LONG TREK

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 13 April 1945, Page 3

LONG TREK

N.Z. AIRMEN PRISONERS COLD, HUNGRY AND WEARY LIBERATED BY AMERICANS London, April 11. Still feeling the effects of the long march from Lamsdorf, near the i olisn border, to Zeigenhain, Germany, a distance of 491 miles, which they covcied in 44 days, and of lack of food. 12 New Zealand airmen are at present m London. Apart from one or two witn traces ol beriberi, which is a sweffing of the limbs caused by lack ol vitamins, they are fairly fit, tired but in good heart and yet a little dazed at their freedom. They are moving on to-day to Brighton, the well-known seaside resort, where they will stay at hotels before going on leave. A number of members of the N.Z.E.r . who made the march, also arrived in England and are now at a repatriation centre in Kent. This is the story told by airmen of their march when cold, hungry, weary and sometimes beaten up by guards they trekked across Germany lrom the path of the advancing Russians, eventually to be liberated by Americans. It is one of misery and suffering, but stoul-heartedness. Generally speaking, it applies to all who took part in that trek, including members of the N.Z.E.f. as well as airmen. "We knew pretty well the trend of the war, since there were several wireless sets in camp (Stalag 344),, and the boys used to listen in to the 8.8. C. and circulate the news. It was of course against the rules to have sets, but they were secured from Germans who had been bribed with chocolate, soap and cigarettes. It certainly was not the best of camps. There were 9000 men. all n.c.o.’s and rankers, in one-tenth of a square mile, including 87 members of the R.N.Z.A.F. and many members of the N.Z.E.F. The sleeping quarters were cramped, and sanitary conditions were so bad that in summer you could smell the camp at least one mile away. There were rats, fleas, bugs and an i n_ adequate water supply, so that we only had one hot shower a fortnight. We lived in barracks with concrete floors and it was bitterly cold in winter. The Germans could not supply us with blankets and we slept on straw .palliasses. but we were lucky. We got food parcels most of the time, both New Zealand and Red Cross, also the Argentine. The bulk of them arrived regularly until last September, when the German transport system began to break down. We were not too badly off. We had our camp concerts and sports. And we had wireless. There were rumours for at six months that we would have to move when the Russians advanced. Then one day we got an eight-day standby. Finally on 22th January we were instructed that we had to move off in two hours. We were lined up by the compounds, each man carrying as much as he could manage conveniently. We were also issued with one Red Cross food parcel and German rations for two days—half a loaf of bread, and a quarter of a pound of margarine for each man. It was bitterly cold. There was snow coating the ground and the road was slippery with ice. As a result several men fell, some hurting themselves badly. Most of the chaps had good clothing, boots, and shoes, but these of course soon wore out. Our first march was to Gorlitz. a distance of 276 kilometres, which we reached on 3rd February. The second leg was from Gorlitz to Zeigenhain. a distance of 411 kilometres, and we were on the road from 10th February to 12th March, covering in all 787 kilometres, or 491 miles. We had our Stalag guards with us on the first lap to Gorlitz and they were-not too bad. since they knew us and realised they could continue bartering bits of food for cigarettes and things from our parcels.

MEN FALL OUT "But that first day was bad. We covered 20 kilometres in a blizzard and men began to fall out with feet trouble and sickness. Sometimes they collected them in horse-cart's and brought them along, or just left behind. That night we were herded into a barn like sheep for the night. It was so cold that our boots froze on us. The cold was the worst of those few days, for we had our Red Cross parcels and they kept us going. But the cold was bitter and the German guards did not improve things by keeping us hanging about for two hours at a time calling the roll. Later as we got nearer Gorlitz a thaw began and things were a bit better, but by then the food was getting very short and some days no German rations were issued at all. In some places we saw Russian slave labourers, many of them, just skin and bone and we swopped 3 few things like odd clothing with them for a little bread they could give us. "We had a week in Gorlitz, 400 men to a billet built for 120. There were no Red Cross parcels, poor German rations and slush everywhere. It was a case of hanging around waiting. GUARDS CHANGED “When we left Gorlitz on 10th March we found our guards had been changed and the Stalag men replaced by civilians, who were just terrible. They thought nothing of bashing the boys with rifle butts for trivial offences like trying to- get a drink of water, and they behaved abominably. Part of the trouble, of course, was they were as hungry as we, and they did not like it wheh they found that Polish, Russian, Czech, French and other slave labourers were prepared to help us and even some German civilians who were glad to get'what little soap or cigarettes we had. Fortunately the weather was dry and not too cold, things would have been very different. “A SICKENING DAY” "The roads were also good, but it was no fun marching for four days on two packets of biscuits. One day we marched 32 kilos. We were told that at the end of the day we would reach a Stalag at Eisenberg, but there was no Stalag there and we had to continue another seven kilos to a community farm. It was a sickening day. Sometimes we were given rest days—two altogether - but we would rather have been marching, because we were not allowed out from the barns, there was no water for washing, and we got little real rest, feeling even more tired next day. We all now had matted beards and grimed v i'h dirt and looked a motley gang plo; ..ing on mile after mile Our daily ration was a little bread, and ten men sharing a 21b tin of meat. At long last we reached Zeigcnhain. There we were put in marquee?, 300 men in each, sleeping shoulder to shouplder. feet to feet. We were able to shave and clean up. but we had no soap except a little German stuff which was terrible. And we had a wireless set going again and could follow the -news once more. We arrived at Zeigenhain on 12th March and soon began to hear gun? firing and a great deal of aerial activity daily and nightly—but seldom saw any German aircraft. Food was our worst problem In the morning we had a cup of coffee or mint tea. At midday there was a bowl of soup—about half a litre. In the afternoon there was a piece of bread and more coffee. The result was ] that after the trying conditions of the trek, which had made us weak, we were unable to pick up any strength on this so-called diet. We became so listless than it was as much as we could do to get up from cur beds and go and have a wash. "The Germans still held parades, however, but out of 300 men in the marquee a? many as 140 could neft turn out. And. those who did were tor- | mexited by the sergeant and corporal, who kept them hanging about for one hour to one-and-a-half hours while they checked and re-checked the names. Soon many chaps began to get dysentery and suffer from malnutrition. FUNERALS DAILY ‘Funerals were held daily. On 28th March we were told we would have to

evacuate, as the \mericans were ad- J vancir.g and ».:ose still fit—about 200; from about 9'.J. (Nearly 3000 had left! Lamsdorf but .some had been diverted en route). The rest of us who were 1 sick remained in camp. Next we learned that most of the Germans had left the camp. We were told to keep \ out of sight in case we still might be. taken off DAY OF DELIVERANCE

“About midday on 30th March white i Hags began to be put out in the local 1 village. We heard gunfire down the j road and the Germans began to stream past in a disorderly rabble on bikes, in carts and anything. Then we saw tanks. One of our camp staff went out with a white flag and stopped some and they came into our camp. The boys went mad. Though they were sick ant" emotional excitement bucked them up and they carried the first American in shoulder high. The Americans began to shower u? with cigarettes and food. They were marvellous to us. From then on things gradually got better. Next day we had two lots of soup and everybody soon perked up. We stayed at the camp until 9th April, then at 6 a m. we were driven in trucks to an airfield and flown to England in 2£ hours. It was wonderful. We arrived at an airfield where we were given a marvellous reception and then moved on to a camp near London. We are all looking forward to getting our back mail and a spot of leave, but at present would like a good rest for a few days. The strangest feeling of all is actually being free again. It is hard to realise and every now and again we begin to wander about and we suddenly check ourselves and make sure we are not being watched, then realise it is all right and that we are free.”—P.A. Special Correspondent.