Evening star., 1949-09-02
$4,000 East Germans
Invade Allied Zones,
Go on Shopping Spree.
By the Associated Press

FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept.
2.-More than $4,000 Russian zone
Germans invaded" Western Ger
many yesterday without papers or
authorization from the Allied side.
Last night most of them had re-
turned to the East.
The invading Germans smashed
whelming police and American
soldiers along a 600-mile frontier
from the Baltic to Czechoslovakia.
They forced their way into both
the British and American zones.
The opportunity for their entry
came from Russian celebration of
peace day" on the 10th anniver-
sary of the starting of World War
II. The Soviets relaxed their bor-
der controls for the occasion. The
apparent reason for the enthusi-
astic German response to lower
ing the barriers was the desire for
such items as food, shoes and
something to drink.
Shops Do Rushing Trade.
Shopkeepers in the American
zone did a rush business in these
items, exchanging one West mark
for $40 East zone marks.
Western Allied authorities were
unable to say whether the Ger
man mob action was encouraged
by the Russians or whether it
was just eagerness of the East
zone Germans to go West. 1t
appeared to be a bit of both.
The Communists held celebra-
tions all along the border. They
lit bonfires and tried by means
of loudspeakers to induce West
zone youths to desert to the East.
Mobs crashing into the West
zones seemed intent on grabbing
up as much food and as many
goods as their unof1cially de-
valued East zone money would
permit.
The invaders" went back with
parcels under their arms and food
in their baskets. Some were reel
ing drukenly and others were &C
companied to the border by rela-
tives they had visited over the
line.
$4,000 Cross at Neustadt.
Normally, properly authorized
interzonal passes are required for
travel between the East and West.
But thousands of Fasteners who
crossed on yesterdays junket to
the West had none.
The Russian zone travellers ap-
peared at the British and Ameri-
can frontiers in mid-morning.
They had passed Russian zone
police guards without trouble or
inspection.
They demanded entry. Their
numbers increased. Finally, in
town after town along the from
tier, waiting crowds grew SO large
they just pushed their way across.
The biggest mob gathered at
Neustadt. near Coburg, in the
American occupied state OF
Bavaria. More than $4,000 per-
sons finally broke across the bar
riers there after the German
police and American constabulary
troops had done ~ they could
to stop them They descended
on that little city or 1900 popu-
1ation.
$50 GIs Guard 190- Mile Frontier.
In the British zone. Lubbock,
most northern city on the zonal
border, received the largest num-
ber Of visitors. They were esti-
mated at 5000.
There were only about $50
American troops along the 190-
mile stretch of frontier, and they
were unable to do much.
At Lichtenberg. in Bavaria, s.
900 crossed the border by force,
while 5000 came in without passes
at Schlutup. In the Harz Noun
tains another 5000 were said to
have crossed the frontier.
More than 5000 others were
said by German police to have
crossed at scattered points at
small border towns, across fields
and through woods.