Battles Continue Unabated

Northern Advocate, 18 September 1939, Page 6

Battles Continue Unabated

The Berlin correspondent of the “New York Times” says that while the battles for Warsaw and Kutno continue unabated, the German wings are seeking to trap the rest of the Polish reserves in a concentric sweep through East Poland. They took Bialystok and Przemysl, and are driving a spearhead of motorised units to Wlodzimierz. Brest-Litovsk has not fallen, but the fact that they are able to drive isolated wedges such distances indicates the weakness of the Poles. ' The defenders of Kutno have grown to ten divisions by the absorption of troops retreating from Posen. The German High Command claims to have occupied Przemysl. The German Customs has moved up to Silesia, and is re-establishing the lines obtained before the Great War. Meanwhile, the industrial plants have been reorganised to produce munitions and supplies for the conquerors.

8000 Prisoners,

A further communique states that motorised German troops reached Slozdomierz, far to the east of Przemysl. j The ring around the Polish army encircled at Kutno has been narrowed and strengthened for attack. The German troops south-east of Warsaw captured 8000 prisoners and 126 guns.

For the first time since the invasion. says the Berlin correspondent of the “New York Times,” the spectacular German advance is slewing down.

The batles for Kutno and Warsaw have entered the fifth day.

A Gei’man communique states that very strong, desperately-resisting forces which were surrounded at Kutno once more attempted to break through to the south-east.

• They also made an attempt to break the iron ring around Warsaw to the ease.

Both efforts were repulsed, and the battle is continuing.

Unnecessary Bloodshed

The longer the scene is delayed, says the correspondent, the wider becomes the operation of land, sea and air operations in the west, which are beginning to compel the shifting of men and materials to the west, minimising the chances of peace. For that reason, the Nazis have become increasingly bitter about the quite unnecessary bloodshed. They believe that further Polish resistance is hopeless, because the Poles had only 30 to 35 fully-equipped divisions. of which 20 are counted as annihilated, dispersed or trapped.

Big Losses,

Their losses, the Germans say, have been 100 dead and wounded and 100,000 taken prisoner. Commenting on the fighting in Poland, French military exports emphasise that the German tactics consist in sending unconnected armoured columns on long raids, making no ellort to hold territory, but destroying communications and preventing troop concentrations.

Therefore, there is no question of any continuous front.

Use Franco Tactics,

The Zaleszcyki correspondent of the “New York Times,” discussing the reason why the well-trained and wellequipped Polish army was brought to defeat quickly, suggests that it was because the Germans used, on _ a colossal scale, General Franco’s tactics in the later stages of the war in Spain. They made masterly use of the long Polo-German frontier and descended in overwhelming force of bombers, tanks and motorised tanks. The German barrage of air bombs could have been resisted only by a counter-attack on the part of an air force of equal size, but the proportion of the Polish air force and motorised units to the Germans was one in five.

Kept Their Morale.

Bombing made the Polish artillery ineffective and opened the way for the motorised units, which thrust forward very speedily in fine weathex*, facilitated by high altitude bombing.

In spite of the terrific attacks the Poles kept their morale. Whenever they were directly engaged in close combat they appeared to he superior, their resistance stiffening with the shortening of the front and closer contact between the armies.

A United Press correspondent at Zaleszcyki says that Polish troops, reinforced by heavy .artillery, are fighting bitterly in the defence of Lwow, compelling motorised units, which reached the city’s outskirts to bcick The" Poles captured 10 tanks and an armoured car. They also brought down several bombers. The Warsaw radio station has announced that Polish aeroplanes attacked and destroyed a German air base in Posnan, from which. raiders had been bombing Warsaw, and claimed that 30 machines were destroyed. The Supreme Command, in a communique, says the troops are successfully holding the Germans on all fronts.

It denies the Berlin report that the Germans have captured Bialystok. The Poles claim to be still fiercely resisting on the Hela Peninsular and also in the vicinity of Gdynia.

The defence of Warsaw continues strongly. German attacks from the north-east so far have been stemmed. The Germans are meeting stubborn resistance in the drive in the direction of Bialystok, which is 125 miles northeast of Warsaw, and at Brest-Litovsk. The situation in this sector is stated to have remained virtually unchanged for two days.

Smash Motorised Regiment,

It is claimed that the Poles inflicted heavy losses on the Germans 45 Riilca-scv.lli-west of Warsaw. < , A communique issued tonight de-. dared the Polish troops, besieged in the Kutno area, had penetrated; the German lines and entered Warsaw.

The Poles operating to the south smashed a motorised regiment, (rnk 1200 German prisoners, killed 2COC and captured 43 tanks and U caiman.