4500 German “Police Troops” Reported in Alleged Soviet “Shadow Army”

Grey River Argus, 24 November 1948, Page 5

4500 German “Police Troops” Reported in Alleged Soviet “Shadow Army”

(From David Brown, Reuters Correspondent) BERLIN. (By Airmail). A report that 4,500 “Police troops’ are now undergoing intensive training in a single training camp in the Soviet Zone Province of Thuringia is the latest in a long series of reports received in Berlin describing ine building up of a “Shadow Army” in the Soviet Zone. The arrival from Russia in mid-October, of the former Stalingrad General, Walter von Seydlitz, and three other former Nazi Generals was widely heralded here as marking the definite organisation of a large scale para-military police force under the direction of Seydlitz and other former German officers. The belief that this organisation is proceeding steadily persists in spite of a categorical denial, issued by the Soviet Information Bureau, that Seydlitz had come to Germany. Since then, other reports of Seydlitz and his henchmen have gained circulation, including one of an attempt on the life of Sevdlitz, former Chief Subordinate of Stalingrad Army Leader, Field Marsnal Paulus, and another of the flight to safety in the Western Zones of one of the Seydlitz Party. These reports cannot oe confirmed from Soviet sources. The belief is widespread in Germany that the Russians are speeding up the development of an armed police organisation of at least 400,000 men who can take over military control of the Soviet Zone and enforce Communist discipline in the event of a withdrawal of Soviet Occupation Troops, according to this theory, Soviet troops would be withdrawn only after diplomatic agreement had been reached for the simultaneous withdrawal of American, British and French troops from Germany. The para-military police organisation would then be the Soviet Government’s instrument for enforcing Soviet policies on the population of the Eastern Zone and would give support of force and arms to the Communist - dominated Socialist Unity Party. Without such backing Western observers believe, the party and all Soviet influence in Eastern Germany would qickly collapse. The model for the projected policy in Eastern Germany is believed to be the Soviet withdrawal of occupation forces from Northern Korea, leaving well-organised and welldisciplined Communist organisations t 0 ensure the continuance of Soviet policy and enforce the execution of Soviet directives. The most authoritative backing for these beliefs so far has come from the American Military Governor, General Lucius D Clay. In Washington recently, General Clay stated that the Russians had a Communist-indoctrinated police force in their zone numbering between 200,000 and 300,000 and that thisi force “was being enlarged every day.’’ Some Berlin reports have stated that detachments of the new force have been located in former army and displaced persons barracks close to the capital. There, thwv are said to be undergoing part of their military training. These reports are impossible to check in authoritative quarters because of the ban on movement of Allied personnel into the Soviet zone. They have come thick and fast, however, from German sources who have greater freedom of movement and closer contacts with points in theh soviet zone, and aret too plentiful and too circumstantial to disregard. According to the latest of these reports, in Thuringia, 4500 men from the police training units at Erfurt, Ilmenau and other centres have been moved into a training camp at Ohrdruff. Ohrdruff is a small industrial centre in Southern Thuringia not far from the northeastern boundary of the United States zone. The report state that during the summer, the camp was a training centre for Soviet Army tank units nad motoristed units, who returned to their Thuringian garrison in mid-October. Among them, were a tank regiment which returned, with its 35 Stalin tanks, by rail from Ohrdruff to its garrison at Saalfeld. This movement, the reports add, was especially impressed on Germans in the vicinity because the Soviet troops displayed a “tough” attitude towards the German population, robbing them wherever the train stopped en route. Erfurt in particular was aware that the training troops had passed through. German railwaymen of the Saalfeld shunting yards were said to have Picked up on the mornings of October 12, 13 and 14, many looted, torn and battered suitcases and boxes bearing the label ‘‘Erfurt Railway Baggage Offl cP ’ 1 Recruiting of police for the new force is now reported to be going on intensively throughout Thuringia, candidates are sought between the Xof 17 1nd.35. A special decree of the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior provided that candidates under 21 no longer require paternal consent to enlist Germans declaie that this is a violation of tiaditionai German law The recruiting inducemen” held out to the younger element include a first category food StiM pay of 300 Eastern marks per month? ten cigarettes a ay-con ■ oared with the normal 30 to 60 a month in the Easte zone and sometimes as low as eignt a month in the West-a free urn form and , ‘^ ree^on L„/L; r , Tl c are efhardships.” These attractions are a fective when super imposed n th natural inclination of Z k g _ to put on a uniform and play at ing soldiers again. The ne^. pore tical undergo three months //vninirw end three months’ practical tia - The theoretical training covets non twal in J net rm at'on and same s ~ of general police rules. The a " eal training is acquired at tiaimiu camps like the one at ■Chrdruit. a the end of the six months P 6 ?*??; +ho epndidato is annointed a fledged member of the force.' Youna men who are under a political c cud because of previous charges of Naz;sm ar« willmgly accented a° oand 1 - dates, but "iven a training “detour. Thev are first required to serve _a three months’ probationary period in a railway police unit.. If th°v complete th’s successfully, the Thuringian reports state they are admitted nt once to the police training camps +hns by-passing the theoretical 1 course.