THE EUROPEAN CRISIS

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22516, 26 September 1938, Page 12

THE EUROPEAN CRISIS

GERMANS READY TO MARCH

SIILITARY ACTIVITY

AT MUNICH

STATE OF PREPAREDNESS ON FRONTIER (rXITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPTBIGBT.) (Received September 24, 12.55 p.m.) LONDON. September 23. The Munich correspondent of Editor's reports military and air activity throughout the day. Columns of German troops are marching across the city in the direction of the Salsburg road, and are leaving by rail. Several motorised columns were seen on a Bavarian highway with the regimental identifications removed. Ihe Munich representative of the "Daily Telegraph ' states that squadrons of army aeroplanes, reconnaissance machines, and bombers are taking ori in formation at 10rmnuU: intervals heading for Czechoslovakia. A total of 144 was counted taking off in two and a. harf hours. Anti-aircraft batteries and aeroplane detectors have been placed in the public squares and outside the army barracks. Ine Berlin correspondent of The Times" states that anti-aircraft guns mounted strategically, with the crews in full battle order, are visible to the passers by. Aircraft are heard over the city at all hours. The German representative of the news agency at Dresden reports that railway communication on 10 sections between Germany and Czechoslovakia has stopped since midnight, allegedly because the railway bridges and tracks have been blown up. Midnight reports from the frontiers reveal the most tense state of preparedness. . . The German frontier in the vicinity of Kehl is plunged into darkness with the exception of lights leading up to the fortifications. All bridges and lines have been mined and trains from Eger and the Czech interior are proceeding with difficulty. Strong Czech forces are occupying strategic frontier posts, •with the muzzles of machine-guns and heavv artillery turned towards Germany. At Strasburg French soldiers in f u;l field equipment are standing by at fighting positions to a depth of three kilometres in front of the Maginot Line. , The Nancy correspondent of the British United Press states that soldiers in war uniforms and full equipment, including gas masks, occupied advance posts on the Rhine. Horses and lorries have been requisitioned for the transport of troops and material. The order has been issued as the French Government fears that Herr Hitler will demand the resignation of General Svrovy's Czech Cabinet. "The Czech Army plans to resist an invasion, first on the heavily fortified mountain frontiers of Bohemia, believing that they will hold the line Ion? enough to enable .them to mobilise behind it. Once the first line is lost, the army will retire to the border between Bohemia and Moravia, which is shorter, is protected by mountains and is heavily fortified. The Czechs are «elf-sup-porting v respect of war material. PORT OF LONDON DEFENCE \' ~~™"~""~ (Mrriaß.oritcui. wiixlem.) RUGBY, September 23. The "News-Chronicle" says that the military defence scheme for the Port of London has been completed. The" first safeguard will be a balloon barrage screening the docks, coupled •with anti-aircraft guns and searchlights in co-operation with fighter aeroplanes. Two thousand out of 4000 volunteers required for essential wharf work uilder war conditions are at present being trained. Scores of shelters have been marked out in dock vaults, and fire-fighting tugs are ready to stand by.

FRENCH TROOPS TO COLOURS

MEASURES TAKEN FOR SECURITY PARTIAL MOBILISATION ORDERED (OTOTED PBESB ASSOCIATION—COPTEIOHT.) (Received September 25, 11 p.m.) PARIS, September 24. Partial mobilisation orders, calling up certain categories of reservists, were posted at 4 a.m. on town halls throughout France. The partial mobilisation extended to the air force and navy.

M. Daladier at 10.30 p.m. announced that there would be no general mobilisation. The War Office states that France now has more than 1,000,000 men under arms.

°j M. Daladier issued a statement f. saying that the measures essential o- for security which were taken this in morning were welcomed and carried e out by all Frenchmen with the resole lution and calmness which the Govns ernment expected. France is thus vs able to pursue with dignity the imto portant diplomatic negotiations on r d which the maintenance of peace depend. qe The Paris newspapers unaniiio mously emphasise the gravity of the in situation and blame the obstinacy ,hj and lack of good faith on the part of ip Herr Hitler and his advisers, il The Prague correspondent of the ,„ Exchange Agency states that he has " authoritatively learned that Britain n . and France have definitely guaran0f teed Czechoslovakia that they will not allow her frontiers to be vion- lated durirg the negotiations, or the k- delineation of a new frontier. ts The Prague correspondent of "The Times" states that the French and ;n British guarantees of the Czech le frontiers are official. He adds: "This th apparently means that Britain will re be drawn in if Germany attacks." ■s. After a conference of Radical is Socialists, the French Prime Minisis ter (M. Daladier) authorised the statement that France was making m an ultimate effort towards peace, ,v . but if Germany made a coup de 3f force against Czechoslovakia, France ie would maintain her obligations. Ie Position of Russia « The Prague correspondent of the " "Daily Telegraph" reports that it :s p* stated unofficially that the French f" and British Ministers advised the I* Czech Foreign Minister (Dr. Krofta) i that Herr Hifler refused to guarantee to Mr Chamberlain that there ~ would be no attack on Czechosloil vakia. ' ~ Earl De la Warr unexpectedly n arrived at Geneva from London and i- privately talked with M. Litvinoy, i Russian Foreign Commissar. This e is interpreted to mean that Britain o is seeking an understanding with it Russia in the event of a collapse in o the British and German negotiations, d M. Litvinov, addressing the i- League Political Committee, said y that Russia had given an assurance i- to Czechoslovakia of armed assist1. ance in the event of aggression, provided Trance fulfilled her obligations under the pact. He added that Russia had not abandoned Czechoslovakia on the ground that France would not fight. "Czechoslovakia has not raised the question of our assistance independently of assistance from France.' The Paris correspondent of Reuter's states that M. Daladier told the Radical Socialist meeting that t in the event of the negotiations bee ing broken off France and Britain i must concert in appropriate measn ur.es if Germany attacked the d Czechs. Parliament would be re- ,_ called to assume its responsibilities. r M. Daladier said he absolutely agreed with Mr Chamberlain that i. Czechoslovakia must remain an •f autonomous State with its own >+ army. He added that France had ,f taken all the precautionary measn ures possible. ' ,s The Moscow correspondent of the British United Press states that the Soviet has issued a Note warning ~ Poland that if she invades Czechoslovakia the Soviet will denounce the Polish-Soviet Non-aggression Pact. Polish Reply to Soviet j Poland's reply to the Soviet Note declares that all Polish military activity is purely internal and does not concern Russia. It adds that the 1932 pact lapses should either party be guilty ot aggression, ior which reason Russia's threatened denunciation is unwarrantable. A spokesman at the Polish Foreign Office said that a settlement of the Czech question was impossible unless the demands of Poland and Hungary were taken into consideration. Poland will not accept a decision . involving discrimination against Polish interests, he said. Reuters correspondent at Warsaw states that the Polish Minister at Prague called on General Syrovy and reminded him of the necessity of an immediate reply to Poland's demand for equality of .treatment for the Polish minority. The exchange agency's correspondent at Warsaw reports from Teschen fighting between Polish civilians and Czech soldiers, who fired on a crowd. Two Poles were killed and 10 wounded. The Warsaw correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" states that, the Charge d'Affaires in Moseow has been instructed to express Poland's astonishment at the Soviet Note, also to give an assurance that Poland has not taken special measures on the Soviet frontier. An office has been opened in Warsaw for the enrolment of volunteers similar to the Free Corps for the "liberation of Poles from the Czech enslavement." A message from Budapest states that Hungarian officers and noncommissioned officers have been ordered to report for duty immediately. ..-/■ . . The local Nazis threaten a rising if the Hungarian Government does not secure the return of the Hun-garian-speaking area in Czechoslovakia. Machine-guns have been established on the Rhine bridges and along the highways leading to the ■ river. The artillery positions six miles behind Strasburg have been