End of Occupation

In the Rhineland, in the courtyard of Mainz's Grand Ducal Palace, the French 8th Infanterie de Ligne stood at attention last week, each poilu perspiring profusely beneath his mountainous load: haversack, blanket roll, gas mask, mess kit and an extra pair of steel-shod marching boots lashed high above all. The sword of General Adolphe Guillaumat flashed in the air.

"Au drapeau!" he commanded. Rifles slapped to the salute. Buglers twirled their trumpets in the air, blew a fanfare, anti as the band crashed into "La Marseillaise" the French tricolor that had flown over German Mainz for nearly twelve years slipped slowly down the flagstaff. With as little commotion as possible the 8th Infantry scurried clanking through the streets, quickly entrained for Cherbourg. At the station a sudden irrepressible storm of boos and catcalls from the German populace sped them on their way.

Evacuation of the Rhineland has been discussed for nine years. It has been in progress for four and a half years. The outside world paid little attention last week to what was the passing of actually the last French soldiers from German soil. In Germany it was the most momentous hour since the Armistice. Bonfires blazed along the Rhine from Switzerland to Holland. Churchbells rang in towns throughout Germany. In Berlin a battery of howitzers shook the Linden trees with an earsplitting 21-gun salute. The Reich swam in beer.

At Kaiserslautern, south of Mainz, the celebration took a more serious turn. The superpatriotic crowd turned to raiding and wrecking the homes of "Separatists" people who had advocated the formation of a separate "Rhineland Republic" during the French occupation.

At the home of Separatist Knobloch (who had served as a judge during the French occupation) the crowd broke down the door, threw furniture out of the window, made a snowstorm of the feather-beds, set fire to his shop.

Separatist Rinsche was more truculent. With his back to the wall and a pistol in his hand he held the rioters at bay until rescued by green-coated schutzpolitzei.

Sensitive Separatist Malbach kept a music store. Gleeful young Germans swept down upon him, chopped all his pianos to bits. When the crowd howled that they were coming to give him a coat of tar and feathers, Separatist Malbach blew out his brains.

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