Heavy Fighting

Northern Advocate, 6 September 1939, Page 7

Heavy Fighting

The Warsaw correspondent of “The Times” confirms that operations have been exceptionally heavy on the Silesian front, but says that Katowice is still being held by the Poles, while they have regained ground near Rybnik. The artillery bombardment at Katowice is continuous, as are air raids on Cracow. The civil population has largely evacuated the town. The fields have been emptied of live stock and the roads are choked with refugees and marching troops. A report from Zilina, Czechoslovakia says German troops have converged from a Slovak base upon Neumarkt. in Southern Cracow from Levoca, Jablonka and Poprad, in Czechoslovakia. ■ Cavalry and infantry, preceded by tanks and armoured cars took Slovak troops with them.

The latter, however, halted ( at the border and formed defensive posts.

Food, Tobacco Scarce.

There are now 400,000 troops under the German command in Slovakia, of that number 180,000, mainly Austrians, are fighting. There is a great scarcity of food and tobacco.

The Rotterdam correspondent of “The Times”- says the German High Command reports that their forces in Silesia, as a result of heavy fighting in the Tatra mountains district, are now pursuing the Poles north of Tatra and south of Cracow.

They are also endeavouring to face fierce Polish opposition to their crossing the Vistula at East Pless, which recently fell into Gei’man hands. Reinforcements are reported to be attempting to close the breach the Germans made in the Czestochowa sector. Katowice in Danger. The capture of Czestochowa is reported to endanger Katowice seriously. The German High Command announces that Herr Hitler arrived at the Eastern front, saw troops cross the Vistula at Kuhn, and inspected the liberated province of West Prussia.

A Berlin communique claims that the troops on the Silesian front have captured JSlove Sviecie and Wadowice, where fighting has been extremely heavy. It claims that they have taken 150,000 prisoners and reached the neighbourhood of Cracow. The communique also claims the capture of Mlawa, 10 miles due south of the East Prussian frontier. Air Combat.

A Berlin official message says that German .aeroplanes in combat between Warsaw and Lodz downed 11 Polish planes. German losses are not stated.

An official Warsaw communique admits that the Poles have been forced to abandon Grudienz and Bydoszcz, key cities in the Corridor, after severe fighting. The Polish Telegraph Agency reported that 50 German air raiders destroyed a Red Cross train at Szydlowicz, Corridor Battles.

The British United Press correspondent reports that fighting is proGerman territory on both the Corridor. The Poles pushed a powerful force of infantry and cavalry across the Western border due west of Gdynia. Berlin announces a report from Hitler’s headquarters on the Eastern front that the Fuehrer made a tour of 150 miles through former Polish territory.