BITTER BATTLE IN PROGRESS UNLEASHED

Southland Times, Issue 23922, 14 September 1939, Page 5

BITTER BATTLE IN PROGRESS

UNLEASHED

ORGANIZED POLISH RESISTANCE

MURDEROUS AIR ATTACK

(United Press Assn—Telegraph Copyright)

LONDON, September 12.

The special representative of the American Associated Press with the German Army says that the. German counter-attack against the first organized Polish resistance in the war was resumed at dawn north of the Lodz region. It is the third day of a bitter battle in which it is estimated that from 2000 to 5000 Poles were killed or wounded in the first 24 hours. The Germans are attempting to force the surrender of 50.000 Poles. The battle, in the opinion of the Germans, will decide the fate of Warsaw. The Germans attacked 50,000 Poles, driving them from Poznan and the Corridor. Caught fn a pocket the retreating Poles are attempting to break through in the direction of Warsaw in one of the most desperate attempts the Polish Army has ever made. The Germans have replied with a heavy artillery bombardment and have unleashed a murderous air attack. The German High Command claims that German troops have reached Chyrow, 15 miles south of Pzemysl. The Air Force, aided by the Army, harassed the enemy’s rear lines of communication east of the Vistula. Diving fighters blocked the eastern outlets from Warsaw and destroyed the station at Bialystok, while naval forces occupied the Grossendorf fortress protecting Gdynia. No bombs have been dropped in German territory on the Western Front. OFFENSIVE LAUNCHED The representative of the American Associated Press with the German Army west of Warsaw says that the German headquarters announced that the German forces launched a three-front offensive this morning which, it is expected, will be the final push to break the Polish resistance. The fronts are east of Radom, north of Lodz and north-east of Warsaw. Four Polish divisions in the Radom sector are reported to be beginning to surrender. The Germans also said that the bitter struggle for Lodz appeared to be ending with heavy Polish losses. The correspondent of the United Press with the German Army near Radom says that it is officially reported that the Germans have suffered from 12,000 to 15,000 casualties, mostly in the last two days. Fifteen hundred to 2000 have been killed. The heaviness of the casualties indicates that a bloody and perhaps decisive battle is raging. The opening notes of the “Polonaise by Chopin, whose heart is buried in a Warsaw church, told Europe today that Warsaw was still holding out. After the radio had ended its session, throughout the night the opening bars were sounded every 30 seconds on a xylophone. The German wireless attacks the defender ■of Warsaw, General Czumme, for allegedly releasing and arming prisoners from the gaols and arming civilians which is a “criminal act.” It adds that the Germans will treat armed civilians as insurgent combatants. The correspondent of the Evenska Dagbladet, a Stockholm newspaper, toured Silesia. He reports that the towns of Wieruczow, Lutututow, Sulejow, Falkon, Prozedborz and Radomak, all on or about the Pilica River, were burned down as a reprisal for the activities of franc-tiruers (irregular sharpshooters) after Polish regular troops had retreated. Smaller villages met the same fate. Lodz is intact.

The High Command claims that all the territory in Poland belonging to Germany'before.the Great War is now in German hands. The battle west of the Vistula is drawing to a close. German troops are approaching the fortress of Modlin and others have crossed the Warsaw-Bialystok railway.