SOME SIDELIGHTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 156, 17 September 1941, Page 2

SOME SIDELIGHTS

THE CRETAN CAMPAIGN CONFIDENCE OF THE HUN Writing to a friend in Whakatane, Sgt Lance Preston who was well known to many residents gives some interesting examples of the attitude of the average Nazi soldier towards the conduct of the Avar. Speaking c-f prisoners, he said: "I even got a good map from one of England and Scotland. This pen was taken from another but it has a cheap steel nib—still I don't like to take it back now. We only took three prisoners—kids really, dying of thirst and with no fight left. A let of them speak English. How is this for a conversation one of our Sergeants had after giving a wounded Hun a drink: Hun: Thanks, you are very kind. Just prop me up and our medical men will pick me up tot-night." (This wlien we 'thought we had them when we wanted them. Plenty of confi dence, eh! All looked well until they landed those big trcop carriers every six minutes) . Hun: You English are very cruel, using bayonets! Sgt: Garn. What about ycur pilots bombing defenceless towns. Killing women and children! Hun- Our pilots don't do that. Segt: What about London. Thousands of women and children killed. Hun: You are fed on propaganda. The writer continues: Well, what do you know! He adds that Dave Wilson had been promoted to Company Sergeant-Major; he had met Jack Collins (distributing largesse like .a bank clerk). Two other Whaka boys were in hospital with him — Max Goodall .who had walked right across the island, after a mortar bomb had severely wounded him in the calves and Goldsmith who had collected a lump of shrapnel.