MANY ARMED GERMANS

Greymouth Evening Star, 7 December 1945, Page 7

MANY ARMED GERMANS

KEPT IN BRITISH ZONE RUSSIAN ALLEGATIONS ' . LONDON, Dec. 5. Allegations that “mighty German armed forces are being maintained in the British zone in Germany” were made to-day by the official spokesman over the Moscow radio. The spokesman was repeating and amplifying the charges made in a Russian memorandum, which is now being considered by the Allied Control Council. Details of this memorandum have not been officially released, but it claims that German and satellite troops in the British zone have not been disarmed in. compliance with the terms of the Potsdam agreement. The spokesman asked “What are the motives for preserving this force, and how can-it be reconciled with the Nuremberg trial? He added: Our misgivings can easily be understood. All peace-loving peoples demand that the Potsdam Declaration terms should be closely adhered to. “Izvestia” alleges that altogether about one and a-half million German and satellite troops Remain fully armed and equipped in the British zone. It says there is one German Army group numbering 200,000 men, complete with land, air and anti-air-craft formations. “Izvestia” also claims that the German naval forces in the British zone are called the “minesweeping service,” and have their own headquarters and patrol flotillas. The _ troops still armed, “Izvestia” adds, include Hungarian, Esthonian and Latvian units, which fought for Germany. These forces draw rations from- the British and all the personnel wear rank badges and decorations. The British Arm of the Rhine announced to-day that two million former German soldiers had been disbanded in the British occupation zone. Half a million, remaining to be disbanded, are retained for essential work, or for eventual transference to French and Russian zones. It added that it was planned to accelerate the disbandment because retention involved administrative commitments which a sharp decline in British manpower in Germany made impossible. OCCUPATION ZONES WASHINGTON, December 5. The Secretary of Statq, Mr J. Byrnes, told a Press Conference that the United States had informed France that the Big Three might establish central government agencies for their occupation zones m Germany if the French continued to oppose the creation of such agencies for the entire Reich. He added that the United States was vigorously opposed to the French contention that no central agencies should be established until the disposition of the Ruhr and Rhineland had finally been settled. MURDERED AMERICANS """LONDON, Dec 5. American investigators have exhumed the bodies of 109 American airmen from a German cemetery at Lubeck. Investigators, at present, are searching the Lubeck and Kiel areas for evidence against those responsible for what is believed to have been a series of murders. DISTRIBUTION OF LAND. BERLIN, December 5. More than 4,000,000 acres of land i have been divided among 300,000 German peasants, the result of the Russian land reform scheme in their zone of Germany. The distribution of land is estimated to benefit 1,000.000 persons, counting the families of the new peasant landholders. The settlers will include 63,000 families of German refugees evicted from Poland and Czechoslovakia. Most of the land went to former employees of German land owners. These received nearly 160,000 small holdings.