European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 20, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Debs Myers yank staff correspondent pm a reeducation of Ger Many has begun at boys and who have known no Leader except no Law except nazi come from Down broken streets to hear the strange new teaching that germans Are not born to Rule the this historic City on the belgian Border is the first in which Allied authorization has been Given to reopen by this decision Aachen be comes a Laboratory that will help shape the Pat Tern of whatever new Germany arises from the ruins inherited from the War of bombs and bullets which raged so fiercely Over this first German Citadel captured by the americans has Given Way to a new War of the Effort to Dahood Luemize Young germans is an Experiment that All the world will the principles that Are tried and found Good in Aachen will be applied to other parts of children who have been spoonfed on the Heady brow shirt pablum of German superiority Are learning for the first time that they Are Lucky under the circumstances to have any share at All in the much less Boss they Are hearing in the simplest ways of the democratic concepts of Good and bad they Are hearing for the first time of the real reasons for the misery that has overtaken children listen in there is no Way of knowing How much of this startling new doctrine they these boys and carrying new pick ing their Way through the wreckage to patched up schoolhouses have seen within a few months their houses their City their government they have watched the population of Aachen dwindle from to they seem sep tical that anything is it was to ancient Aachen where lie the Bones of the emperor dead for More than that Hitler came in with swaggering promises of a new German Hitler give me five years and you will not recognize now people look sadly at the rubble of their the wreckage of Germany is More than broken buildings and torn up streets it is the people of to save the youngest to wean it away from military government has set up schools with honest which is 85 percent and they look with respect at the Allied and they say that they never were Cross their did they really believe in and the children say the people of their own children Are All right but the neighbors children Are Likely to be a you know How it they a bad idea is Likely to take deep Root in a of in a neighbors where conceivably there was a Little nazi influence in the that is a remarkable thing in Aachen and in the nazis always live in the next or the next when the War nazis moved Down the Street a the German children have made a fast come they and they make the sign when they ask for the nazis they remember hearing of the they dont remember knowing a single older boys have been steeped for years in nazi they were taught that the germans Are Superior to All other Peoples that War is Good and glorious that to become an is trooper is to fulfil a boys highest they Goose stepped they roared their love of the fuehrer in hoarse nazi marching songs they spit at the mention of democracies and Franklin they took Pride in pushing people whether time and training can Ever make de cent citizens of these German boys Between 12 and 16 is anybody and authorities of the military government Arent too like their these children look at the Allied guns arid they of the allies Are Strong and the allies Are when they say it sounds like someone re citing a poem which he Doest the Only thing they understand for sure Are Allied the reeducation of Germany began with Allied bombs and the Allied these older German children Are sure the military government Means there has been almost no vandalism by Young germans in Aachen since the City fell on october when a Young German does throw a Rock at an Allied or scrawls a note of nazi Defiance on a the military government cracks Down the Young germans got the idea the allies we rent with the younger German those 11 and the Outlook is More the nazis had too much on their hands the last couple of years to worry much about there Are indications that it will be pos sible to remold the thinking of kids at these so Aachen schools have been reopened Only to 750 children Between the Ages of 6 and through the first four classes in the other four grades will be opened when no one it among other on How effectively Denali fiction of the younger Stu dents the teaching staff includes two men and 24 All were screened carefully by Intelli gence their work will be supervised and according to the linked with the nazi of the students returning to Ernest Gilles was picked by his teachers As typical in training and he is 10 years he lives with his Mother in a House that has been bombed but partly Ernest had no Brothers or his a private in the German army in had not been heard from in eight during the heaviest Allied air and during the fight ing for the Ernest lived with 33 other per sons in a he could not remember a time in which there had been no thin and tall for his was questioned through an Lake his he didst recall knowing any the questions and answers what do you want to be when you grow up a i want to paint Why dont you want to be a Soldier soldiers get shot by other do you know what has happened to Hitler i hear that he poisoned As people Are he is not but some say he has hidden did you Admire Hitler i am not a All but did you Admire or like Hitler my Home is gone and my father is do you know who Roosevelt was Roosevelt was the american he is do you know who took Roosevelt place no one took his he was the int someone carrying on in Roosevelt Job the Strong do you have any idea How american boys live do you know the name of the capital of the new were you glad when the War ended i was glad that i would not have to go Back to the did you know that the German armies All were they All surrendered the americans had Many guns and Many do you want to continue to live in Aachen the bombs have left Aachen As the people Are there Are chocolates and motor cars in new has anyone told you anything about democracy the teachers Are telling about Are you interested in what you hear about democracy it does not sound like so much fun As sing when Ernest said he clicked his heels and bowed from the the Scholastic training of Ernest and his Page ii