NEW ZEALANDERS IN TRIESTE

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 May 1945, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDERS IN TRIESTE

TROOPS HEAR MR CHURCHILL

[Official War Correspondent, N.Z.E.P.] TRIESTE, May 8. All spare wireless sets in the New Zealand Division, were tuned in this afternoon to the 8.8. C. to hear Mr Churchill’s pronouncement signalising the end of the war in Europe, in Trieste itself, in beautiful seaside resorts such as Grignano and Sistiana, and in many other camps along the coastline and in the lulls, groups of New Zealanders listened in silence. It is difficult for anyone in the division to realise that it is all over—that the powerful army which snore weeks ago was resisting us witn all its old vigour has collapsed with the German nation into the abject humility of unconditional surrender. Even when the armies in 'ltaly gave up a few days ago, when ■ the division’s total of prisoners topped tne 40,000 mark, we were slow to think that the absolute end was upon us. Jerry had been beaten so many times before and had always come back. Last night was marked by some celebration and a spontaneous 'fireworks display of German flares, loday, which has been a brilliant one, with the faintest of sea breezes, was spent b.y those groups off duty in letter writing, boating, swimming, and sightseeing. On the glassy waters of the gulf a variety of improvised ' craft moved about, eacn with a cargo of sunburnt Kiwis, enjoying their first contact with the sea for months. Several of these crait are clipping along at nearly 40 knots, bouncing from ripple to ripple. These are German one-man surface torpedoes. overrun and captured in pe’-fect condition. All our men haa to do was to dump the charge overboard, and they had a perfect pleasure launch. “GOING HOME” One of the classical statues in-the grounds of the Duke of Aosta’s palace at Miramare now wears a hat. in one hand she bears aloft a large suncase, on which appears the silver fern and the inscription, “Going Home? q lr> Trieste the population is still hesitant, shy. and bewildered. The bread streets are quiet, and some oi them almost deserted. Irrespective bi bow the peoole feel concerning the defeat of Germany, there will be few celebrations here until the official nationality of the city is clecidect. Tne air of reticence mid strict neutrality cn the part of the populace.does not cniite extend to the A.usonia swimming pool. Here the young people qi 'T’-ieste lie sunbathing on the boardwalks with pre-war enjoyment ano. indifference. The scantiness of tne attire of both is startling, but the troops using the swimming pool arc rapidly getting used to that. Among the supine figures ol Uie b-therr, children spin crazily on newly-fcund .toys—the mountings or Oeili'kon anti-aircraft guns. Tnis afternoon General Freyberg ffisited the headquarters- of the Izt’i Lanmr.; and congratulated them on th.-'rr line co-operation during tne The 12th Lancers ano The sth Medium Field Regiment have both reunested the privilege of wear ins" the New Zealand silver fern nex, to'their own insignia, and this hasbeen granted them. They now- share tins, privilege with that other lamq’is English fcrination which foughi v/'ui us‘at Alameln and whose trucks we have seen many times m Italy bearing the New Zealand emblem.

JUGOSLAV CLAIMS

(Rec. 10.55 a.m.) LONDON. May 10. Marshal Alexander has gone to Belgrade to discuss with Marshal Tito the issue following the occupation of Trieste by the New ZealandJugoslav troops, understands Renter’s military correspondent. He adds: The British viewpoint that Trieste should be treated as former enemy occupied territory, not as a liberated Jugoslav city, has remained unchanged. Trieste, under these conditions, is administrable by the Allied Military Government, and does not come automatically under Jugoslav rule until the issue is decided at the Peace Conference. General Dushkan Kveder, commandant of Trieste and leader oi' the Slovene army which claims to have captured a large part of the city, told a crowd of 5000 that Jugoslavia intended to give Trieste complete autonomy within the Jugoslav State, reports Reuter’s Trieste correspondent. Italian and Slovene would be equal official languages and the local governing bodies would be freely elected. The area would be one of the world’s most democratic. General Kveder said the New Zealanders arrived when only two centres of resistance remained and completed the mopping up, which might have taken the Jugoslavs a few more days. It is officially announced that the British accepted the surrender of 15,000 Jugoslav Chetniks, but General Mikhailovitch was not among them.

BRITISH GOVT.'S ORDER

RUGBY, May

The Foreign Under-Secretary said, in. the Commons, that the information in possession of the Government does not indicate that the forces under the command of General Mikhailovitch shave recently been fighting on the Allied side, nor does the General appear to have responded to appeals for national unity and for the settlement of political internal disputes, which King Peter made to the Jugoslav nation. In these circumstances, the attitude of the British Government to General Mikhailovitch had in no was’ changed. With the approval of the Government, the Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean therefore issued instructions that any antiTito Jugoslav forces which surrender to, or are captured by the Eighth Army, should be disarmed and interned. JUGOSLAV ADVANCE. LONDON, May 10. A Jugoslav communique says: After liberating Zagreb, Flublajana and Harasdin, the Jugoslavs are advancing towards Austria. The enemy is still offering scattered resistance. Large quantities of war material and a number of prisoners were captured.