Jap Cruelty Revealed To Lutherans

gINCE we published, in the May

issue of “PIM,” an account of

how a large party of missionaries

were rescued by the Americans at Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea, we have had the following details from the Rev. F. O. Theile, Director of the New Guinea Lutheran Mission. This

is what Japanese “co-prosperity”

meant to members of his mission : AMONG the missionaries rescued were eight members of the Lutheran Mission at Madang: Dr. Braun and Mrs. Braun, Rev. J. F. Mager, Rev. J.

Hafermann, Mr. A. Mild, Mr. W. Siemers, Mr. R. Barker, and Mr. A. Bertelsmeier.

The last twp are Australians, and the others are Americans. I have been able to contact five of them, and they tell a story of much hardship and tragedy.

About Christmas, 1942, they were all imprisoned by the Japanese, who then had landed at Madang. Rev. P. Fliehler was taken away and was neither seen nor heard of again. Rev. Dott and Mr.

Wenz were at the time in the Bogadjim area, but were never brought in to the others; and nothing was heard of them.

Mr. A. Bertelsmeier was tied to a tree near the Madang aerodrome and the rope pinioned his arms to his side just above the elbow. He had to stand thus for a fortnight.

Rev. Ander had to suffer the same treatment for six weeks. For food they got mouldy biscuits and, after much begging and pleading, they would, now and again, get a mouthful of water. Tied as they were, they were unable to protect themselves against the mosquitoes and had to suffer intense agony.

In February, 1943. the Lutherans were all brought together and interned on Ragetta Island. In March, Rev. F.

Henkelmann was taken away and he was not seen again. There were then fifteen left of the original nineteen who had

originally fallen into the hands of the enemy.

IN February of this year, 1944, the Japanese were conveying their prisoners—140 Roman Catholic mis sionaries and 15 Lutherans—towards Hollandia. On the 6th of February the ship on which they were travelling was, in the vicinity of Wewak, attacked bv bomber and fighter planes. The result was tragic and disastrous. About 60 per sons were killed, among them seven Lutherans: Sisters Klotzbuecher and Kroeger, Revs. Welsch and Ander, and Messrs. Radke, Kuehn and Krebs. Of the remaining eight Lutherans, seven were wounded, and only Mrs. Braun, the wife of Dr. T. G. Braun, remained un hurt.

Dr. and Mrs. Braun are much praised by all who are still alive, Roman Catholics and Lutherans alike, for the unremitting care and kindness they showed to all of them in their suffering and trials. One Roman Catholic priest tells how Dr.

Braun amputated his leg, which had been badly shattered by machine-gun bullets.

Only after much begging did the Japa nese hand Dr. Braun half a dose of novocain. There were no instruments, but the doctor found a handsaw and used that. With such primitive and in adequate means, the operation was successfully performed.

Among those killed was Bishop Wolf, of the Alexishafen Mission. He died about two weeks after he had been in jured on the boat.

There are two Australians among those rescued. One of them, Mr. A. Bertel smeier, of Temora, NSW, is a cot case.

His thigh was fractured on the tragic occasion described above.

At present all are in a military hos pital and are being well cared for. As soon as they have sufficiently recovered they will be permitted to go home.