Iowan Sends Leaflets to Enemy Camp
By FRANK MILES
(Iowa Daily Press War Correspondent)
With the 5th Army in Italy (IDPA) -- Maj. Ronald Carley, of Le Mars, in the 34th division of the 5th army, helps take prisoners with paper ammunition. One of his jobs is to see that leaflets are fired from American guns into enemy ranks, which will convince readers they can best serve Germany and themselves by surrendering.
The major and 2 British officers, standing in half-knee deep mud, told me details of the operations. He showed me what nazi soldiers may read in their own language and the English translation so that gunners will know what they are firing.
One leaflet described how Hitler and other nazi leaders speak and act, then quoted President Roosevelt and General Eisenhower on what nazi conspirators expect if captured and how Germans, who lay down their arms, will be treated.
Another set out how the German soldier can and should speak to save himself and dependents from the clutches of their present masters.
Germans, who came into American lines carrying a leaflet, were guaranteed fair treatment, good food, medical treatment if ill or wounded and a return home after the war as soon as possible.
"In no case to my knowledge has faith ever been broken with a German, who came to us as a result of
of reading one of our leaflet appeals," said Major Carley, who joined the Iowa National Guard 17 years ago.
"The happiness of most of these prisoners upon finding we keep our word is indeed great."
"There is another kind, however, whom we have to watch closely. They are the fanatical nazis, who are taken only after desperate fighting in which they finally realized that either to quit or die and chose the former course. Those fellows maybe mean in captivity and murderous if they think they can get away with it.
"We study stories of prisoners carefully. Some, especially those who accept our invitation to surrender, tell the truth in answer to questions in so far as they can with intelligence and knowledge they have. Some impart untruths because they do not know the facts. Some deliberately lie to help the cause for which they are fighting.
A favorite trick of a clever liar is to profess to be very humble and abject before us. 'I want to work for you now.' he will say in effect, with a feigned friendly smile.
"He will assert that his comrades out there are beaten in mind and body and are without food, water and equipment, or he will say he knows they have retreated from the area. If we believe him we may march into a deadly ambush.
"We treat all of our prisoners fairly but the firmness necessary for each one is we can."
Lt. Col. Robert J. Shaw of Sigourney and Des Moines, is bound for a new assignment after serving with the Brazilian expeditionary force of the 5th army. He has been awarded the Brazilian order of military merit, grade of officer, by Maj. Gen. Juao Baptista Mascarenhas de Moraes, in command.
Colonel Shaw, commander of the Iowa Department of the American Legion in 1940, was decorated by the French in recognition of his wisdom and valor with them in Africa and in the Cassino campaign.
He is a lawyer by profession and drove an ambulance for the French before the United States got into World War I, was in the American army awhile, became a lieutenant colonel of reserves in 1923, is a past president of the 7th Corps and Iowa Reserves Officers associations, and was state occupational advisor for selective services from September 1940 to January 1942. Always keenly interested in military safety, he was either secretary or chairman of the national defense committee at national American Legion conventions 11 consecutive years.
Robert J. Shaw, Jr., an Iowa state college student, is headed for West Point.
Capt. John P. Millor, of Lincoln, Nebr., a store manager in civilian life, now a personnel officer at Athens, Greece, claims Iowa relationship because his wife is making her home with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Brown of Shelby, while he is overseas.
Source: Mason City Globe-Gazette, January 4, 1945
