European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 4, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                How allies govern occupied territory i French villages Laid waste by germans five defend five junctions 1945 stars and stripes Page 3 ground for Allied germans expected barbarism fair treatment surprised them by de Wilcox War week staff writer Roentgen several months ago a War swept through Here leaving its indelible Marks on this Little the scars of Battle remain on the buildings along the main the streets still show the locked effect of mortar and artillery but the rubble and debris have been Long since cleared from the Roentgen is beginning to raise its head again and the people have gone Back to normalcy and peaceful conditions in those Elev h had fallen dancing were de who Are and listened regularly to smoke and dust Battle had scarcely settled when the american military government team moved to this Community and went into orders were posted which told the civilians what was expected told the Civ ians what was expected other aupied broadcasts of them cooperation and the ies of and i american army was established As the new authority in All matters of in was a town of slightly More than in most of whom were engaged in the weaving it is notable not for its strategic or military importance or it is of us Only because it has been rather the proving ground for american military government within the Survey reveals opinions since the time when our am began operations in a Survey has been made in the town in an Effort to find Are we say about and How the receive democracy after years of toe Nerva ions and comments Are food for postwar thought Here is what the report the villagers were in admitted that they had been led to believe that we would impose a reign of rape and one villager told interrogators that radios Berlin had broadcast in that these stories of rape and torture were he of he look liberators and not As our armies in general a statement that come not As not As but As its a favorite German line to Tell the americans that they never wanted Hitler and that we have liberated if we fall for that Well be runners up the Many provincials who have bought the Brooklyn Bridge on the first visit to new York most germans fear occupation by the French or he con they Are afraid that your armies will go on into leaving the Border towns to be occupied by the French or e omitted in this state the fact that the average German figures that we will be easy on they realize that French and who suffered four years of occupation under the terror of the Gestapo and would have a slightly different formula for re educating the Hitler in disgust was born of the fact that Hitler had lost the exp arty members were usually the ones who were most eager to place the blame squarely on Hitler and his claimed that they were in the party Only because they had been threatened and told that they would lose thew jobs if they didst few of them have any Faith in the scrawny minister of and his promises of new secret reprisal weapons which will turn the tide for a nazi Vic a asked about th2 v said All of that talk is just a Means of delaying the final end on the part of the nazi not Many of the people believed that there will Bea civil of them seemed to think it will be a Tough fight All the Many said that the a and the Hitler youth would follow Der Fuhrer orders to the very you can expect to fight All through Ger a villager i am con Vinced they will not give come As but not As in the areas of Germany occupied by the forces under my As in other countries liberated from the horrors of nazi we shall overthrow the nazi dissolve the nazi party and abolish the oppressive and discriminatory institutions which the party has when the interrogators asked the villagers what they thought about the they received All sorts i of abusive remarks addressed at Hitler didst condemn Hitler for a to formation which led the people to causing the War and running wild it is interesting to note that in the few of the 30 people admitted knowing any thing about and the rest of the Long list of horror orgies which stain the hands of the is and Gestapo War after being told few things about these the villagers shrugged and it must be a very Low Type of German who would do such amen several people said that they considered hitlers efforts to eliminate the jews of Europe As the most serious Ever the common they never endorsed the jew baiting in almost every one of those questioned told some Story to Illus trate their Friendly feeling for the jews under it was interesting to note that Only five persons of the 30 condemned hitlers persecution of the jews on the ground that it was morally wrong or very feature of the pogroms which Macle the civilized world shudder in their thoughts of the most germans fear the Bank director in the Village reported that the first Day after the Roentgen Bank reopened on october with a capital of there was a run on the Bank and withdrawals totalled opinions on occupation of Ger Many some say that Ger Many will be ready to govern her self and walk the straight and Nar Row As soon As the armistice is others contend that a 10 year occupation will be one woman said that the most important postwar problem is the reeducation of the German she told of the conditions in the German schools under the nazi regime and the decline of the educational system when the Hitler youth program became first in All of the nazi and teachers must a serious shortage of teachers will certainly occur and will be a terrific of those who taught before the nazis took Over Are gone one speaking of the educational said that there is a Story circulating which ribs the failure of the nazi educational pro a Good the Story came to the Cradle of a Newborn nazi May you be and a Good a bad fairy then stepped to the crib and by the Power of my Only two of these attributes May exist at the same people respect firmness the first two villagers said that the Success of our we Aims lie in being firm and fair in our treat ment of the these people respect firmness and disc one the German people expect fair treatment of decent germans and they want to see Justice done in the cases of the if your leaders Ever have dealings with known nazi local or government you will immediately lose the Faith and Confidence of those who sincerely Hope for a new free of this element that has caused this american military government id Roentgen has been based on fair firm and disciplined conduct in All dealings with Ger Man and absolutely no fraternization Between our forces and the enemy that is the pattern for making our Victory stick fair Stern and no fraternization or coddling it has Beer tried and tested and it germans remain enemies it is easy for us to lose sight of the a German civilian is an unimpressive he looks and he is eager to be but he is the enemy and what he says about his feelings is merely a ruse to make you feel sorry for him and forget to punish him for his record of he if still the you wont find a nazi All the Way to one villager he meant that no one wants to shoulder the blame for what Ger Many has each German would like us to believe that it was his neighbor who was at fault he was an innocent theres a grand old american Label talk like Roentgen is a town of Defeated you wont find any nazis and it is not notable for its strategic or military or but it serves As a pattern for action in Germany and As a reminder that these despite what they voted for enjoyed the Hitler regime so Long As it brought con quests for and Are still and we May not find a nazi All the Way to even Berch