THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES RUST IN GERMANY

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5287, 27 December 1946, Page 2

THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES RUST IN GERMANY

ThoUsands of British motot yehicies hre rusting on' the atitobahn between i Hamburg and Bremen. Trucks, vans, jeeps, motor cycles, i .command cars, trailers, and military "j vehicies of every description are | jammed broadside along the autobahh lanes over a distance of more ! than 1{)0; miles. The vehicies are packed diagonally without any space between them. Sometimes there • are three lines of them irunning together, giving the autobahn the appearance of a giganti|c herring bone. Armed. German po'lice, the Schutzpolize (Safety Police) guard the entrance to the dump, called ''the returned vehicies" and allow only military yehicies to pass through. There appears to be no sign of activity around the columns on the autobahn where the grass is growing thorugh the axleS, tyres perishing and the tarpaulin covers on the lorries rotting from exposure. Some of the vehicies are veterans of the last great battle in Europe. Two allegations have heen made. The first 'is that British car manufacturers have prevailed on the Army authorities ;to hold up the return of serviceable vehicies to Britain, as the immediate sale would be a severe blow to the car ananufacturing industry. The second, current in France and j Belgium, is that the vehicies cannot be sold. because of the Lend-Lease agreement with the United States. It is said that the agreement stipulates that Britain will not sell any American vehicle in its possessipn for civilian purpose.