RUSSIA’S BASES IN EAST GERMANY FOR V2 ROCKETS

Grey River Argus, 19 August 1949, Page 5

RUSSIA’S BASES IN EAST GERMANY FOR V2 ROCKETS

German Expert Lifts The Curtain LONDON, August 17. The British United Press correspondent at Berlin says.—A German rocket expert, who has just escaped to the Western zones after three years’ forced labour service with the Russians, said to-day that the Russainsi were building a network of V2 bases in Germany, aimed at Western Europe, and had already begun rebuilding the V2 weapon experimental establishment at Pennemunde. The expert, whose name has not been officially revealed, said he worked as a weapon expert for the German Army, and was taken to Russia, with other German technicians at the end of the war. The expert stated that a number of Russian commissions are working on the necessary preparations to bring the V2 bases in Eastern Germany into action at a few minutes notice. Plans for both stationary and mobile bases have been worked out and stationary bases for one and three batteries have been placed all over Eastern Europe. Each is supplied with all the necessary calculation for firing orders and ballastic statements for designated territory in Western Europe. Two bases, the expert said, were in Mechlenburg State and were aimed at South Sweden. A third was in Thuringia and was aimed at the Rhine river bridgeheads near Cologne, Dusseldorf and the Scheldt estuary. A fourth was near the city of Dude.n and was aimed at the northern part of the Baltic island of Ruegen and a fifth was near Pilsen in Czechoslovakia, and was aimed at Brenner Pass. Reports reahcing Allied headquarters in Berlin disclose that the 200mile Baltic coast of the Russian zone of German has recently become the scene of increasing hush-hush activities. Behind closely - guarded wooden fences and prohibited dock areas, the Russians are reported to be rebuilding German ships sunk during the war, deepening harbours and reconstructing experimental secret weapon sites. Reports of the reconstruction of sunken German ships have been appearing in West zone newspapers. The troop transport Asia and three other 12,000 to 18,000-tOn ships are being reconditioned and several are expected to be ready for service within a few months. Western naval authorities said that if the Russians put these vessels into service, they will be violating the 1945 Tripartite Naval Agreement made at Potsdam, which provided that German ships sunk during the war could be used only as scrap it refloated.

Reports concerning secret weapon activity are mostly second-hand and thus are not reliable. Soviet Sends Nazi Marshal Paulus to Aid Chinese Reds (Rec. 10.10). LONDON, August 18. The former Nazi field-marshal, Frederick von Paulos, who commanded the German attack on Stalingrad in 1942, was recently sent to China, by the Russians, to make written recommendations on the warfare in the Far East. This is recorded by Reuter’s Frankfurt correspondent. The correspondent added: Marshal von Paulos visited the headquarters of tne Chinese Communist leader, Mao Tse Tung, at Yenan. He was accompanied by several Russian staff officers. REDS ADVANCING TOWARDS AMOY (N.Z.P.A.—REUTER CABLE) (Rec. 10.5). HONG KONG, Aug. 18. Victorious Communist armies, under General Chenyi, have turned south towards Amoy, following on their capture of Foochow. Reports say the immediate objectives of these armies are Tsinkiang (Chuanchow), and Lungshi, about 45 miles northeast and 30 miles west respectively of Amoy. Another tnreai is developing (towards Shaoyang, the temporary Hunan capital, 75 miles west of Hengiang.