News from Outside

The German worker in his factory who thought with sympathy of his fellow workers "out there" (see above) would have been both heartened and saddened if he had known what was going on in German-occupied Europe last week. There were signs that a wave of sabotage and terrorism was sweeping the Continent:

^The city of Belgrade was fined 10,000,000 dinars ($181,800) for "increasing sabotage and terrorist activities." Twelve Serbs were executed for illegal possession of weapons, 122 "Communist and Jewish saboteurs" were put to death in another mass execution. Somewhere in northern Yugoslavia 90 persons were killed to avenge the death of one German soldier and one puppet policeman. Germany was reported to have sent 25,000 more troops to Yugoslavia to deal with guerrillas. The death of General Ludwig von Schroeder, Military Governor of Belgrade, was announced in Berlin. (The British claimed his death was engineered by the Gestapo because he had protested against brutal treatment of the Serbs.)

^ Greece was close to starvation, but the Greeks cheered British prisoners, held their noses when German and Italian soldiers passed.

^ In Bohemia sabotage in the Skoda munitions works was so bad that the Germans had to exchange 3,000 Czech workers for Italians.

^ In Poland two-thirds of the German obituary notices in the newspapers were of occupation officials.

^At Alesund in western Norway patriots so damaged German communications and military establishments that the Germans seized 70 of Alesund's leading citizens as hostages. When the police escorted them to a ship for transportation to Germany 5,000 Norwegians tried to rescue them, got into a fight with German marines. Men threw stones and women nailed with umbrellas. Finally one of the hostages, Harold Roenneberg, appealed for order, ended his appeal with "Long Live the King!" The crowd then stood bareheaded and sang the national anthem, Ja, Vi Elsker Dette Landet.

Gauleiter Josef Terboven announced that Norway was hereafter in a "state of emergency." This decree empowered him to pass sentences of death "to preserve public order." All radios in the coastal regions nearest Britain were ordered delivered to the German authorities. Herr Terboven rumbled ominously that Norway had reached a "decisive phase."

> British Broadcasting Corp. twice broadcast in French the following message to a mysterious saboteur on the Continent:

"Here is a message for our correspondent Leopold Vindictive 200.

"I repeat: Leopold Vindictive 200.

"Hello, hello. We appreciate very much your valuable and voluminous efforts.

"Heartiest congratulations and long live the Vs.

"Attention: the keys turn in the lock, but for the affair of 300 square meters it is necessary to wait yet a few days.

"For all concerning A, all is of the greatest importance.

"Watch your step at three kilometers. Watch your step southeast of B2.

"Long live the brave Vs of Lille and of Nieuport."

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