MODERN PIMPERNEL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23615, 27 March 1940, Page 11

MODERN PIMPERNEL

FOILING THE GESTAPO EXPLOITS IN GERMANY [from our own cop,respondent] LONDON, March 1 The most daring exploit of a 'Pimpernel" who for months has been re.scuing victims of the Gestapo terror in Germany has been revealed, writes Leonard Mosley to the Daily Sketch from Amsterdam. Every Gestapo agent in Holland has been ordered to drop everything to find the man who has once again rescued one of their victims just in time. It is believed that he may be an Englishman. Whoever he is, he speaks every German dialect fluently. When hi; was in Belgium, on one occasion, he learned that a German woman, wife of one of the leading anti-Hitler "underground" workers in Germany, was hiding in Aachen. The "Pimpernel'' slipped over the border to Aachen, taking forged passports for himself and the woman A house-to-house search was conducted in Aachen by S.S. men, who had been ordered to take no chances and to shoot all suspects at sight. The mystery man and the woman he was helping slipped out of their hidingplace by night and made their way out of the town. They made their way openly through the fortifications, and on reaching "No Man's Land" lay down in a ditch and waited in the. snow for darkness to come. When darkness came once more they moved on again. A hundred yards from the Belgian frontier they were sighted by Nazi patrols, who opened fire on them. They were not hit, and managed to reach the Belgian border, where people gave them coffee and food and sent them ou their way. The woman to-day is in Brussels awaiting a ship which will take her overseas. There is a large reward awaiting tho Gestapo spy who captures the "Pimpernel." He knows only too well what fate awaits him if lie is caught. Until a short time ago he had a companion who helped him in his exploits. But that man made a mistake and fell into the hands of the Nazis. His comrade carries on with his work for tho oppressed and persecuted in Germany.