NOT TO HITLER’S ADVANTAGE

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 1, 26 September 1939, Page 7

NOT TO HITLER’S ADVANTAGE

Partition Of Poland STRATEGIC FRONTIER FOR RUSSIA Review Of Developments (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 24. At the end of the third week of the war, two questions are uppermost in the public mind, and Sunday papers make a feature of both. Surprise at the Russian move in Poland has given place to speculation as to its effect on the situation.

Mr. J. L. Garvin, in the “Observer,” largely devotes himself to consideration of this, and arrives at the conclusion that so far the “fourth partition” of Poland has worked very much to the Russian advantage. He points out that Russia has advanced “to a line north and south which on an average is 150 miles from the former frontier.”

He adds that thus between the Baltic States and the Middle’ Carpathians the Russians hold ‘‘all the strategic (political points famous in old and later wars as commanding rivers, roads, railways, and disputed racial areas.” In addition, the desired Carpathian oilfields hare been lost to Herr Hitler, who is left with the task of ‘‘incorporating madly in his mixed empire some thirty million Slavs who cannot be subduel in soul. In the long run they will give him and his system moral wounds.” Allied War Policy. Though Moscow may give supplies to Germany, they will not be to the degree of Nazi expectation. The Soviet is working for herself and is likely to follow the advice of the Russian statesman Gorchakov “not to labour on behalf of the King of Prussia.” Remembering the epic stories of mass fighting which occurred in the first few weeks of the last war, many people comment on the lack of reported movement and incident in the opening of the present campaign. “Scrutator,” in the “Sunday Times,” opportunely devotes an article to elucidation of the Allied war policy. He frankly admits that the rapid collapse of Poland is a great disappointment, and suggests that had Russia not intervened and had the Poles been able to hold on for another month, as there seemed every prospect of their being able to do, the Polish army might well have been able to turn the “notorious Polish mud” to good account against the immobilized German mechanical army. In a tribute to the Polish army, he says: “Whoever is to blame for the Polish collapse, it is certainly not the common soldier. The resistance at Warsaw and elsewhere shows of what splendid military material he is made.” Foundation Of Victory. Turning to British and French policy, “Scrutator” says: “The foundation of victory is our complete command of the sea. Germany has made no secret of her fears. She wants a short war and is anxious not to be drawn into a long military struggle. Her present problem is the reverse of 1914. Then she had to force the lines in order to win. Now she hopes to win merely by defending her own lines and forcing us to attack.” “Scrutator” sugested that the Siegfried Line, although not so .strong or favourably placed as the Maginot Line, is far stronger than any German fortified position in the last war, and points out that it can only be reached as a result of long and careful preliminary work. Any policy of mass frontal attack would be exactly what Germany would wish, and would be unlikely to lead to victory, quickly or slowly. “Victory in war,” he says, “consists not in inflicting loss on the enemy or even in the ratio of losses inflicted and received, but in convincing the enemy that he cannot possibly win.” KING OF DENMARK Condition Causes Anxiety (Received September 25, 8.If) p.m.) LONDON, September 25. The Copenhagen correspondent of “The Times” says it is officially announced that King Christian had a slight heart attack last Saturday, causing anxiety. His condition is now better, but all festivities on the occasion of his Majesty's birthday tomorrow have been cancelled. CONCENTRATION CAMP KILLING PARIS, September 23. I 'the colonel commanding a conceu I tration camp at Gratz, Austria, was 8 shot dead by a veteran Nazi