NEW ZEALAND PRISONERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 July 1943, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND PRISONERS

j SOME MANACLED’ BY GERMANS. j STATEMENT BY PREMIER. t - - (By Telegraph—Press Association, i WELLINGTON, This Day. Some of the New Zealand soldiers who were prisoners of war in Germany had been manacled when the Germans resorted to that action stated the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, in the House of Representatives last night when replies to questions were tabled. Mr. Fraser said that during the Dieppe comando raid the British troops found it necessary to secure their prisoners. This was necessary in the confused fighting, as to allow them to remain free would have meant that cither the prisoners or their captors were liable to be killed. The Germans had claimed that this was against international agreement, and that no prisoners should be bound, said the Prime Minister. They completely ignored the fact that this agreement applied to open battle and not to the type of fighting which occurred at Dieppe. The enemy had resorted to manacling British prisoners in retaliation and as a means of getting an assurance from the British Command that no prisoners would be bound in any future operations. Mr. Fraser said there was a great difference between manacling men in a melee and in a camp. Some New Zealand men had been manacled, bin in some intsances it was only for about half an hour in the morning and a similar period at night. Only a portion of our men had ben involved, and they had stood it very well, but the position had caused himself and the Government a good deal of worry.