EXILE FOR GERMAN HIGH COMMAND

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 146, 22 June 1945, Page 5

EXILE FOR GERMAN HIGH COMMAND

ISOLATION POLICY

Wives Are Not To Be With Occupation Forces N.Z.P.A. and British Wireless - Rec. 1 p.m. LONDON, June 21. Field-Marshal Montgomei-y. addressing Press representatives at Twenty-first Army Group Headquarters, revealed that members of the German High Command General Staff would be exiled outside Germany and isolated in small communities for an indefinite time, where they could not hatch future war plots. German S.S. troops were likely to be kept in prison camps for 20 years.

Field-Marshal Montgomery announced that the famous Seventh Armoured Division, "the Desert Rats," would occupy the British sector of Berlin.

When asked what was the position in Germany, Field-Marshal Montgomery said: "Personally I do not agree with people who say that Germany is down on her knees and wants watching. There are many problems still to be dealt with in Germany and the next two or three months is going to be the testing period."

He said, however, that the Allies would have to keep a close watch on 1,000,000 trained German soldiers who would soon be demobilised. He added: "Female auxiliaries of the Wehrmacht need watching. They seem to be red-hot in their antiBritish attitude." Question of Fraternisation The British leader said, according to Reuters correspondent, that he did not regard fraternisation as a major problem and implied that the fraternisation ban would be removed as soon as it became clear that tne German people, especially demobilised soldiers,' did not mean to try any subversive activity. A British civilian government would slowly replace the militaiy Jovernment in Germany, the changeover taking at least a year. This was essentill, as the military government was unable to deal with sucn Sitters as Germany's financial system, the settlement of her national debt, and the restoration of local and national taxation. The wives of our men in the occupation forces stationed in Germanv would be unable to live there for the present because of the inability to find accommodation for : them. This applied to all British 1 officials living in Germany, irrespec-; ] tive of rank. I