World Notes West Germany

Until a few weeks ago, Nesselwang's worst fate was being inundated by thousands of skiers every winter. Now the tranquillity of the small Bavarian town is being threatened by visitors of another kind: veterans of two SS divisions, who intend to hold reunions there. The town council did not disguise its unhappiness with those plans but stressed that it could do nothing because the veterans' groups are legally entitled to meet. In protest, however, the town band has refused to play for the gathering. For their part, leaders of the two SS "old comrades' associations" insisted last week that they were getting together only for organizational reasons, including continued efforts to trace some 150,000 SS troopers missing since World War II. SS veterans' associations have been finding it more and more difficult to meet of late. Last year the 1st Armored Corps Association had to call off a reunion in Bad Harzburg when demonstrations erupted and a local court banned the meeting. Veterans of the 3rd SS Armored Division did gather in the village of Oberaula in the Hessian hills, but so did 5,000 anti- Nazi demonstrators and 700 helmeted police. The welcome in Nesselwang is not expected to be much friendlier: an anti-SS rally has been scheduled for next week.