IN EUROPE

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 16, 13 October 1939, Page 2

IN EUROPE

The Western Front On October 3 the French announced a swift advance on a 60-mile front and that the enemy had been compelled to evacuate six small towns. Otherwise there has been little activity. Official French ‘communiqués claim that Allied artillery ‘now dominates certain important valleys in the Saarbrucken area, and that they now hold 150 square miles of German territory. Two enemy attacks, in the Weissenburg and Pirmasens sectors, were driven back. Thousands of land mines, left by the enemy, have been removed. The French have advanced to far that German shells are now falling on German territory. During the 1914-18 war

no actual fighting took place on German soil. It has been estimated that 50 German divisions are now on the Western Front. Air Activity . Intense air activity has been reported this week, both from the Western Front and the North Sea. Both French and British planes have been active over German territory. On September 30 it was Officially reported that British planes, flying at low altitudes, had obtained a remarkable series of photographs of the Seigfried Line. Other R.A.F, planes have made flights inland as far as Berlin, scattering propaganda pamphlets over the countryside. They were not attacked by German aircraft. Twenty German aircraft attacked a British naval squadron in the North Sea on September 28, but no British ships were hit. One German plane was brought down and another forced to land. The following day planes of the R.A.F. raided the German Fleet in the Heligoland Bight. Five British planes were lost. The island of Heligoland is in the North Sea, 40 miles from the mouth of the River Elbe, In 1890 England ceded the island to Germany, who made an immense fortress of it. Under the Treaty of Versailles it was completely dismantled, but it has since been fortified as a giant naval base. Numerous air battles have been reported in official communiqués from the German front, both sides claiming to have destroyed several planes, but no exact numbers have been given, Neutral observers have reported that, so far, British and French planes dominate the air. The British Air Ministry has released its second casualty list, which includes 15 dead, 7 wounded, 3 missing and. 5 believed to be prisoners. No dates or places are given,

Estonia On October 28 Estonia signed a pact with Russia which is to last for ten years. This pact gives Russia the right to establish maval bases on certain islands off the Estonian coast. Russia will also reorganise the Estonian army, and be given other concessions. Poland Poland no longer exists, though reports have come through that Germany may establish a small buffer state between the territory now occupied by German and Russian troops. Warsaw surrendered on September 27, after a Siege of 22 days. The city was in ruins and was occupied by German troops on October 2. Herr Hitler planned a triumphal entry. Modlin, north of Warsaw, surrendered the following day. The Hela garrison, the last Polish stronghold, surrendered on October 2 after a gallant struggle against great odds. This garrison occupied a small town on a peninsula of that name near the German border on the Baltic Coast. On September 30 the exiled Polish Government was reconstituted in Paris. President Mosciciki resigned in favour of M. Racziewicz, An order was immediately issued ordering Poles to join the colours to fight in France. Poles in the United States were also to join the the new Polish army. No Recognition The governments of Mexico and the United States have both stated that they will refuse to recognise the division of Poland by Germany and Russia. A message from Tokio on October 2 stated that Japan was annoyed at the Russian-German division of Poland, as it had been inconsistent with the antiComintern agreement. Scandinavia The Scandinavian countries have all expressed alarm at the destruction and capture of Swedish and Danish shipping. Early this month eight Swedish ships had been captured in one day. Two others have been sunk this week. Swedish shipping has suffered greatly as several ships have been sunk. So severe were the losses that all Swedish shipping had been ordered to stay in home ports, Three Danish ships have been sunk.

Russia The Russian-German pact was ratified on September 30 and a wireless message from Rome that day declared that Turkey and Russia had also agreed to close the Dardanelles to the belligerents, This agreement has not been confirmed officially. Herr Von Ribbentrop went to Moscow on a diplomatic mission on September 28. His visit coincided with that of the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs. On September 30 Count Ciano left Rome for Berlin to discuss with Gex%\> many the present situation. No offi statement was made when he left Berlin» but it is believed that he carried an" outline of the Peace proposals which are to be submitted to the Allies. After Count, Ciano’s return to Rome, journalists were of the opinion that Italy would remain neutral, but no statement has been made this week by Mussolini, Russia’s attitude to Britain and France has not yet been declared by her Government. On October 3 the Moscow correspondent of " The Times," London, stated that Russia might definitely range herself on Germany’s side and might enter the war, but only after the peace proposals of Herr Hitler had been rejected by the Allies. Shipping On October 2 it was reported that the British steamer, Clement, had been sunk in the South Atlantic, but whether by submarine or armed raider had not been established by the time of. going to press. The survivors gave conflicting statements. It was reported on October 3 that German submarines were being repaired and refuelled from bases established on the Dominican coast, but this has not been verified. The Dominican Republic, founded in 1844, occupies the eastern part of Haiti, in the West Indies, and has a-population of 1,200,000, mainly of mixed European, African and Indian descent. Spanish is universally spoken there. In a speech delivered by Mr. Winston Churchill on October 1, he reviewed the progress of the war generally, and. stated that the British convoy system was now operating efficiently, whereas, during the last war, this system had taken some years to evolve. Mr. Churchill’s speech was enthusiastically received by the American press.