The prime minister is now under pressure to win the deserters back and to bolster support for his new deputy, Abdullah Badawi, supposedly his anointed successor.

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There are thought to be about 200 deserters from the US military living in Canada.

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The Allied soldiers were not all heroes, of course: By December, there were an estimated 18, 000 U.S. Army deserters on the loose in the European theater, together with at least 10, 000 British.

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Deserters from the Austro-Hungarian army found this made it the perfect hideout - at the head of one valley the pathway passes through the 'eye' of a needle of rock, and from here foolhardy Imperial Army inspectors could be dispatched with a cosh over the head.

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Desertion was a serious problem in ETO, partly because it was relatively easy to do in Europe (there were no desertions on the Pacific islands), partly because of the never-ending nature of the combat, partly because the Army tried to get deserters back to their outfits and give them a second chance, meaning deserters could figure there wouldn't be any punishment if they were caught.

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