Terrific Artillery Due!

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20034, 5 September 1939, Page 6

Terrific Artillery Due!

ARMIES AGAIN MAKE CONTACT French Thrusts Penetrate .German Lines BRITISH NAVAL ACTIVITY CONTINUING Berlin Keeps Quiet Concerning Western Front (.Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Sept.. 5,1.50 p.m.) LONDON, Sept, 4. Messages from Paris report that the first war communique to-day stated that operations had begun by the whole of the land, sea and air forces. It is learned German-Drench hostilities began at 5 a.m. with a terrific artillery duel. The Paris correspondent of the British Associated Press says that a French General Stall: communique announced: ‘‘Contact has been made on the. front” with the German forces. The communique added that the French naval forces had taken up Ihe posts assigned to them. The French Air Force had done the necessary scouting. An Independent Cable Service message from Paris slates that French troops penetrated the German lines at a dozen points, advancing as much as three kilometres. The British Admiralty announced that naval activity.is continuing on all seas, hut so far there have not been any major operations to report. A Berlin message quotes a German wireless announcement that to-day there was nothing to report on the western frontier. The official French journal published the text of the French note to foreign Bowers advising that a state of war exists. The note states that the German Government, in contempt of the methods of peaceful settlement of differences to which it undertook to have recourse, and in contempt of appeals for free discussion and mediation authoritatively addressed to it, committed against Poland on September 1 an act of aggression. This act of aggression faced the French Republic with obligations of assistance to Poland resulting from treaties known to Germany. The final British and French attempts to maintain peace met with German refusal. Consequently, as a result of German aggression against Poland, a state of war exists between France and Germany as from 5 p.m. on September 2,