RUTHLESS NAZI TECHNIQUE.

Evening Star, Issue 23371, 14 September 1939, Page 10

RUTHLESS NAZI TECHNIQUE.

The German Government’s official announcement of its intention to bomb and shell open towns in Poland will come as no surprise to anyone who has taken the trouble to study Nazi technique in both peace and war. lluthlessness has obviously been the keynote of the policy adopted by Hitler and his colleagues in their climb to power in their own country, and it is only reasonable, after all, to prepare for more accentuated manifestations of this quality in the course of the present attempt at world domination. When President Roosevelt made bis appeal immediately after war was declared that the belligerents should refrain from bombing open towns he must have known that whatever faint hopes he may have held that his wishes would be respected would he dashed if the Nazi hordes met with a stiffening rc-

slstance. So far Great Britain and France have faithfully kept their promise to the American President. The former spectacularly raided a legitimate military target, and the planes of both countries have confined their other activities in the main to reconnaissance work and the distribution of “ the truth ” leaflets. It is to bo hoped it will not become necessary to go to the lengths of Goering’s winged murderers in the effort to convince the German people of the stark reality of the war that is being -waged. A continuation of what Mr Chamberlain has so aptly described as the “ sickening ” Nazi technique is mado apparent in the German excuse that the decision in favour of indiscriminate bombing and shelling was due to the action of the Polish military authorities in arming and enlisting the support of the civilian populations to resist the advance of the invading forces. It will be apparent to the world that if civilians take up arms in the defence of their country they will bo eligible to receive any “ punishment ” for this “offence” the Nazis think they can inflict. The wanton smashing tip of private homes, with danger and distress to womenfolk, children, and invalids, is something which common decency suggests should be left out of the rules of combat. As a matter of fact, the Nazi excuse is belated. The American Ambassador in Warsaw has written to the State Department in Washington declaring that open bombing has been taking place -for some time, including attacks on civilian districts of no military importance, on a Red Cross institution, and on a refugee train. His first despatch was sent on September 8, nearly a week ago. The new German announcement must therefore moan that this camgaign of frightfulness is being not just begun but sharply intensified, with inevitable slaughter of more non-com-batants. One interpretation of the development is that the German armies are beginning to feel the pressure of organised resistance and that their leaders will stop at nothing to smash the gallant Polish defenders. They would then turn with equal fury on the Western democracies. • If the Poles can hold out a few weeks longer and if no other Power joins the conflict in the cause of the aggressors, the increasing weight of the offensive against the west wall should turn the scale definitely in favour of the Allies, giving rise to hopes of a fairly early end to the conflict. The position is that perhaps only one month of continued resistance by the Poles could well moan a year or more off tho duration of the war. That is why our people should join in the prayers of the Poles for broken weather. Tho fact that rain has already started to fall is distinctly heartening.