SHOCK TROOPS USED

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 November 1939, Page 7

SHOCK TROOPS USED

DETERMINED GERMAN RAIDS

HEAVY CASUALTIES REPORTED

[BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.]

(Recd. November 3, -2.20 p.m.) PARIS, November 2.

The Germans threw shock troops into daring raids on the Western front. Simultaneously, their long-range guns repeated the spasmodic shelling of French roads and villages behind the lines. The frontier town of Forbach, and the main road from Metz to Saarbrucken, were heavily shelled. The Germans made a determined attempt to pass the first French line of resistance, and succeeded at one or two points. They concentrated their efforts on a village about 11 miles in advance of the Maginot Line, but the latest dispatches emphasise that no German troops are on French soil.

These developments have injected new vigour into the operations, and they are steadily gaining momentum, after a respite from Autumn storms. ' ’ .

There is considerable patrol activity on the Moselle and Rhine sector. A German attack on a village in this quarter was repulsed. A company of infantry succeeded in reaching French outposts west of Saarlouis, but were thrown back with heavy casualties” Similar attacks were launched on the Ohrenthal salient, in the Lower Vosges region. . ' .

The Germans are now using the shock troops in every battalion for raids. It is believed that a shock battalion is included in every German division.

NAZI CONFERENCE

LONDON, November 2. The continuance of the consultations by Nazi leaders and officials is taken to indicate a certain amount of indecision. The latest person to join the conference is the German Ambassador to the Soviet (Count von der Schulenberg). On the other hand, the Ambassador to Turkev (Herr von Papen) is returning to Ankara this- week.

THREATS AGAINST BRITAIN.

BERLIN, November 2.

Count von Schulenberg arrived, and hurried to see Herr Hitler. Herr Hitler, who has not left the Chancellory for several days, conferred with Herr Von Papen, who then left for Ankara, and with Herr von Mackensen, who is leaving for Rome immediately, also with Army and Air Force chiefs. The Press continues to threaten Britain with an immediate onslaught.

PROPAGANDA LEAFLETS

LONDON, November 2.

Twice German aeroplanes flew over the French lines and dropped illustrated propaganda leaflets. The leaflets purport to show that French soldiers are bearing the brunt of the fighting for the Allies.

CANADIAN ARMY STAFF

OTTAWA, November 1.

It is announced that Canadian Army headquarters are to be established in England under BrigadierGeneral H. G. D. Crerar, former Commandant of Kingston Military College. Twenty-six senior officers were to-day appointed to the First Canadian Division. Of these, 22 fought in the Great War, thirteen of them as rankers. Seven are drawn from the Militia, including Colonel P. J. Montague, a Manitoba Judge; and Lieutenant-Col-onel E. A. McCucker, M.C., former president of the Western Canadian Rugby Union.