Refugees’ Methods Of Escape To West

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27396, 8 July 1954, Page 9

Refugees’ Methods Of Escape To West

VIENNA. Summer and winter, year in year out, a steady trickle of refugees finds its way from the “Iron Curtain” lands of Eastern Europe and reaches what they themselves call ‘the freedom of the Western World.” A Western official who has dealt with these refugees for the last eight years said: “I still cannot get over my surprise at the courage and endurance which these wretched people show in their determination to secure the liberty they want, or perish in the attempt.” The normal way of escape is on foot or by crawling through the minefields and the barbed wire of the frontier

area, risking the armed patrols, the specially trained “refugee dogs,” the “butterfly” bombs which explode at a touch, and, the machine guns of the guards behind their search-lights on the watch towers. Many others came hidden in cargoes on trains, sealed into cargo vans, or even hiding in empty wine barrels. But recently it has become necessary to find new and better methods to get away. From the Baltic Sea right down to the Black Sea the frontier is heavily guarded by specially trained armed guards. Over most of its length it has a six foot barbed wire fence, often strung with bombs which are set to explode at a touch on the trip wires. Behind the fence a wide area has been cleared of trees, bushes, buildings and crops which might give cover to would-be refugees. At intervals there are tall watch towers equipped with machine-guns and searchlights. By day and night the whole area is patrolled by frontier guards accompanied by dogs trained to smell out refugees hiding in the undergrowth. “Most people knowing this, and knowing that for every one who gets through at least 50 get caught, tortured, killed or sent.Jor life to prison or labour camps, would put up with even the most intolerable conditions

(From a Reuter Correspondent)

rather than risk life and limb in attempting to escape. Yet every year thousands make the attempt,” the official said.

One family had come across in a hay-cart from Hungary. They had spent the day making hay on land -near the frontier fence and had spotted the weakest place. They had driven at dusk full tilt for the wire, crushing it down and getting through unscathed into Austria. Another group had crossed the wire fence and the

minefield on bicycles. They carried long planks with them. In the dusk they rode quickly to the frontier, placed the planks over the minefield to distribute their pressure, and more planks see-saw like against the barbed wire fence. Then they rode up the planks against the fence, tipped over dn the other side—like a see-saw— and then coasted down into Austria.

One Czech family escaped in a German “duck,” an amphibious car which they found had been left by German troops in 1945. They tried it out sec-

retly on pools and stagnant water until it would float and then crossed the Morava, near is junction with the Danube, into Austria. A little way out the engine broke down but the party paddled across just in time to escape the fire of the Czechoslovak frontier guards. In Feburary, a Polish cadet got away from the training ship Dar Pomorza when it was anchored off Gibraltar. He had planned to escape while on guard at night but his plan was discovered. Nevertheless he jumped overboard, swam under water when the ship’s searchlights were turned on him, and managed to reach a British ship some 400 yards away. The list is almost endless, and the methods and adventures widely varied. But one thing stands out in all cases, the courage of the refugees and their fanatical desire to reach a land where they can think and worship as they please.