POLAND’S SACRIFICE

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 October 1939, Page 7

POLAND’S SACRIFICE

NOT MADE IN VAIN VALUE TO ALLIED CAUSE [BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS. 1 (Received October 17, 11.25 a.m.) RUGBY, October 17. While the Polish army and people were heroically resisting the German invasion, the British people had little time and little heart carefully to weigh the contribution of that gallant fight to the Allied cause' —feelings of admiration and sympathy crowded out calculations of advantage. But, now that Poland has been temporarily overwhelmed, there is a chance calmly to assess the military value of her sacrifice, which by no means has been in vain. It was, indeed, always fully understood in competent military circles that, should Herr Hitler decide to attack Poland, nothing could long delay his success there, but that retribution would overtake him on the Western front. The Poles, therefore, undertook their heroic 'and knowingly impossible resistance, thereby occupying the undivided attention of 70 German divisions, and the bulk of the muchvaunted German Air Force. Not only did this greatly assist the French mobilisation, which was undisturbed, and the safe transport of men, but also disclosed to the Allied High Command valuable information as to German tactics in the use of aircraft, tanks, and motorised units..

The German losses in material were also considerable. In one attack, they lost 83 tanks on a narrow front, and, in General Sosknowski’s successful coun-ter-attack near Lemberg, on September 16, they are reported to have lost over 100 tanks.

Freedom throughout the world has every reason for gratitude to the gallant Polish army and people.

TROOPS STILL RESISTING. (Received October 17. 12.50 p.m.) PARIS, October 16. . The Polish Embassy states- that Polish armed, bands, to which German communiques refer as having attacked Germans, are regular Polish troops, who are fiercely .resisting the Germans and Russians near Suwalki, and in the Carpathians, also in the Pripet Marshes and the. Bielowiez. Forest. EXECUTION OF, PRISONERS. BERLIN, October 17. The “New York Times’s” Belgrade correspondent states that Germans are reported to be Executing Polish prisoners at Ruzzomberok, including ; a woman accused of killing a German soldier with an axe, and a priest accused of allowing firing from a church tower. The Germans have ordered the removal of “Mein Kampf” ,and other' anti-Red literature from Bratislava.