SERBIAN CHETNIKS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 January 1942, Page 4

SERBIAN CHETNIKS

■ ■» CAUSING NAZIS CONSIDERABLE CONCERN SWOOPS OUT OF MOUNTAIN AREAS. MANY GERMANS ENCIRCLED AND KILLED. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, January 26. The successful tactics of loyal soldiers in Yugoslavia are causing concern to their German masters, according to information reaching London. Serbian Chetniks, seizing the opportunity of heavy storms throughout the Balkans, swept out of the mountains and fell upon snowbound and encircled Germans and Croatians at several places, killing 450 Germans and more than 200 Croats. The powerful Chetnik band, raiding far into Croatia, attacked and occupied Karlovatz for 31 hours, killing the entire Ustachi garrison of 300 men, after--wards falling back into their Bosnian strongholds under cover of the storm. Further evidence of Germany’s failure to establish a durable European system is seen in Swedish opinion. An article on January 16 in the “Hamburger Tageblatt” said that Sweden could not stand aside from European politics, since Scandinavia was part of Europe and, even in Sweden did not want to participate in the actual fighting against Communism, there was not need to seclude herself from the present trend of European spirit. What Swedish people really think of the present trend of “European spirit” is demonstrated by editorials in several leading Swedish newspapers of January 21 and 22. “Nordens Frihit” said: “Investigations have proved that present events in Norwegian prisons are far more ghastly than can be described in Swedish papers. Our people are, therefore, ignorant of this revival of the middle ages among our sorely tried Norwegian neighbours.” “Dagens Nyheter” said: “Some Norwegian citizens above suspicion of taking part in anti-German activities have called the German ' authorities’ attention to methods used against the Norwegians who have been arrested or examined by secret police. They emphasised that these methods are contrary to all humanity and unworthy of a cultured society. Descriptions of conditions in prisons and concentration camps which are circulating among Norwegians can hardly be disregarded by the authorities. Police’ have intervened against ‘rumour mon-J gers,’ but repeated appeals from responsible Norwegians cannot be completely ignored.” Stockholm’s “Tidningen” said: “It is reported that Professor Seips started his punishment by being confined to a dark cell on January 3or 4. “It is frightful to imagine his fate.”