NAZI PLAN UPSET

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21925, 21 January 1946, Page 3

NAZI PLAN UPSET

SLAVE _LABOUR REICH WAR PLANTS REVELATIONS AT TRIAL (9 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 20. Swift Allied advances disrupted the Nazi plans for mass deportations Of all able-bodied men and women from western Europe for work in Reich munition plants, the French prosecutor told the Nuremberg tribunal. Concentrating on the case against the slave labour chief, Fritz Sauckel, M. Hertzog said it was planned to draft 1,000,000 male and female workers from France and 500,000 from the Low Countries, but the rapidity of the Allied advance prevented Sauckel realising the plan. However, the deportations of workers were carried out up to the day of the liberation of each territory. . “Varying Severity’

The forced labour programme was imposed with varying severity. In France and Norway it was carried out by arrangement with Petain. with the quisling in Belgium and in Holland by direct German decree.

M. Hertzog submitted a letter from Sauckel to Hitler reporting that Vichy had largely accepted Germany’s labour demands, but Petain did not consent to sending women to Germany. Petain, whose programme included family welfare, maintained that women workers could be used only inside France. Petain also forced the Germans to cut the conscription age groups for women from 18 to 45 to 26 to 45. Sauckel s programme for 1944 contemplated drafting 4,000,000 foreign workers to Germany. The French prosecutor, M. Gerthoffer, opened the case on the economic looting oi western Europe, particularly Belgium, Holland and Denmark. He that these countries were practically paralysed by apparently legitimate levies which he would prove illegal. MASSACRES ADMITTED THOUSANDS OF RUSSIANS GERMANS AT KIEV & OREL (10 a.m.) LONDON. Jan. 20. That 3000 children were killed at Melitopol was admitted by S.S. Colonel George Heinisch, one of Hie accused at the trial at Kiev. The Moscow radio says that Heinisch tried to blame another German for the deed. The prosecution said that Heinisch. under interrogation, said: “We once arrested 4000 Ukrainians for not keeping to the strict letter of my instructions. We later shot the majority of them.” Heinisch agreed that lie asked for the extermination of the prisoners because .“shooting was too noisy.” Another accused. Koch, the former head of the security police at Orel, confessed that he personally shot more than 500 persons and was responsible for the death of more than 30,000 Russian men, women and children.