Evening star., 1946-03-24
Son of District Woman Forced
To Fiqht 3 Years in Nozi Army
Never Had to Aim
Gun at American
He Tells Newsmun

He Tells Newsmun
The story. of Washington
woman whose son was taken
from her as she was about to
leave internment in Germany in
May, 1912, and was forced to
serve three years as one of Hit
ler's soldiers, was disclosed last
night amid prospects that they
may be reunited soon.
The sons experience was revealed
by Louis P. Lochner, veteran Berlin
correspondent of the Associated
Press, who was contacted last week
in Nuremberg by Werner John. %,
son of Mrs. Agnes Sholes John, 2738
Ordway street NV, an employe Of
the State Department.
1.-The one good thing about my in
voluntary service in Hitler's infan-
try" Mr.. John told Mr.. Lochner in
Nuremberg, was the fact that I
never had to aim my gun at an
American soldier"
Although the mother, who was
employed at the American Embassy
in Berlin, had diplomatic immunity
and had divorced his German father,
Werner John was taken from the
hotel at Bad Nauheim where
American diplomatic personnel and
journalists were interned after Ger
many's declaration of war on the
United States. MIR. Lochner was one
of the internees.
Werner Johns appeal to immi-
crate to the United States and be-
come a naturalized citizen Che was
born in Berlin is now pending be-
fore the State Department.
Tells Of Sons Departure.
Mrs. John, slender, youthful
blue-eyed woman, told a Star re-
porter last night how her son was
taken from her just before she left
Bad Nauheim with her daughter
Helga, to sail to America on the
Gripsholm.
Mrs. John was born in Washing
ton. Her brother. Walter w. Sholes
is consul general at Basle, Switzer-
land.
Il spent the interment in feal
that he would be taken from me,
she said. The custody of the chill.
dreen was given me in my divorce
but his father was a German ano
knew the attitude of the Wehr.
macht and the Gestapo about that
HE got the draft notice in the
middle of April. He did not tell me
about it but went to the military
attache, another internee at the
hotel, and asked what could be done
about it. Representations that his
departure for America had been ap-
proved by the German foreign min
istry were made. But they were
| futile.
Unheard from During War.
"On May he received notice
that showed appeal was useless. On
the same day bulletin was posted
that we were to leave May IL.
IT did not hear from him all
through the war. We day came In
May. The whole summer passed anc
no word from him. / knew there was
no mail from Germany but the Rec
Cross was looking for him and wher
fall came it began to seem hopeles:
to me. thought he must have beer
killed during the war. Then on No.
vember Is the Red Cross forwarded
a message from him."
Sought by Lochner.
Returning to Germany, with tn,
victorious American forces, Mr.
Lochner searched long for Wernel
John, and finally located him a
; Mittelberg in Upper Bavaria
Through an exchange Of letters hi
learned that Mr.. Lochner was a
Nuremberg. Werner travelled II
hours to find him. Here's the res
of Werner Johns story:
II was Immediately put into tht
infantry, drilled for six weeks as 6
recruit, and then sent to POLAND
for occupation duty. From ther.
I was transferred to Tournai, Bel.
gium, also for occupation duty, anc
thence as coast guard to Cape Ska
gen, Denmark
I'm January, 1943, I was assigned
to combat troops fighting Russia
on May II was wounded before Len.
ingrad. I contracted diphtheris
i. and a paralysis stepming there
, from. I was shipped for a cure tt
Bad Nauheim, as had meanwhile
developed heart trouble.
Division Surrenders.
"By February, 1945, the German
} military position in the East had be.
come so precarious that I was sen
back, though not yet fully recovered
to the Pommeranian front. Wher