramer's staff deals with
such matters as the records of the
German surrender and the disband- /
ment of personnel. There is no
question of it's being an operations
headquarters. 1t is merely doing
administrative work that would
otherwise have been done by British
personnel. Our own staff is short,
and we find it more convenient to
make the Germans do the work for
us than to do it ourselves"
The British also announced they
have been using German mine
sweepers for dangerous work that
otherwise would have required the
use of their own navy. Many dis
charged German Navy personnel
have been hired as civilians and
paid through the burgomeisters to
repair the ships