TESTING TIME

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20060, 5 October 1939, Page 5

TESTING TIME

READY FORANYTHING FRENCH DECLARATION STRONG MAGINOT LINE CHEERFUL SPIRITS (Reed, Oct. 5, 11 a.m.); NEW YORK, Oct. 3. The correspondent of the New York Times with the French armies on the German frontier, states that the German list of killed and wounded so far numbers about 3000 and that between 100 and 200 have been taken prisoner. The French casualties are smaller. , The figures represent only a few minor operations, compared with the offensive in the Great War. Each side is testing out the other, with the French doing most of the testing with the hope of saving precious lives. That does not mean they are not ready for the real test. A high officer stated: “We are ready for anything we meet. That is not a boast, but maybe it is an understatement. All ranks are filled with determination to see the business through. They know they have the means to do it as well as the spirit.” The correspondent continues: “We were shown one of the fortresses of the 'Maginot Line. What we imagined fell far short of what we saw. Imagine a battle fleet with all the intricate machinery and supplies for a long voyage, equipment for self-support, sunk in the ground with only the steel and concrete turrets showing, so forged and tested that no shell or bomb yet made could destroy them, even by a direct bit. “The fortress we visited was one kind of battlecruiser in an entire fleet from capital ships, cruisers to destroyers . and little gunboats. There was even the equivalent of submarines in the system of defensive mines which can be touched off from the commander’s bridge. Impregnable Line "The commanding officer said that no conceivable attack could penetrate this line. It would be suicide to attempt it. “We were entertained in the officers’ mess with such heartiness and good humour as one rarely finds. The officers, who are chiefly reserves, admitted quite frankly that they are enjoying themselves. They have their own ideas as to whether it is going to be a major war or not. All are intrigued at the consideration Fritz is showing them while torpedoing British and neutral ships. “The same spirit is found among the men. It is not going to be a comfortable winter, but wherever we went we found laughter and good humour —and most astonishing confidence in the war. “When it begins it will prove that Herr Hitler, with 50 to 55 active divisions and the country far from solidly behind him, is no match for a free people. No one doubts that when the Fuehrer decides to attack it will be launched like an avalanche, but there is plenty of ground for the belief that it can be broken. "The British and French pilots have more than held their own. There has been an average of five or six fights daily. The French, flying American machines, outspeeded and outmanoeuvred the Messerschmitts. The French artillery have proved their worth and their tanks and de-

fence against tanks have shown that any . rush of a mechanised army can be parried. Meanwhile, the order along the front is to be prudent and calm to avoid wasting lives.”