OFFENSIVE HALTED

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 October 1939, Page 7

OFFENSIVE HALTED

HEAVY GERMAN CASUALTIES “VERITABLE WALL OF FIRE” [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, October 18. Germany’s push, inspired by Herr Hitler s desire to eject the French from German soil, is now at a complete standstill. It is unofficially estimated that the German losses since Monday are at least 5,000, which is out of all proportion to the slight gams. The French losses in their well-planned retirement to prearranged positions were slight. f^nac . Once the Germans reached the first real line of French defences, they met a veritable wall of fire which abruptly halted the attackers.

A semi-official commentary says the Germans at no point succeeded in getting near enough to the French defences for hand-grenade fighting. They were forced to dig in at .points where they had gained a foothold, with a view to establishing machine-gun nests. There they will be constantly exposed to violent French artillery, barrage and machine-gun fire. I German troops must pass through; mine fields before they reach the first I line of real resistance. War correspon-j dents state that the position is very different from the last war, being much more fluid than the elaborate trench systems in the Great War.

100,000 MEN ENGAGED. ATTACK ON LARGE SCALE. NEW YORK, October 17. The military correspondent of the “New York Times,” Mr. G. H. Archambault, in a message from Paris, says: “Launching more than 100,000 men in a long-awaited large-scale attack, the Germans advanced on a, 20-m.ile front beyond the thin line of French outposts, only to be halted by deadly, interlocking fire from the main line of resistance on ’which the bulk of the French z force had been withdrawn a fortnight ago. “The German losses are reported to have been heavy, since the- nature of the ground and the conditions of operation precluded the use of tanks to support the infantry. “The French claim that except at one or two points, they continue to occupy German territory. The attack came in the Saarbrucken-Zweibrucken-Pirmasens sector.” Five or six German divisions took part in the offensive, but did not reach the main line of French defences, ■which arc well in advance of the Maginot Line. ORDERED BY HITLER? LONDON, October IS. Reuter’s Paris correspondent says: It appears that Herr Hitler intervened in the plans of the German Hig-i Command in ordering an attempt to drive the French across the frontier. The Germans claim that France has retired behind her own frontier. This claim clearly shows that the wish was the father of the thought. It is believed that theii- claim is designed to show that France does not want to fight 'Germany, thus paving the way for Herr Hitler’s second peace offensive. However, the possibility that the present German aggressiveness is only preparatory for yet larger operations is not ruled out. BELGIAN CRITIC’S OPINION. LONDON, October 18. . Reuter’s Paris correspondent says: Colonel Requete, the military critic of the Belgian paper “Independence Beige,” expresses the opinion that the German strategy on the West front has reached an impasse, whereas, he says, France’s tactics could not be more promising than they are. Ger-

many needs a rapid peace,, and foi that reason the Franco-British stra- | tegy should eschew any rash adventures, and should aim at strengthening their lines and tightening the | screws of the blockades. I i FRENCH RETIREMENT. j ACCORDING TO PLAN. i I (Received October 19, 11.45 a.m.) | LONDON, October 18. I While a German communique claims a French retirement between the Moselle and the Palatinate Forest, the fact is that thinned French outposts waited till the Germans were advancing, and then fired rockets as a signal to the artillery 'and machine-guns, which opened a barrage. The French, meanwhile, were falling, back to prearranged positions. Trains and motor waggons poured in Germans, throughout the night, behind the lines. BRITISH GUNS MASSED. LONDON, October 18. It is revealed that hundreds of British guns, ranging from massive howitzers to motorised anti-tank guns, are massed on the British sector of the West front. GERMAN REINFORCEMENTS. (Received October 19, 1.40 pjn.) PARIS, October 18. The'Germans to-night were reported to be still rushing up reinforcements, to support the units which gained a precarious footing in the vicinity of French territory, on the extreme northern flank of the- Western front, from which the French strategically retired on October 16. The correspondent of the Associated Press of America deciares' that thousands of troops are pouring into the fighting zone. Others are hastily erecting barbed-wide barricades and digging trenches and tank-traps, in the positions reached during Monday’s offensives. A night communique states: There is no change along the whole front. Reconnaissance units are very active, notably between the Moselle and the Saar. The' highest authority stated: The operations in the last few days have been carried out according to the plans of the French Command. Our units, in contact with the enemy at certain points, resisted without yielding an inch. At other points they wtihdrew, in accordance with instructions. Otar /troops everywhere punctually carried out their orders. ACTIVITY DURING NIGHT (Recd. October 19, 11.45 a.m.) RUGBY, October 18. A French official communique, thib morning, states: During the night, there was activity on both sides by contact units. There were ambushes and trench raids. There was considerable movement by road and rail, behind the enemy lines.