NOT IN VAIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 October 1939, Page 7

NOT IN VAIN

POLAND’S HEROIC SACRIFICE CONTRIBUTION TO ALLIED CAUSE. r■— ■ • I OF GREAT, MILITARY VALUE. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 16. While the Polish army and people were heroically resisting the German invasion, British people had little time and little heart carefully to wrnigh the contribution of that gallant fight to the Allied cause —feelings of admiration and sympathy crowded out calculations of advantage. But now that Poland has temporarily been overwhelmed there is a. chance calmly to assess the military value of her sacrifice, which by no means has been in vain. It was, indeed, always fully understood in competent military circles that should Herr Hitler decide to attack Poland nothing could long delay his success there, but that retribution would overtake him on the Western Front. The Poles, therefore, undertook heroic resistance, which they knew to be impossible, thereby occupying the undivided attention of 70 German divisions and the bulk of the much-vaunted German air force. Not only did this greatly assist French mobilisation, which was undisturbed. and the safe transport of men but also disclosed to the Allied High Command valuable information as to German tactics in the use of aircraft tanks and motorised units. German losses in material were also considerable. In one attack alone they lost 83 tanks on a narrow front, and, in General Sosnkowski’s successful coun-ter-attack near Lemberg on September 16, they are reported to have lost more than 100 tanks. Freedom throughout the world has every reason for gratitude to the gallant Polish army and people.