Evening star., 1947-09-08
CIubbed
As First Refugee
Ship Un|oads
Violence Flares at
Homburg Dock After
Peaceful ; Hours
Nv the Asseeioted Press

HAMBURG, Germany, Sept. 8
The British government today
landed 1,2o6 of the Exodus 1914,
Jews 1t barred from Palestine
but only after soldiers hac
clubbed or failed scores who re.
sisted a loud-speaker invitation
to step peacefully onto German
soil.
Cries of this is Hitlerism" came
from the Jews as they boarded
trains which carried them to the
Poppendorf detention camp for fu-
ture disposition according to ma.
tionality.
The Jews disembarked today wre
from the transport Ocean Vigour
one of three, ships on which Britain
returned the refugees from Palestine
after overtaking their uncertif1eo
immigration ship, the Exodus 1S47
They have been at sea virtually
ever snce they left France for Pal
estine July 10. The two remaining
transports are due to unload tomor-
row and Wednesday.
No Violence for Three Hours.
The disembarking began peace
fully at $40 am For almost three
hours there was no visible sign OF
violence while refugees moved down
the gangplank. Bearded men, boys
women, and slim young girls came
ashoref some of them helped by
bereted soldiers carrying luggage
The loudspeaker system played jazz
Saturday Night is the Lonliest
Night in the Week." and other
tunes.
There was some trouble below
decks, however, and around am
this became apparent TO reporter.
held back at dockside vantage
points: Recalcitrant men, womer
and children were dragged anc
pushed down the gangplank by
soldiers welding clubs and rubber
truncheons, or "smackers."
In full view of the correspondents
troops beat the resisting Jews. Many
refugees failed their arms ano
shouted defiance as they were
dumped on the dock, and removed
to the Poppendorf train. There
were cries against being forced te
come to this land. which Is a
bloody graveyard of millions OF
Jews"
Girls Spit at Soldiers.
Two reporters permitted by the
British to go aboard the Ocean
Vig6ur said the Jews began demon
strations when operations started
In the second hold, with many sing
ing and putting up strong resistance
Some girls spat at the soldiers, and
a period of bedlam ensued. The
troops first tried to move the Jews
leaders by pushing, London re-
porter said. but then resorted tc
truncheons.
When this hold was cleared 1t
contained smashed boxwood. bits OF
bread, fragments OF clothing and
considerable bilge.
After some of the leaders were
carried away the remaining Jews
agreed to come of quietly, and a
second gangway was opened to
speed up the disembarking.
The unloading was completed at
midmorning.
The first train reaching Poppen-
dorf carried 900 or TOO Jews and
was unloaded there without in
cident, but a British official said
some of the Jews had torn iron bars
from the. train windows.
Barbed Wire Rings Station.
Trucks carried the refugees from
the Kuechnitz station, half mile
from the camp. Barbed wire en-
tanelements ringed the station
Troops, supervising the unloading
wore the desert rat" emblem OF the
7th Armored Division.
The Kuechnitz operation required
about an hour. The last truckloao
of refugees was at the Poppendor1
camp little after 2 pm.
British aides told the Jews hot
meal awaited them at the camp
Polish nurses and Ukrainian doctors
from a Lubbock displaced persons
camp also were waiting.
Several ailing refugees, including
o woman nine months pregnant
were driven to the camp in am
balances attended by army doctors
and nurses. German residents
watched curiously from a nearby
hillside.
About 800 Jews remain aboard
the two transports still to be, un-
loaded here The ocean Vigour de-
barkation originally was scheduled
for yesterday, but fog delayed oper-
atoms.
The Decentralization began peace
(See JEWS, Page A-4D