THE WAR STEP BY STEP

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 78, 23 October 1939, Page 8

THE WAR STEP BY STEP

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20. Turkey signing pact with Britain and France providing for automatic mutual assistance in the event of an attack in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish assistance if the Western powers have to support guarantees to Greece and Rumania, and diplomatic consultations regard ing Balkan questions. British and French military leaders arrive for talks with Turkey. Officials deny that torpedoed A taenia carried any arms. German planes again twice attempt to raid Scapa and are driven off without doing any damage. British troops receive their baptism of fire. Hundreds of British guns ready for action. Germans rush up troops. Patrols active on Western Front. French defences stated to be more solid than ever. Repeal of neutrality bill likely in near future. America bars her waters to submarines of all belligerents. South Africa setting house in order and making manpower survey. In the week to October 14 Britain detained 213,000 tons of goods bound for Germany, making the total for the first six weeks of the Avar 333,000 tons. U.S. coastguard cutters speed with medical supplies to American liner carrying survivors of torpedoed Allied ship. Germans seize three Finnish ships in the Baltic. French capture German merchantman.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20. Germans reorganise Polish territory, creating province of West Prussia and Poland. Turkish pact with Allies has term ot 15 years. It is considered to have given a check to both Hitler an-.l Stalin, and to have consolidated the Balkans who welcome it. Ital\* also favourable. Neutrality debate continued in American Senate. Issue has now been narrowed to repeal of arms embargo. Lindbergh's speech condemned. New Zealand anti-tank unit formed in England. Nazi claims that British and French have lost GO planes on the Western Front, against 11 German, and that prisoners taken number 681. German claim their losses to have been 19(i dead, 35(5 wounded and 114 missing. Further German attacks four miles east of Moselle. French withdraw to pre-arranged positions, still far in advance of Maginot Line. Heavy rain is failing, flooding portions of the Siegfried Line from which the Germans are frantically pumping water. The French side of the Rhine is two feet higher, and the water is not near the main Maginot Line casemates. Australia introducing compulsory training of single men of 21 for militia. They will be given three months continuous training, but will not be sent abroad. Federal Government stated to be contemplating drastic restriction of imports to conserve credit.