RELEASED PRISONERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25851, 23 May 1945, Page 6

RELEASED PRISONERS

RAPID REPATRIATION NEW ZEALANDER’S FINE WORK (N.Z.E.F. Official War Correspondent) (Rec. 10 p.m.) AUSTRIA, May 20. While the war in Europe moved towards its close a small group of Allied prisoners of war worked with efficiency and enterprise to ensure that when peace came thousands of their fellows in prison camps in Austria and Jugoslavia would be repatriated with the greatest possible speed. The results have been little short of amazing. The work of the repatriation officials, who landed here shortly after the German collapse, has been greatly simplified by the presence of men with a thorough knowledge of the German language and of Stalags who are willing and able to assist in the location of British and Dominions personnel hidden away in the remotest parts of Axis territory. One of the most valuable of these is Sergeant-major John Alfred Murphy, of Wellington, who was captured at Minquar Quaim while serving with divisional signals. Long before the German surrender he circulated about the country, locating and organising our men in preparation for the inevitable day of Axis defeat. His movements were facilitated by a scarcity of radio and X-ray technicians in Austria. The German authorities used the services extensively in the maintenance of X-ray apparatus and other electrical equipment. His knowledge was also put to good use in the construction and repair of many illegal radio sets which our men had concealed about the Stalags and with which they were able to keep track of the latest developments. Prisoners Organised

Murphy succeeded in organising British and Dominions prisoners of war into groups of 20 or 30, each with a complete nominal roll of its personnel. When they landed by plane at Klagenfurt aerodrome repatriation officials were amazed to find hundreds of ex-prisoners already awaiting embarkation. So thoroughly had the job been done that the planes, which landed at 1 p.m., unloaded their stores and passengers, and were able to take off at 4 p.m. with 300 ex-prisoners, en groute for Italy. Murphy did not go with the others. He decided to see the job through to the end, and he has continued to do invaluable work with the repatriation uriit. Now that the main stream of ex-prisoners has gone through, the main task left is to locate groups o& our men far back in Jugoslav or Rus-sian-held territory. Often these are men who escaped some weeks ago and who are being held and looked after by partisans in places which are inaccessible to our troops. Murphy was travelling on a divisional signals truck during the breakout from Minquar Quaim when the New Zealanders confounded military strategists by crashing right through a ring of panzer formations to retreat and fight again at El Alamein. The truck stopped to attempt to remove wounded from a burning ambulance. Enemy tanks were firing into the column at point blank range. The driver was k’lled and the chance of escape was lost. The crew of the truck destroyed valuable codes by throwing them into the flames of the ambulance and waited for capture. Little-known Sequel

So Murphy was present throughout the little-known sequel to the breakout. In the morning the New Zealand officer prisoners were taken away and he was left in charge of about 100 New Zealanders. At first the Germans treated them well, but presently a big S.S. officer appeared. He ordered the men into line and addressed them thus: “ You have broken all the usages of civilised warfare. You have behaved with the greatest savagery, bayoneting our wounded and our dead.” Almost frantic with r<age, he then turned to the Germans and repeated the accusations. He then told the Riwis that they would be shot, and ordered up a detachment of tommygunners, who covered the line of New Zealanders.

There was not a man there who was not convinced that the next few minutes would be his last, but the line never wavered. Thus they were held for three hours while the Germans stripped them of all but their shirts, shorts, boots, and socks. The officer’s tirade had turned the Germans completely against the New Zealanders, and they thronged around jeering and drinking water ostentatiously before the thirsty 'prisoners and pouring the contents of the New Zealanders’ waterbottles into the sand. The English prisoners, who were not included in the proscription, were not allowed to approach the line. The Kiwis stuck it out, the unwounded ones supporting the others until finally they were herded on to trucks for Tobruk.

Subsequently Murphy spent a year in an Italian prison camp near Udine before being taken to Austria.