NAZI EFFORT TO DELAY RETREAT

Southland Times, Issue 23921, 13 September 1939, Page 7

NAZI EFFORT TO DELAY RETREAT

Regular Troops On Western Front PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT OF POSITION (United Press Assn.— Telegraph Copyright) (Received September 12, 11.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, September 12. The German offensive yesterday is reported to have been entrusted to relatively important Regular Army troops, who advanced several hundred yards before being halted by a French counter-attack, says the Paris correspondent of The New York Times. The Germans will strive to delay their retreat into the West Wall. Once they are below the ground their reaction to attacks will be restricted to artillery fire, because the points from which sorties may be made are under constant fire

The experience of the’ Great War shows that it is difficult to keep troops controlled when they are in what amounts to a prison, pounded relentlessly by heavy guns, not knowing what is happening outside and knowing that barrages laid down have cut oft their retreat and will prevent reinforcements from arriving.

An official French statement issued yesterday said that in’ spite of resistance the French attack continued to make important progress over the 20kilometre front east of the Saar. It is unofficially stated in Paris that the French have greatly consolidated their positions on German soil in the last 24 hours, causing heavy German casualties during the counter-offensive. The British United Press says that St.. Louis, in the Rhine valley, has been evacuated of civilians. The whole area can be flooded if necessary. The Geneva correspondent of The Times reports the civilian evacuation of Baden, on the right bank of the Rhine. It is officially stated in Paris that French aeroplanes heavily bombed German concentration points in the Saar valley,' behind th< Siegfried Line. The German wireless claims that three French aeroplanes were brought down* The Germans allege that French artillery fired on an evacuated aerodrome at Saarbrucken. Air-raid sirens sounded in Paris at 4.15 a.m. and the all clear signal was given at 5.20 a.m. The raiders are reported to have been driven far from the capital. RAID ON HINDENBURG DAM ROYAL AIR FORCE ACTION (Independent Cable Service) COPENHAGEN, September 11. It is understood that British aeroplanes railed the Hindenburg Dam, connecting the Island f Sylt with the mainland, on Saturday, and that two' unidentified aeroplanes fell into the sea during an air battle, 1 The Germans have removed the civil population from the island.