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Nazis Wept Like Babies Prior To SurrenderingBy DOUGALD WERNER St. Malo, France, Aug. 21 (UP)— The 600 Germans under Colonel Andreas von Aulock who held out 11 days in an underground citadel against a violent allied siege, shined their boots, toasted one another with cognac, “wept like babies’’ then surrendered today.The white flag was hoisted fromthe rocky fortress just as a fleet of P-38 lightnings of the ninth United States air force swooped down to dump tons of bombs inwhat was intended as a death blow. The lead plane released its loadbefore the pilot saw the surrender symbol but he signaled the othersand they swerved off.Shortly before the bombing, sevenBy Galbraithbegrimed American soldiers filed out of the citadel. They had been prisoners of the Germans for six days. The nazis had told them theycould go home.The Americans said 605 Germanswere inside—mostly officers — consisting of an assortment of paratroopers, naval men, cavalrymen,infantrymen and artillerymen.Sergeant Rocco Piegaro of New York City, who observed his 20thbirthday- inside the citadel, said the Germans started drinking up their stores of wine and cognac after deciding to surrender.“Those guys cried their eyes out, Piegaro said. “They didn’t want to give up at first. The Colonel in charge was a hard man. He didn’twant to quit.’’Piegaro was one of eight men captured Friday when Americans attacked the fortress in vain. One’s leg was amputated as the result of a shell wound.The other six released were: Sergeant William Harris of Pasadena, Calif.; Private Nick De Grazia, Forest Park, 111,; Sergeant James B. Robinson of Bristol, W. Va.;Frank Vitaliano of Patterson, N. J. Private P. Brownbridge, Kearney, N. J., and Private Anthony Ja-dowski of Jersey City, N. J.Harris said he and his companions spent much of their timetrying to talk the Germans intosurrendering.“I’ve ‘ got a bar in Chicago, De Grazia said. “I promised those Germans all kinds of drinks, Theywere nice to us. They brought us cognac, wine and cider and cigarets. Finally they told us to get out andgive them a chance to surrender.”Harris said ’ the Germans spent the morning shining their boots and tidying themselves to make the best possible military appearancebefore their capture.They filed from an underground passage, their eyes blinking in the sunlight after living like moles for weeks.The Americans said the underground citadel consisted of four levels under solid stone. They could not feel any blasts from aerialbombings but there were slight concussions from artillery shells.
Newspaper Details
Moorhead Daily News
Moorhead, Minnesota, US
Mon, Aug 21, 1944
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Antoine N.
FR 02 Feb 2020
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Moorhead Daily News
