FLOWN TO ENGLAND

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 7 April 1945, Page 4

FLOWN TO ENGLAND

LIBERATED N.Z. OFFICERS ADVENTURES OF BRIGADIER STEWART London, April 5. Liberated by the advancing Americans at Loilar, 31 officers of the Second N.Z.E.F., including Brigadier Keith Stewart, and four other ranks have been flown to England from Germany. With more than 200 other prisoners in Oflag XII B at Hadamar, they were moved by the Germans in motor transport on 21st March to Loilar, where they arrived the following day. There they were told they would entrain for a big camp in central Germany. But, though the trucks were waiting, there were no trains running since the railway had been heavily bombed. Six days later, the Americans arrived. The prisoners were guarded by about 150 Germans, mostly old men or men still suffering from wounds, who, when they found that they were surrounded. surrendered to their own prisoners.

The first intimation that the New Zealanders had of the Americans' proximity was sporadic shell fire, followed by a battle about two miles away. Then they saw advancing American tanks which went past them, and 48 hours later American infantry. arrived. The Germans were promptly handed over to them and the prisoners, together with 1500 foreign brokers, found themselves free. The New Zealanders are reported to be now in England, but not yet under N.Z.E.F. control. Brigadier Stewart, who has arrived in London, met Mr Fraser and Mr Jordan. He was captured near Florence last August. RAN INTO AMBUSH Telling his experiences, he said: “I was captured early one morning while going round the forward battalions, according to my usual practice. I missed the road to the Maoris and had gone about half a mile before I discovered I was out in the blue, but I carried on because I wanted to see a hill we were going to attack south of Florence. I first realised I had gone too far when I saw a German. I reached for a tommy-gun, but I was in a strange car, and by the time I had found it I was surrounded by an ambush of about 50 Germans. There was nothing for it, but to give myself up. “They didn't say much, but took me back to battalion headquarters, gave me breakfast of bacon, bread, fruit and biandy, and conversed in quite good English. My driver. Private Dickie, was, of course, captured with me. I was taken to army headquarters and then spent five days in a cattle truck travelling from Mentova to Mousseburg, a big camp where I lived in German officers’ quarters. Apparently they regarded me as a prize exhibit, and many of them talked to me. For some reason they were particularly curious to know how many children I had. “They scelned then to realise that they had lost the war, but they declared that New Zealand would be taken over by the United States and the whole of Europe would be swallowed by the Soviet. They were emphatic that we were fighting on the wrong side, and they were also very strongly antiJewish. HIGHLY REGARDED “I found that the lighting troops had a high regard for our division, and they said that w'herever the New Zealanders were they knew they could look out for trouble. “A month later. I went on to the Hadamar camp where, on the whole, conditions were good. The worst period was from December to February, when we had no food parcels. Till then we had had half a parcel each weekly, but in December they stopped abruptly, ana our meals consisted of bread for breakfast, one potato for lunch, porridge, cabbage and potato for the evening meal. We got meat once a week. It was pretty grim. Then at the end of January American parcels arrived and conditions improved." Brigadier Stew'alt was at Lollar when the Americans arrived. There was not much celebrating. The German guards who gave themselves up declared they hoped the war was over, as they had had enough. It seemed, too, that the war was over “till we arrived here and found.it still on," said Brigadier Stewart. He was in good health and spirits, end declared that the other New Zealanders were all fit and well. Brigadier Clifton, who met Brigadier Stewart in London, declared: “From the point of view of any serious fighting, the war Is over. Till Germany is fully physically occupied, there will be a certain amount of fighting by the most fanatical elements, and it may take another month before that is ended. But for all practical purposes, the war is over now. “I spent three months in a holiday camp in Bavaria, where we saw' a certain amount of country people and evacuees from the cities. They all had ‘had it’ completely and they would really welcome occupation by British and American troops. They have had a hell of a time. The British bombing has been most effective and* 99 per cent, absolutely accurate on military objectives.”—P.A. Special Correspondent.