WHERE N.Z. DIGGERS MADE FRIENDS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 191, 13 August 1940, Page 6

WHERE N.Z. DIGGERS MADE FRIENDS

COLOGNE.

CATHEDRAL CITY. memories of 1918-19. 'army of occupation base. Pride and satisfaction in the aggressive and retaliatory work of the Royal Air Force long-distance bombers in pasting Cologne, beautiful 'city of the Rhine, will be tempered in the minds of many old Diggers by memories of happy days when they were part of the great British army of occupation. From December, 1918, till March, 1919, the dtatinctive New Zealand uniform and peaked hat was a familiar sight in the streets of Cologne, and also in the suburbs along the Rhine, above and below the cathedral city. The army of occupation, of which units of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force formed a small part, had its headquarters in Cologne. k Many Diggers were quartered in barbracks, hut a substantial number found themselves billeted in German homes. Everywhere in the occupied territory there were British Army notices, "Xix Fraternising!" but the good-natured New Zealand soldier regarded it as no breach of military discipline to make friends with the German people with whom he came into close contact. In- • deed, when the days came for the withdrawal of the Diggers, railway station . platforms were crowded with German . folk. There was many an affectionate , and often tearful leave-taking. » "Nix Chocola!" > From the first, the New Zealanders made friends. In advance of our units, well-stocked Y.M.CA. canteens were set " up. As the long columns of peakedhatted troops marched in, the.canteen* * did brisk business. Around them clustered German children, all of them » showing in their pinched white faces , the effects of malnutrition. The bloek- , ade, cruel military necessity, had done . its work. "Nix chocola! Nix chocola!" cried the I boys and girls, looking wistfully at the s stacks of tasty stuff piled on the shelves. "We have no chocolate!" The kindly Diggers were not slow to show their generosity. In those days, too, } when the average German family had > been on short rations for a long time, j and food was still scarce and expensive, x many a New Zealand soldier "helped ] out" with his rations, and any old Digger who was there at the time will tell how gratefully the poorer families , of Cologne received a small gift of sugar or soap.

Only to-day an Aucklander recalled how small kindnesses were generously repaid by the German people. He found, when he returned from duty late each night, that the kettle had been left on the hob, with a tea-pot handy, and, alongside, enough tea to brew a cup or two. Tea at that time was a prohibitive price—perhaps 40/ per lb! Nights, at the Opera. Memories of Cologne precious to Xew Zeaiandera of the last war are the glorious towers of the great Gothic cathedral, trips up the Rhine on ferry steamers, past historic castles and parklands of rare beauty, and all-too-short hours at the opera, listening to the world's best music sung by eminent European opera companies. The best dress-circle seats were available to Xew Zealand soldiers, under a rationing scheme, for the equivalent in English money of 1/10. Geimany's Workshop. Cologne was the strategic bridgehead where, in March, 1936, Nazi battalions crossed the Rhine after their spectacular entry into the demilitarised buffer zone between the Reich and France. There, too, in August, 1914, car loads of the Kaiser's troops had rolled along the streets en route to the wide-flung battle line of the Belgian and French armies. West Germany is the nation's workshop. Every mile nearer the Rhine brings fewer farms and more factories. Thick black webs of railways .and forests of chimneys mark the approach to Cologne. Hence the concentrated attention of the enterprising bombers of the R.A.F. The twin spires of the old Gothic cathedral, bristling on the horizon like a solitary pair of giant pines, provide a landmark from which our airmen take their bearings. The pinnacles rise 515 ft above the wide stretch of low-lying city. Cathedral Glories. The architect who designed the cathedral of Cologne tricked 'the devil, says legend. Tricked the devil into givjng him the plans! Satan warned him, however, that the cathedral would never be completed. Surprisingly, the prophecy held good for nearly six and a half centuries. Not until 18S0 were the original designs carried out on foundations laid in the Middle Ages. Part of the money necessary to finish the job had to be provided by a Government lottery! Gorgeous coloured windows, the ceiling set above columns so lofty that it appears to be suspended in space, rows | of saints in stone, the reliquary said to I contain, the skulls of Three Wise Men, and the long misty vista from west door to altar are features of the interior, a combination of delicate grace and enormous proportions, which rival in glory the west facade which towers skywards a dream of chiselled lacework. Key of the Rhineland. Contrasting with the medieval loveliness of the cathedral is the efficient modernity of docks and shipping, freight cars, the airport and the factories. Besides perfume making, local industries include the manufacture of cigars, textiles, toys, machinery and motor cars. From Cologne go forth in times of peace black-hulled cargo steamers bound for ports of England, the North Sea i.ad the Baltic. Coal, ores, manufactured goods in great variety, and cases of wine float down the Rhine, to be exchanged for the precious grain which the Rhine vallev lacks.

Third city of Germany, surpassed in size only by Berlin and Hamburg:, one of Europe's vital airway ports, a venerable place of antiquity, yet a thriving citv of industry, where rows of gabled houses are set against the ugliness of factory backgrounds, Cologne is the key city of the Rhincland.