1954-06-12 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 1954.

CHAPTER SIX OF AN EX-KING'S PERSONAL STORY

THE AXIS PACT: AND I DECIDE TO ACT

T

Was

By Ex-King Peter Of Yugoslavia

during our dwelt contiamlly on the glories

of the Nebelungen, which journey to the summer

was compelled to reette. camp at Bed, between

Into his la*itdt* of they Milneer and Split Nibelungen he always worked (parts of The Dalmatian coast populated by Croats)

propagaticla.

atte Nazi

He was the "herole professor" type, cannot say that 3 hatest him,

1

that I rat beard the people most ccrtainly despised him. shouting "Long Live Mal chek as well as "Long Live the King!"

Matchek WHA th President of the Croatan Peasant Party and leads ring the Cront Opposition to the Government,

There were also Croat tur flags hanging insufo traditional Yugoday satnd- ards when we arrived Mi Spillt.

The reception of the purpurtas

33 4:

thin

-

One day I felt so bored with his Germior propaganda that elecadad To Lake Joy revenge

wise ten-minute 'terra- tion between ench teson Coffee WAN served dining 12

1- terval I had managed to get

very powerful bar rapidly effective purgative, wod put a fee in Heti Vlado's vnp,

After live minutes of report- Veg Her Hitler Batest victories,

asked to be excused

bu

The Kip in 1940 Early went for a car drive in the about "bandit country" Negotin.

ONCE

mother NCE my father and

were driving there, and at their police car got stuck in the mud and, some line inter, their own car. My father went to look

help, leaving

my mother alone in the car with a revolver,

She har ut

long bern there wild-looking mna whet emerged from the bushes neur by and asked her Bercely: "Who But are you She told him she was the Queen, whereon bir sttitude changed

'YUL must put away your revolver." he said in a felmelly way, and we will do what we WAN

Stue Told fan that The King had gather ter get help and the hundit went To find hin first warning her that she must shout at the top of her

volve that he was the Queen, so that hods of his band would huren

ANCR

than

but these clients stood

* !

station 1

Skirt November apotten went to England

abte in the palac swept for the tut whom

1 3211 T

father's My death was thin abo get to the

111

ber

1

Y

la

Regent.

My mother and I left led fog T..the evening before

Upen Radenko, my valel, who fat day of Septembe

at the on, rewid Thetada we were informed that World War 11 had begin

A *l°A!uz}¢a32

Inter Englatad, de- Clini Wat and Pinus folhesse a My opiston

That War and puta 11 Thinsulation a medutely de bar rec

the MAITH".

It seemed to me that ain't the overwhelmatig

FimultanetLES attack by Pulang,

Bud

la

Wee

dermecatre part 4a helpless

He eventually returned with my father, some fellow bandits, over, pulled th; several to safe Krouch, and esported

N 17

C

**

Was

1.

oľ

Towards the end of October our company took part in a big- sende manoeuvre.

ob-

The whole Generalitat

I had served these manoeuvres. occasion to meet and talk with this august body, and was duly impressed by their number, size, and age, but certainly not by their knowledge.

man

Our men Were always to

Each heavily equipped. carried his rifle, ammunition, a tent, prlmu

shovel and #tove, extin clothing.

After a night's moreh of a few milles to change portion the men used to stagger to their destine Hon completely exhausted.

REMEMBER a conversation I had with a general of the old school 45 We watched some motorized troops. I remorked

At the end of February these meetings suddenly ceused, and I asked to be Again was never prezent at the perusal of these reports. I was kept completely in ignorance of the happenings of the ensuing weeks.

COM-

I succeeded In gathering a smal group of my friends trom the military academy, univeralty.

Wr and high schools. stared about what we would do in the event of our Government rigning the pact. Many schemes were considered, and thally one was agreed upon.

days'

WUN 10 take a few

holiday under cover of a shoot- ing trip. but would go instead the Tank Depot in Belgrade, which was under the commartl who shared Dur of a major sentimenta

He would then say that he

ab Unks to

about 300 miles two days' Journey)

enthusiastically that we needed was going out on a night patrol yet 21101<

motorisation, and he and would take

Skoplje, Yes, I suppose this roughly replied: motorisation ไห

quite thing--but

what happens when away. we run out of gasoline? Our bullocks

were slower, but they den't run out of gasoline."

28, 1940, Greece On October was attacked

by fallen troops firm Albania.

Within

few

Were

The other military members of the group were to apply for Aansfer to cummands in South Muvedunia.

I took into my confidence one of my milltary Instructors, who

been Commander

H

2 brigade near the town of Debar. He was extremely popular both among the officers and men of his gurrison,

of our

The other members group wete tu contact

plained that they would

Конк hot hai the

they wees it was obvious that the army waS know that he was a good mat. herrje little Greek ma e bd we all

The well able to hold its own. The band

Futilic opinion in Belgrade headmen of the notorious chief Hebitart Baln'ch,

fo Wes famous

restive. People robbing the rich and helping the violently ecusing our Govern- ment für its policy of appense- ment. Students demonstrations many people as they could in whom they had complete trust, were taking place, and there was

and were to arrange to get down of discontent a strong feeling

a near to the border as possible, officers In emong the younger protected

with them. the Army.

11. sand Had

Kritud. Prante. Yougoslavia, mat of duty to tautain and

11 Humania, the

Was Dur

German

wonki chance.

much nut have

ur

We

wn wrongth white nudd uprem

madments the greater democrate

gear the

Germany.

B

Air qu Government derland that the crans dad not cuti ein ts at Ebt w wish! prate n A strie neutrality, which stern d E me to be a post di hutou- able attitude for us to take

St.pet mogat partie poate da of when calme, dan anggarak 2.00

On

Stovenia, I was very antirampt a ski jump

קין

ין 44

Plantize. kena

"

INKIT.

I was fortunate that my par- ents barl last their pulice car erder in the afternoon For had they been this there would certainly have been

{

..

bandita,

I Nereantsa I saw for the MY ADC. A tame the gold mine be- longing to my Lamily. This mine hat inven opened by my father A couple of years before death, and had only been pro- the for the lat Uutee ren",

i eptenel, said that it was out of The gustion 1 pestered hint maeli, however, that he ipple i ด mny

unel for permission, I listened, whenever possible.

H

At 11 to every news broadcast, and though advising Slowly begot to modify my

same time to withhold it.

uncle direct- bulmons about the conduct of

ty The wai 16

th upsetting our Government.

colonel's ; lans telling him that Poland was practically over.

The Poles

defending it was not dangerous at all. A themselves to the lad man but complet mo at as far in NR.-

do with their ing was concerned, iny unci what could they envalry and their interior Army merely sart: "Peter, you can go at air force equipment against abend, Hitler's Stukus divisions?

Wire

էեցի

Purizer

Al that the 13-2 4།༢ French had done was to declare war, send a few plates over Cetinany dropping leaflets, and a couple of reds into

Saar

Le

This was all very delusion

thought 1 me, fer i bad

dest"

you have my permiss-

1 pokert hem to repeat this to the colonel, to whom I handed the receiver The colonel went white with rage, but dured say no more tha I your Highness."*

THE

that the mighty French Army and 1.

Exp: onury ŋHE por Brit Foire were going to lunch a the attack against violent Siegfried Line, and 1 expected great things from the R.A.F.

understand,

BOOTY

deeply WILS that I had : tulen a mrch on him, and for the next three days would not spenk to e unless I first spoke to him. The next day 1 made three Jump on the Wabing track, the lungest of which was 20 meires --The record was 30 metres.

joined a battalion of moun-

sack, white

û

his

when

1-horou increased German Troops Prosseri The Rumanian and Bulgarlen fron- tiers A rumeur b.gan to 2.309-

late that Bier was asking for ur membership in the Three- Power Pael

WIE hoped that the alarm would W not be given until 24 hours after our fight with the tanks.

from Belgrade

This fort was concluded by Cermony with

i was to go to General Head- July sud Japan

of the garrison quarters and Skoplje September 27, 1940, Ou

which,

elrendy

St that it had just paid off the klned in November of the game knew, wits on our side, contact year by Hungary, Rumanly, and Czechoslovakia.

inimal capital invested in it.

of the alluvial type, and gold

is wached in the river bed.

On September (my 17th birthday) I got my commission as second lieutenant, and my was the Air Force une uniform

without --happily

the Army

at lur.

On the amine day 1 unvelled the monument to my father in Lublinna. The monument Wils later torn down by the itallans when they occupied Slovenia, It was their first act of violence there

On September 20 we visited Slavoneka Pozega, where I saw of heavy artillery, parade kept here as the frontier was within easy reach

The majority of the artillery was later captured en thasse by Germans. These heavy, often outdated weapons were no

match for the "blitzkrieg."

1

asked

111

my

the general in charge of the dis- trict and persuade him to issue orders to all his troops to re- treat to the frontier.

We intended then to ask the Greck Government to receive this refugee my

army of about men into the country. 100,000

WAS very confused

thoughts, and all the more at JOLS

all the since

obylous

And to request our own Govern- people to advise me, such as my

arte. General Korich, my pro- ment to denounce the signing of In ease of refusal, we were fessors, and army instructors, the pact by Yugoslavia. gave me different answers,

then

with our to join forces traditional friends, the Greeks against our common enimies.

more

1

We gave, as usual, one of our Christmas-time entertainments, I was producer and made it a

All this was to take place elaborate entertainment than usual,

about a week after the signing of the pact, which If the worst After the performance managed to corner a diplomat came to the worst, we expected from England.

1 asked him at the beginning of April.

On February 14 to

to everybody's about the general situation in

Prime amazement,

Minister He gave me a very England. gloomy picture.

Tsvetkovitch and the Minister

Foreign Affairs,

Taintar I questioned him closely about Markovitch, went to Berchtes- British

Force Army and Alr

by Hitler to equipment and their production, gaden, "invited" and again his answers were not discuss the future relations of very encouraging. I also asked their countries. him it, should we enter the war.

USED to go some two or three times a week to my Reports came

of

On March 26 the Ministers

our

scend to me that had we atlieke Germany W*** should possibly have had a few earty victories. but

On September Zi we went up would have been

to the northern defence line by wiped out as soon as Hitler had finished with Poland.

car where we inspected my It would be possible for Great returned and made the official We were laineering troops on skis. The bunkers and anti-tank defences. Brun to supply us immediately statement that the Three-Power uiso very worried about what the

xt day the commanding ofeer

I was appalled Italians might do.

to hear of the with fighter aircraft, some light ae. had been signed in Vienna, coifezled us. He gave me a ruck-

amount of money that had been tanks, and troops to support us.

and that we had officia.ty joined In the middle of September

a shovel, binoculars, A rpent on these fortilentions, and He thought it most unlikely.

the Axis powers. we returned to Dedinje, where

The cape to carry, and

that disrespectfully

statement implied very I prepared for my coining law

Mauser machine- General Kosich miniature

why the

there were secret clauses in this and military studies. I was als

pistol.

Renerals had learnt

were to nothing

agreement which atted out with toy cadet uni-

Then we set off with sealsking from the faso of the Maginot

great advantage. form. With other cadets from

o our skin for a march of about Line, and whether he did not

This statement sufficed for me. the Military Academy I went to

six les high up in the moun-

few frantic think it would be wiser to spend uncle's house.

I made

and the local drill field or to a ring taing. When we halled on the

cryptic telephone calls. My range a few miles south VS

border line of a small forest he

message was that we must net. Belgrade.

afternoon a tá-year-nlu asked me to point out how many

NEXT SATURDAY: soldiers I could see from where Renault tank stopped, clunking we were.

Students demonstrate

... The Regent endel were I and

revolution allowed to get into the turret.

dispossessed... Poter as King which

armed with machinegun, while the others crowded outside,

deafening ex- After a few plosions the engine roared fer- ward and we began to move along at a walking pace.

One

in front of us.

WE

another

was

our

The the

the money on anti-tank guns. from our Minister in Berlin, and tank destroyers which are who was having a difficult time in trying to postpone the mobile.

"Majesty." he answered, "we moment of signing and much ex- Three-Power Pact. have had so After looking around for quite perience know better about such question of permitting German a while I succeeded in seeing things than someone as young troops to pass through Yugoslav

territory and pointed them out to as you." iwo, M him. But there were really

E descended a steep incline, crossed a mininture stream, and slowly climbed up the op-

Half-way up the posite bank. inellie the right track came off and the crow took about 20 minutes to put it on again. It was only afler considerable difficulties that we got the engine started again.

As we were climbing another bank clouds of smoke appeared from the back, and fames began 10 lick around, We Immediately abandoned the tank.

30.

He blew A whistle

anct from

soldiers started emerging the most unexpected places, ali wearing white capes,

that the

I was Informed greatest problem encountered by ski troops was that of hiding their ski trucks,

The formation was the newest and best equipped In our army and the men had been recrulteri

who

THE CAN-CAN IS STILL

A POWERFUL DRAW

from among the most rugged FTER three-quarters of

|A' mountain regions. Though thele a century, the French training was very severe, they can-can is still bringing enjoyed better ment than any other troops in large crowds to the Moulin the music has

Rouge night club.

our army.

general treat-

the

43

BY ROBERT AHIER

are the simo she the kites Paris. "It is a good movie,"

always, said, "but its can-can dances are

of "Boneless what

part Tho elementary compared to we do here."

Valentin"--the man who per- She explained that although forms in the middle of the can- the can-le danced now by 23-year- remained same and the steps are similar old Jean-Louis Bert who, after

in But appearing those danced by the

"Folles "Frenchmen and tourists like dancers at the Moulin Tugs Bergeres," turned to the can-con to see the typical can-can dance late in the last century, the pace because of his long legs and

extremely thun Oguro. because it reminds them of a has changed. At a Government-mangged | happy period," said pretty "Wo go much faster now and dance my part, using mÖTÜ acrobatic move- aircraft factory,

making Marie-Jeanne Steigele, caplain of all our movements are bigger athletic and Dornier 17 bonibers under the can-can girts,

and more acrobatic," she said. ments than the first Valentin licence, King Peter cominent-

"It comes from hard dally ever did," he said, "but it is Marie-Jeanne, a 28-year-old

follow steady ed on the slowness.

training."

normal as of pro- duction.

brunette, started dancing at the

physical training plan, which

unknown WAS told that the Germans of six. After being trained in

wall

In Valentin' time," had given the wrong specifica- the Paris Opera ballet she fert

Mario-Jeanne said that in the Orso novelty of tho

Moulin "I was too tall for the opera," Tank Corps ments had been checked on the he said. They could not match past dancers kicked their lege Rouge dances is a 25-year-old Texaé, quita useless

four Dornier planes in the

Avila, who performs Herr Vlado Wolfert taught me tory, it was found that they did me with any Frenchmen, so I waist high, while now they kick American dancer from

decided to turn to the can-can, head-high, Splits were made, by Dorla as, a Volksdeula not WIE 4.

sliding while now they are subtle modern dances. It's much more fun.” an undersized, violent A

commision had been sent

made in a powerful jump. The "After dancing on Broadway, Nad with a Hitler moustache. to Germany to discover whe Barlo-Jeanne shrugged · har rhythm of the musto. It also I came to France on a holiday

He insisted on teaching us, the error lay. All that. I mw anoulders when the cab-cam flater.

So he said, "and on my first night, Germen grammar down to the and heard in this Government dancing in the American film, The black-loos stocking, white I went to watch the Moulin last detail and on making us run factory was negrent dis- "stoulin Rouge', was mention- petticoata, long, drwares and Rouge show and they hired ma write Clothic characters. He illusionment to me To A

glimpse of here, ibigha during " for (six) monitas -- Walter From

We were all extremely dish couraged by this demonstration, but nevertholes were amused by it and by the expression of on the tank, major's anisery

face. About 40 of the 50 tanks which were the

Yogosuy" Artillery of the tions, and that when measure. / Classical dancing for the can-can.

were

correspond.

fac

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