HORRORS IN WARSAW

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 November 1943, Page 4

HORRORS IN WARSAW

MANHUNTS AND MURDERS IN STREETS MASS ARRESTS BY GERMANS OF MEN & WOMEN . LONDON, October 23. The Polish Government received on October 17 from its delegate in Poland alarming reports about a manhunt carried out in Warsaw four days earlier. On the 13th at 9 a.m. lorries with S.S. escorts suddenly appeared in Warsaw streets. S.S. detachments at first drew a cordon sanitaire around whole blocks of streets and then proceeded to carry out a most savage manhunt. The Gestapo were seizing everybody, men as well as women and those trying to escape were shot at mass arrests and searches followed during the night of October 13. It is impossible to estimate the number of those arrested, which must have amounted to over 5,000. Moreover, the Gestapo arrested 60 Poles as hostages, announcing that 10 Polish hostages will be shot for every German killed. They threatened to take more hostages, if 60 should prove insufficient. The secret radio station “SWIT” broadcasting the news of the new terror drive said: “We appeal to the world. The German terror reigns in Warsaw.” The Germans shot the arrested on' the shot when during the search anything arousing their suspicion was found on them. The names of 60 Warsaw hostages were announced by loudspeakers. It now transpires that

during the afternoon of October 16, 20 hostages wearing only underwear we're shot in one of the main avenues of Warsaw and the bodies were removed afterwards. The scene of this fresh German crime has become a pilgrimage place for Warsaw people, who covered the pools of blood with wreaths and set up lighted candles. On the following day in the afternoon the Germans shot another 20 hostages, including one woman, in Pius Street, near the former German Embassy, later removing the bodies. In both cases the Germans gave as an excuse for their crimes the reasdh. that German soldiers had been killed in those streets by unknown assailants.