Magyar News, 2002. szeptember-2003. augusztus (13. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2002-11-01 / 3. szám

Canadian Airforce personnel joined to give a helping hand to the

Hungarian refugees of 1956

The Canadian 1 Air Division Headquarters was in this building in Metz, France in 1956

There was an inter-section winter sports competition going on at the new Recreation Hall at the Canadian 1 Air Division Headquarters stationed in Metz, France. One night news reached free Europe that the people of Hungary had staged a mass uprising against foreign domination of their country. The Air Division commenced a drive to provide food and clothing for many of the thousands of refugees crossing to Austria to escape the fearful recriminations of the Communist Hungarian puppet government. At its commencement, the drive was receiving wide response and gratifying sums of money, clothes and food were being amassed at Air Division Headquarters and at the Wings.

On the second weekend before Christmas, three RCAF trucks rolled out through the gates of No. 4 Fighter Wing. They were loaded with more than 15 tons of used clothing, toys and food - donated by the 6,000 personnel, their families and associated civilians, of Canada’s NATO Air Division. Their destination, Vienna, Austria, and Hungarian refugee camps in the surrounding area.

In a specially civilianized staff car, we caught up with the truck convoy at the

American Rest Hotel at

Chiemsee, about 60 miles past Munich on the Autobahn, here, we had the RCAF markings on the trucks painted over, and early the next morning set out for the Austro-German border near Salzburg. The German and Austrian guards greeted us cordially and, being sympathetic with our mission, facilitated our passage into Austria. All 11 members of our party were in civilian clothes.

Late that evening we arrived in Vienna and, after arranging for the safe parking of the trucks, we immediately went to the office of the League of Red Cross Societies to determine where we should deliver our cargoes. We were enthusiastically received by Red Cross officials, given directions to three camps in the vicinity of Wiener Neustadt, 30 miles south of Vienna, near the Hungarian border.

Director of Red Cross Hungarian Relief in Austria is Mr. Raymond T. Shaeffer, an able, tireless man in his late forties, who was formerly assistant to the President of the American Red Cross. In his conversation with us, Mr. Shaeffer emphasized the great need that existed for help for the 160,000 (at that time) refugees who had escaped across the border into Austria. He underlined the fact that 75,000 of these people were still in this small country which was doing a fantastic job, but one that was, of necessity, falling far short of the requirement. He was warm and sincere in his thanks for what the Canadian Air Division was going to help.

The next morning, the convoy drove south towards Wiener Neustadt. It consisted of

the staff car, a massive semi-trailer and two stake trucks. We had been directed by the Red Cross to drop off eight tons of supplies at the Canadian camp in the Artillery Kaserne, five tons to the Finnish camp, three kilometers down the road, and the remainder to the British camp, about 10 kilometers away.

We followed the two large buses into the Canadian camp and as we pulled to a stop saw haggard refugees stumbling out of the buses, carrying children and with their few possessions in battered suitcases or done up in large handkerchiefs. They looked dazed but happy that they were on their way to the New World.

Mr. Ruben Baetz, young, energetic and obviously capable, greeted us in his stark, furniture-free "office" when was a bedlam of pleading refugees, decision-asking Red Cross people, and helpful Austrians during the entire time we were there. Mr. Baetz with six women Red Cross workers is running what IRC officials rate the most efficient refugee camp in Austria. The Canadians accomplish this by the simple expedient of working an average 16 hours day, seven days a week.

Despite the turmoil, Baetz took time out to personally guide us around his camp. The Artillery Kaserne was the pride of the Austrian Army during the Second World War. But that was a long time ago. The Allies bombed many of the buildings out of existence and when the Russian occupation forces left, they took everything movable with them.

The Red Cross was faced with a rampage 1

Hungarian refugees arrive in Austria. Behind them is an Austrian border guard tower