PLANES DESTROYED

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20912, 18 September 1939, Page 8

PLANES DESTROYED

BUCCESS OF POLIBH AIRMEN GERMAN BASE ATTACKED BERLIN' REPORTS DENIED (United Press Assn.—Elec. TeL Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 16 The Warsaw radio station has announced that Polish aeroplanes attacked and destroyed a German air base in Poznan, from which raiders had been bombing Warsaw, and claimed that 30 machines were destroyed. The Supreme Command, in a communiiiie, says the troops are successfully holding the Germans on all fronts. It denies the Berlin report that the Germans have captured Bialystok. The Poles claim to be still fiercely resisting on the Hel Peninsula and also in the vicinity of Gdynia. The defence of Warsaw continues strongly. German attacks from the north-east so far have been stemmed. The Germans arc meeting stubborn resistance in the drive in the direction of BiaJystok, which is 125 miles northeast of Warsaw, and at Brest Litovsk. The situation in this sector is stated to have remained virtually unchanged for two days. It is claimed that the Poles inflicted heavy losses on the Germans 45 miles south-west of Warsaw. A communique issued tonight declared the Polish troops besieged in the Kutno area had penetrated the German lines and entered Warsaw. The Poles operating to the south smashed a motorised regiment, took 1200 German prisoners, killed 200 u, and captured 43 tanks and 11 cannon. Polish reports also that that the army of the Corridor smashed througn the German lines from their rear and entered Warsaw with over 1000 prisoners. The Paris newspaper Le Solr states that the German casualties in Poland have totalled 100,000. Advance of the Germans The Berlin correspondent of the New York Times says that while the battles for Warsaw and Kutno continue unabated, the German wings are seeking to trap the rest of the Polish reserves in a concentric sweep through East Poland. They took Bialystok and Prezemysl, and are driving a spearhead of motorised units to Wlodzimierz. Brest Litovsk has not fallen, but the fact that they are able to drive isolated flying wedges such distances indicates the weakness of the Poles. The defenders of Kutno have grown to 10 divisions by the absorption of troops retreating from Posen. The German High Command claims to have occupied Prezemysl. The industrial plants Jiave been reorganised to produce munitions and supplies for the conquerors. A further communique states that motorised German troops reached Slozdoinierz, far to the east of Prezemysl. The ring around the Polish Army encircled at Kutno has been narrowed and strengthened for attack. The German troops south-east of Warsaw captured 8000 prisoners and 126 guns.