SLAVES IN REVOLT

Evening Star, Issue 25425, 5 March 1945, Page 5

SLAVES IN REVOLT

ESCAPE FROM DRESDEN IN RAID SENSATIONAL MARCH TO RUSSIAN LINES (Rec. 10.45 a.m.) RUGBY, March 4. The newspaper ' Pravda ' says that more than 1.000 Russian slave labourers in the Farben Industries plant near Dresden took advantage of the confusion caused during the last R.A.F. raid and rebelled. The workers killed their guards and then made off to woods near Dresden where they organised as a guerrilla detachment and fought a way east to join the Red army. ; The leader of this first guerrilla detachment to operate against the'Germans inside the Third Reich said: "Early in January we saw a regular flood of refugees and we understood that things were bad for the Germans and that it was time for us to get ready." After breaking out. and organising themselves into a guerrilla unit named the U.S.S.R., they resolved to meet the Red army/ by penetrating the densely-populated areas of Saxony and Lower Silesia. Endless streams of refugees helped the detachment to escape detension. The problem of lack of arms was remedied by a raid; on a railwav station containing a trainload of ammunition. The gurrillas, with a thunderous "hurrah! " frightened the guards into flight and they siezed the German arms. As they went eastwards the guerrillas grew in strength as stories regarding them spread and other slave labourers risked death in order to join them. Near Kalau the detachment blew up artillerv dumps. They also blew up a. bridge "across the River Spree,' routed a motor convoy, and caused a number of train wreckings. Their biggest exploit, however, was coming to the aid of a Red army detachment which" was facing terrific counter-attacks by Germans who were trying to annihilate a small Russian, bridgehead. The guerrillas attacked from the rear sowing death and panic among the Germans. Reuter's Moscow correspondent, commenting on the guerrillas' action, which was stated to have occurred inside Germany, - says the guerrilla operations imply further dislocation of the German war machine*. The battle was fought on an unnamed river, which is believed to be the Neisse River. Red army forces had gained small bridgeheads on the western bank when the Germans laid down heavy mortar fire. The guerrillas fell on the Germans, broke into their positions, and joined up with the Red army forces. They were a motley crowd, wearing read ribbons and brassards with the letters U.S.S.R.