BRUTALITY OF GERMANS

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 22611, 16 May 1945, Page 5

BRUTALITY OF GERMANS

UNDERGROUND RESISTERS SURPRISING REVELATIONS (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received May 16, 11 a.m.) LONDON, May 15 It is estimated that 2000 Norwegian “underground” members lost their lives during the German occupation. Between 300 and 400 are known to have suffered the death penalty at the hands of the Germans and at least another 1000 died in German camps, says a British United Press Oslo correspondent. Several hundred others were wounded but this count is still incomplete because underground agent Number 420 never knew what agent Number 421 was doing. A prominent member of the underground, a newspaper editor, estimated that it would take more than a year for most underground members to discover the true identity of those with whom they worked. Worked In Links The editor said: “We worked in small links of about five men and women. Only one person from each link was permitted to make contact with one person of another link. Each underground worker ir that way knew at most only five or six other workers, all under assumed names. We often met in garrets and cellars and those who made contact with other links would wear masks.” The correspondent said that Germans in the basement of the Gestapo Headquarters in Oslo tortured both men and women. One of the most frequent tortures was to strip a woman naked in front of several officers and give her the “water” treatment. This consisted in dipping her in and out of freezing water to make her talk. Forty thousand armed underground workers on the morning of May 7, after word of the German surrender was received, controlled every important bridge, railstation and crossroads. Then there were some amazing revelations. Close friends who never in private life had spoken of underground activities suddenly found themselves holding rifles at the same crossroads. The leader of the vast underground organisation of 300,000 was a 30-year-old Oslo lawyer. Hundreds knew him personally but few ever knew he headed the underground movement. His name has not yet been revealed.