Anrc-Powb 1945-02
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12 VOL. 3, --NO. 1 I Expediting Mail TWENTY.MILLIONTH PACKAGE The War Department announced A portion of the prisoner of war on December 18 that transmission of mail addressed toAmerican prisoners On December 7, the anniver_ sary of. Pearl Harbor, the + letter mail to and from American in Japan will, effective at once, be twenty-millionth prisoner of prisoners of war in Germany and carried on Soviet ships leaving west ISONERS war package came off the OF WAR Japan will be expedited as a result of coast ports, as a result of instructions as. issued to Soviet ship captains by the sembly line at one of the Red cd by the American National Red Cross for the Relatives of American Prisoners of War and Civilian Internees the cooperative assistance . ren~ered Cross Packaging Centers in the American government m thiS re Soviet government advising them to gard by the governments <;>f Swe~en, accept prisoner of war mail from ~;ill~~~~~i~~ ~;:Ok1:,kN~i~, I ~j-, N-0-.-2-------------W- .-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-0-N-, -D-.-C-.--------.."...,.--c-;;-=--F-E-B-R-U-A-R-Y-1-94-5 American postal authorities for dis Switzerland, and the SOVIet UnIOn. Packaging Center operation ~ ~------------------------------------------~---------------------------------------------- In the case of American prisoners patch to American prisoners of war held by Japan. This mail will be began early in 1943. A ll four as. of war in Germany, arrangements sembly lines are operated by have been completed with the Swedish transported across the Pacific to women volunteers. A Report to Relatives of Prisoners and Swiss governments whereby pris Soviet ports, and thereafter trans oner of war mail destined for Ameri ferred to the Japanese for delivery By Maurice Pate can soldiers in German prison camps to prisoner of war camps. This serv will be dispatched by air on alternate ADDRESSING NEWLY CAP. rapidly changing military picture of ice supplements that already in effect TlJRED PRlSONERS mmer and fa!! brought numerous new All kinds of arrangements, with the vessels are running constant risks. routes via Sweden and Switzerland. whereby prisoner of war mail to pments in the prisoner of war relief support of our government, have to Twenty voyages by Swedish ships This two-way shuttle service over 'ons. To coordinate the work at vari- Japan is transported by air to Iran, The November 1944 iss,ue of the l~~e ~~r ~f~~ggZ;;b~:"l::;fnglelg ~~~~ be worked out involving London, have so far been safely made between these two alternate routes will con Geneva, Berlin, Stockholm, and even and transshipped from that country BULLETIN reported that mall for new- ,e!led l~OOO miles by 'l!lane (Ind car. Goteborg and Lubeck, though any siderably reduce the transit time for ly reported prisoners of war in Ger. i~do t~~o~1h~~s !~ig ';'o:.'t~r'gi ~~~~ Moscow, because sailings of neutral day we know a ship may strike a these mails, which will be dispatched to Japan. ships now entering the Baltic Sea mine. German minesweepers cleared No postage is necessary on the many could ~e addressed in car~ 0 n~ ~?:lfz~',-f;,~.e ~ho;n~ ;~t~~:,fr!~~:~ from the United States to Europe di the International Red Cross DU'ec ~e stopped tn Barcelona and Lisbon, on their relief missions must be noti a path for our Swedish relief ships to rect by air on a daily schedule. foregoing mail. tory Service at Geneva, Switzerlan I~PP~~t~.~E~ft~~ .bee n two or our mter- fied to all Powers concerned with Germany, and, at Lubeck, German pending receipt of the prisoner's .. that area in order that these ships freight cars steadily move the food permanent camp address. IS I~ an mformal report on my may proceed without interference. packages to the camps. • t tnp to Europe to each of the Record Shipment Leaves Philadelphia e The Northern Route . At the tu:n of the announ~emen, 0 families of American prison The French Ports It :was decIded that the prIsoner ! war, and an expression of cer Few Americans perhaps realize This was the Saivo's second trip The MIS Saivo, the latest Swedish senal number should not be mad aims which the American Red that the main life line for food to It is difficult to visualize the de vessel to enter the service of the In across the Atlantic. On her maiden rart of the address. In t?e mean in the field of war prisoner re their prisoner kin in' Germany is gree of destruction I found both in ternational Red Cross, left Phila voyage in October she brought time, however, the InternatIOnal R 'ork is endeavoring to fulfill. now through Sweden. Back of this Marseille and Toulon, the, main delphia on December 2 with a record Christmas gifts from the German Cross has. advised that the i~cl~ sion e August 1944 wave of op is a sequence of events. , French ports on the Mediterranean. cargo of food, clothing, athletic Red Cross for German prisoners of o.f the. senal number would aid Id~n. m was not shared by the Ameri A year ago the American Red What Allied aviators had not done in equipment, and other supplies from war in Canada and the United States. tIficatlOn and not cause confusIO Red Cross. At that time we in Cross, backed by the United States destroying the ports while the Ger the American and Canadian Red The outgoing cargo from Phila with the POW number when the f to Prisoners of War decided government and military authorities, mans were still there, the Germans delphia was discharged at Goteborg, Cross societies for prisoners in Ger latter is report~~ to Genev~ by the prepared for at least another sent large reserves of supplies via did at the time of their withdrawal. Sweden, whence arrangements ~ere German authontIes. The senal nu m- of operations in Europe. If the Then the Americans and French per many. The supplies s hip P e d Marseille to Switzerland. That is made to transship it to Lubeck, the ber may therefore be includ \,!d aft~r came earlier, we could only be formed a miracle in quickly getting amounted to nearly 6,000 tons, and why, though Switzerland was cut north German port. International the prisoner's name and rank, but It! ful. 'With a substantial capital off from France for five months last these ports into usable condition. included over 650,000 American Red Red Cross Delegates take charge of should be clearly indicated as th y from R ed Cross funds, a summer and fall, we were able to As there was at the time (in No Cross standard food packages, and the relief supplies at Lubeck and serial number, and its use discon packaging center was opened serve the camps in Germany out of vember) a great military movement a large consignment of clothing for handle their distribution to the tinued as soon as the POW number ooklyn early in September 1944. reserves accumulated in Switzerland through Marseille, it was decided to French prisoners. camps in Germany. becomes available. plant has already turned out during the previous winter and make use of Toulon, about 40 miles over one million standard food spring. away, as the main port of entry for ------- -----------------------------------------j ges for prisoners of war. But two roads of relief are always Red Cross prisoner of war supplies nded Americans repatriated on better than one. Therefore, with the on the southern route. Allied military d 'p;);)lUlmm~ Sf q:>fqM lOJ ;).\IlllSO ripsholm last September were aid of both Swiss and Swedes, we authorities have given us unstinted '!'''!ill WlIOil UO l;)PU;)S AJPOU 'UMOU1j Sf sg.iJ>p8 ully interviewed by R ed Cross sta.rted planning as far back as June cooperation in handling shipments M;)U PUl1 P;)AOW;)l Sl1q ;);)SS;)lPPl1 H - ~;)lS1!UQSOd entatives in order to find ou t 1944 the new path via Goteborg, through Toulon, and the heavy-duty means of better serving Ameri Sweden, and north German ports trucks which were shipped by the risoners in Europe during 1945. to the camps in Germany. This has American and Canadian Red Cross SU6JJ at U'nSnv borne results .. So far we have shipped societies last summer have proved eration Between, Governments 40,000 tons of war prisoner relief invaluable in getting the goods from .l~cn't "_9~ JO AUS.le4lCl£l ettiL e Allied invasion of France supplies to Goteborg. Up to Feb shipside to the nearest railhead. t10l~tslt\bOV Sl'e!.IeS ht great changes in our war ruary 1945, nearly 3,000,000 stand With the help of army engineers, it ner relief oper~tion. At any time ard food packages shipped on from was a matter of only a few hours to elivery of a single parcel to a Goteborg have reached American lift the trucks ashore and get them P;);)lue.l1m~ ;)~l!lSOel u.ml;)l1 prisoner in Europe is not as and Allied camps in Germany. rolling. French workers unload sup. l.~ Ie as it may seem to the parents The Baltic Se.a between Goteborg plies from Red Cross ships at Toulon. her relatives on this side. The t8 'ON l!UI.I;}d and Lubeck, Germany, is sown with For several months, therefore, pris .:) 'cr · U01~ U!qS1J.M. ':J 'a '~I U01~U!qSl!M. ery requires the active and al anchored mines. So, when goods are oner of war shipments (British as SSO.I:J P;)'U Il!UOPl!N Ul!:JP;)WV ;)qj.