IN NAZI HANDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 January 1941, Page 8

IN NAZI HANDS

❖ EXPERIENCES OF BRITISH PRISONERS I — ON BOARD PACIFIC RAIDERS. ! ENEMY INFORMATION SERVICE. I I I <By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright 1 SYDNEY. January 7. I Snugly ensconced in hotels and boarding-houses, survivors from the ships sunk by German raiders spoke appreciatively of the hospitality they have received since they landed in Australia. "You Australians know how to treat a man in trouble." said a Cockney seaman, and his sentiment was echoed by a dozen of his mates. The clothing and toilet requirements of about 100 of the raider survivors will be issued at the Sydney headquarters of the Red Cross. The chief dei mand was for shoes, socks, and razors. In their temporary homes —they have i "moved” three times in recent weeks—- ’ the survivors laughed over the lighter moments of their captivity. They were greatly amused, for instance, by the one-sheet, typewritten news bulletin in "English." headed "Wireless for Prisoners." which their guards handed out every day. Those arc extracts from the bulletin issued on Friday. December 13: — "London. German raiders tonight resumed their bolitz offensive after 60 hours of comparative quiet, brasting a ; town in the sib’ industrialled west | midlands with hims explosives and I numerous incendi caries. The german I raiders adopted their usual tactics o! battrering-at the city in waves, firs' i droping incendiaries bombs to light j targets and then looking explosives on i the city. Numerous areas were splot-i I cited with bombs, and direct hits soredon a schools house and a bus. "Berlin. The high command an-, nounced today that British planes last > night dropped mob of occupied territory insouthwest germany damaging a german childrens and building in healal plans." NEWS OF ITALIAN ROUT. Surprisingly enough, the captains of the raiders, though they would not allow prisoners to listen to news broadcast from Australia or Britain, recorded in one of the bulletins the Italian rout in the Middle East. This news was loudly cheered by the prisoners. One of the Manyo Marti’s prisoners. Neville McMillan, who was taken from I the Holmwood, said: "During all the! time I was aboard the prison ship, 1 I saw no one give a Nazi salute or say ! ‘Heil. Hitler-' The only evidence of j Adolf 1 saw was his picture, which i stood on the doctor's dressing table." 1 McMillan, like many another raider victim is worrying about the promise I extorted from the prisoners that thevi would not again take up arms against • Germany or put to sea in any armed j vessel. Prisoners were told that if} they broke this promise and were re- ( captured they were faced with the! death penalty.

j "I regard this promise as having no' • value because it was extorted under ' duress.” said Me.Millan. “No raider is • going to keep me ashore. If I want to 1 go to sea in an armed vessel then I am ! going.” The chief officers of another ship. I I Mr. William Menzies, Perth. Scotland, f s said: "Where in war lime am 1 going ■ j to find a ship that does not carry a j | gun',’ I have a wife and kiddie to keep. I ! What is going to happen to them if 1 cannot go to sca again'.’" « GERMAN CAPTAIN'S JOKE. Some times the Germans indulged a sense of humour. Their final joke was! perpetrated on the day on which the . uK'ivors were landed on Emirua Is-> land. At 4 p.m, the commander took possession of the island in the name; 1 f the Reich. At 2 p.m.. ho informed j Captain 1! 1.. Upton, of the Rangitane.; that he had much pleasure in handing it to him as a present from the Reich. Captain Upton gave it back to Mr Cool;, the resident Commissioner, after the raiders had left. By a curious coincidence a woman ■ prisoner received us an issue of clothmg from a ship that was sunk, a hat and are- which was on its way to her in Nauru as a Christmas present from ,

a Irx-tKI in Sydne.v. SHIPPING MOVEMENTS KNOWN. Some <■! the .survivors say that their eap;>.r-' their knowledge of ■hipping movement:; because they thought that Germany would win the war within two months. J H;.dw. second baker «.f the Rangt-p time, was taken into the galley of the’ lokya Maru to bake for his own crew. \ He sh.,-.;■<•<! a rabiii with the German i paymaster-baker, who had learned: Eispi.sh ;ss a prisoner in "die last war One uicht. after four vowels had been . m'i. the Misi,’. .' .Maru and the Tokyo ?.lai u '•■aii.ed otV. leaving a raider; kiioum as tiie Black Panther. The pay.i inastei - remarked casually that it hadj i'eii*..;•;< a t>. 'iaii ' a Norwegian eargo i < e| which v. ;< expected, Next day Ot Ml.. Ve :.i. ; It G;..„ . Ig,. > ■ ...■ teWiiis; <>n tile Rangi'-anc ■ ; ir.c (tecman cinet of n-Tec it in cd a vs yum ship m the cent re: a 'vssv- made by raiders, tmdf '. v<■;■,- adtiri ■ed Py an a:h.v eJ ,:: deci; at al’ ' lie an:, .uticci!, :