THE "GREEN CADRES"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 299, 13 September 1919, Page 7

THE "GREEN CADRES"

DISCIPLINED JUGO-SLAV, DESERTERS

OUTWITTING THE ENEMY . ("Times" Special Correspondent.), During the last year or two of the- war the vast trackless forests of Croatia and Dosnia were alive with deserters from tho Austio-ll'uhgarian armies..; 'Desertion— principally of J ago-Slav soldiers—camo to be practised on such a laiije scale that it proved one of the main factors in the collapse of the Empire. The descrtevs formed themselves into disciplined bodies, armed with rifles and inachiiie-gunv, and possessed' an organisation so perfect that tlicy were able to defv all State authority. .Prepared to resist attack, and at times, when i'resli supplies of food or ammunition wero needed, boldly taking the offensive. IJioy mustered in companies, battalions, and regiments. Towards the ond of tho war their, number. had. risen to "150,000- Aft thev dwelt in the green wood they caino to bo known lis tho "Green Cadres" The name will live in Jugo-Slav history. The methods by which the flow of desertion was kept up wero most ingenious. Some' of them, related to mo by a Dalmatian Croat, who 'was one of these, outlaws. deserve to bo'chronicled. Having uossessed themselves' of an adequate stock of official forms, with,the necessary seals, for leave-permits, transfers, sick ccvtilicates, and so forth,"lluiy.wcra aijle to supply such documents to applicants. 'generally exacting a "fee varying from'loo to 1000 crowns. Their, emissaries, armed with apparently' genuine credentials, would proceed to the very front, and them with impunity distribute leave-permits, to their friends- in tho trenches. ; ;

Most of. their supplies were obtained from tile military depots by .means of false orders, duly stamped and countersigned. When that method was not practicable they would go round to liio farmers with requisition 1 orders. Who could guess that these men in uniform, were not. genuine soldiers acting, under Imperial authority?' More 1 than once they stopped and . plundered trains carryTnl' victuals. 1 On one memorable occasion 1 they sent men from.Croatia'to Budapest with forged orders for a whole trainload of provisions to be dispatched to a certain camp. As the train approached their forest, lurking place tliey held it uu and carried off - the goods.

. Successful Personation,, . Till) "Green Cadres" had, no lack of officers well' acquainted with German and with the details of army regulations, book-keeping, etc. l telephone apnaratus of their own they were able to tan the official wires and keep themselves informed of all measures that were' being taken against them, 1 and of all military-movements.' Thus,-an infantry detachment, with tho necessary transport. -commanded by. Ober-Liouteuaut X.T-. had been ordered to go to Cettiiijer get supplies there, and proceed. TW negiest "Green Cadre," getting the wind of this order, sent twenty men tinder one-of their own officers, an Austrian subaltern, to personate tho Ober-Leut-nant and his company. The subaltern, though. very young, wore: a high-class decoration.'which aroused the suspicion, of the Commandant at Cettinje, who demanded his credentials. , /These being produced in perfect order, the provisions were given and promptly carried to the deserters' camps. The trick was discovered when Ober-Leutnant X.Y. arrived at Cettinic the following day.., ,

Uniforms of .gendarmes and of'military officers'of all ranks were obtained by attacking, if need be, killing the legitimate, wearers. Thus members of the "Green (.'wires," in tho guise of'superior officers, wero able to inovo unmolested and unquestioned, among the troops at the front. Besides those who joined the "Green Cadre'.' camps, there were many Austrian, deserters who simply remained in hiding in or .near their own houses. Not a few men aCso completely evaded; military service tjv the most cunning devices. Hero are a couplp of instances out'of many. A Trading Trick, ' A certain Ooffee-house waiter of Spalato, equipped with uniform and rifle and seemingly valid .credentials, wis continually travelling in charge of two "deserters" from Dalmatia to Croatia and back again. As a- matter of fact, he was trading in Croatian foodstuffs for sale at Spalato, and tho two "deserters" were his partners. In this way the trio.,H9t,.on]y escaped enlistment, but carried 'on a good business as well, and journeyed free of expense. ' A party leader left Bosliadin, in Croatia, with 50 men and an open order to join a- Ban company in Dalmatia. Tho document was a forged one, and when they reached Dalmatia. tho,.svh.ole band dispersed and w'ent hoine. V.

: lien who could not o'btain falsb':j)ermits, and wished to hide at holiie,!.j.ould resort to the following their tiiiio for leave arrived they'/wpnld name (is'their residence ionic place'-perhaps*4o mile? beyond the true on£'.l3ut they would' stop short at. their'ownV village, whiiw the gendarmerie of---4he- places named in their permits, in reply to even-' tunl inquiries, had to declare that the men sought for wore unknown there. .A few days before the final debacle, m Magyar company was sejit to a village near Spalato on a Sunday, when all tho men, being pious Catholics,> : go to church, in order to arrest the local deserters in or.o Jiot. A few of the deserters had . "good" documents to show in case of need, and these men, coming first out of the church, absorbed the.; attention of I lie Magyar «oldiers by engaging in a dispute with them and dolaying to show their papers. Meanwhile, women with closely, kerchiefed faces were issuing from the church' door and disappearing in tho vi'ilngt. When at'.last the papers had been produced and found in order there emerged a procession of women and girls iir their underskirts and bareheaded. Upper-skirts and headkerchiefs had served to disguise "their.' iuen-folk, who had all go 1; away.