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HITLER CROSSES INTO
SUDETENLAND
"Welcome To Our Liberator";
Triumphal Procession
OCCUPATION OF ZONE THREE
AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON, October 4.
Hitler entered Sudetenland this morning, crossing the frontier at
Wildenau, through an eagle-flanked archway, inscribed,
"Sudetenland welcomes its Liberator."
Hitler, who arrived by car, was preceded by two armored cars and
followed by a procession of cars conveying the Chief of the
General Staff (General Keitel), General yon Reichenau, com
manding the Fourth Army Group, and other important officers
and Henlein Party officials. He was escorted by military
motor cyclists.
A symbolic ceremony was performed
at the frontier. The German customs'
barrier was slowly raised, while a band
played the national nnt-hptn and Horst]
Wessel song. Hitler and his officers
stood up in their cars and gave the
Nazi salute. Herr Henlein, Reich Com
missioner for the Sudeten districts-,
ceremoniously received the Fubxer.
Bavarian girls in picturesque national
costume and bearing bouquets, lined the
German side of the frontier. Brown
shirted Storm Troopers assembled on
the Sudeten roads saluted as Hitler
drove on. The crowds were warned
not to throw flowers from house win
dows. High-pitched, hysterical cheer
ing greeted Hitler in the packed streets
of Wildenau and Asch.
In an eight-minute speech at Eger,
Hitler told the cheering crowds, "I greet
you and the whole of Sudetenland which
in a lew days will completely belong to
Germany. This greeting is simul
taneously a vow that the region shall
never again be torn from the Reich.
We must all stand together. Ger
i many is happy over these days of shar
ling your joy. Your happiness is that
'of 75 million people, just as your re
icent sorrows were ours. I thank
Almighty God for past blessings, and
pray for similar blessings in the
future."
I TTiHor was most emotional. He
spoke in the market place. Wild
I cheering and shouts of "We thank our
IFuhrer," continually interrupted the
speech.
He added, "All over the Greater
German Reich is the protection of the
German shield and the defence of the
'German sword. The German nation
stands in closed formation. All com
rades are ready to state their lives for
one another. Thus we begin to march
into the greater German future.
Deutschland sieg Heil."
? It is understood that Hitler will visit
Herr Henlein "s parents and lunch at an
army mess kitchen on the roadside be
tween pTanzensbad and Eger. Herr
Himmler, Chief of the Secret Police,:
and his staff arrived in Eger last night
to prepare for the Fuhrer's arrival.
After the celebrations, which will end
tomorrow. Hitler is expected to rest lor
two months, but be will fulfil official
engagements.
Reports from the frontiers state that
the behaviour of the incoming German
troops is exemplar}', but Sudetens have
been involved in a number of inci
dents. The latter sacked Czech houses
and shops in Krumau- Troops dv? not
interfere hi order to avoid a grave dis
turbance. Sudetens also bombed the
Preistadt customs house. Czech refu
gees have been ordered to return to
Sudetenland in readiness for the ple
biscites.
German troops under the command
of General yon Reichenau. crossed the I
frontier of the third zone at 8 am. to
day between Selb and Markneukirchen.
The zone includes the towns of Eger and
Asch and the famous spas of Marten-
Asch and the famous spas of Marien
bad, Carlsbad, and Pranzenbad. The
procession lasted 20 minutes and was
greeted with the chant "One People, One
Belch, One Fubrer." There were no
untoward incidents.
German troops occupying the Eger
region include more mechanised units
than the columns occupying the other
zones. Thousands of residents, who had
not slept all night, gathered along the
roadside to cheer and throw dowers at
the troops, many of whom thrust posies
into their rifle barrels.
Enthusiasm was greate: than in the
other occupied centres, tie roar of wel
come drowning the rumble of me
chanised artillery, anti-aircraft guns,
and charabanc infantry transports, and
the noise of aircraft zooming daringly
over the congested old-time streets of
Eger. Military lorries passing through
Asch included a vehicle in which sol
diers supported an uprooted Czech
boundary post, on which the Czech
arms and colors had been disfigured.
The crowd jeered and cheered the sym
bol.
The occupation Is continuing peace
fully, says the British United Press cor
respondent. Germans, including Sude
tens, and Czechs are doing their utmost j
to avoid incidents. For instance, a 1
poster in Kamnitz declared, "Bellow
citizens, maintain discipline. Do not
shout insults at the retiring troops."
The evacuation goes on steadily, me
chanised units and heavy artillery jam
ming the roads. The Czech population
of Reichenberg, the biggest industrial
city of Northern Bohemia, is moving
out, accompanied by hundreds of Ger
man Social Democrats, who do not de
sire to live under the Nazi regime.
The correspondent adds that on
Sunday Major Strong, Assistant British
Military Attache in Berlin, and Major
Badini. from the Italian Embassy in
Berlin, arrived in Zone 1 ?o supervise
the carrying out of the agreement.
Major Strong said that the Czechs had
faithfully complied with the terms.
Prague reports that a Government
! committee under the Premier (General
Sirovy) and including the Foreign
Minister (Dr. Krofta), has been formed
to deal with the influx of refugees
from the territories which the Germans
are occupying. Many Czechs and Ger
man Socialists left Zone 1 with hand
carts, wheelbarrows, and perambula
tors, following the retiring Czech troops
in drizzling rain.
THE CZECH Government, as the result of the cession of Sudeten areas to Germany and the occupation of these areas by German troops, has a serious refugee problem. This picture shows a hastily prepared refugee camp in Prague, which was set up when the crisis was at its worst. Help
THE CZECH Government, as the result of the cession of Sudeten areas to
Germany and the occupation of these areas by German troops, has a serious
refugee problem. This picture shows a hastily prepared refugee camp in
Prague, which was set up when the crisis was at its worst.
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