Evening Star Newspaper, May 15, 1940, Page 5

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 1940. # A-S - Swiss, Fearing Nazi Invasion, Complete Mobilization of 800,000 Reich Troops, Massed At Border, Practice Bridging the Rhine 20 or 25 German Divisions Believed in Swiss Sector; Allied Envoys Burn Papers By the Associated Press. BERN, Switzerland, May 15— Switzerland’s mobilization is com- plete and “all the troops occupy the positions which have been assigned to them, the Federal Council and high command announced in a Joint communique today. ‘The communique follows: “General mobilization has been completed in the shortest possible time. All the troops occupy the po- sitions which have been assigned to them. “These positions, on all our fron- tiers. are held by powerful armed forces.” ‘This means that the forts on the Italian frontier, which until the re- cent intensification of the crisis had only a skeleton guard, are fully manned. Total of 800,000. “Also in the interior of the coun- try large forces assure the security of the country. A “The protection of the neutrality and independence of Switzerland have been assured by the placing of » our armed forces in their posts.” I The forces referred to include not % only the army, but anti-aircraft de- “fense units. These units have been ~turned into “home defense corps” in which are enrolled all women “and men too old or otherwise unfit for military service, but who can “fire a rifie. + Foreign observers estimate the| regular army at 600,000 men, the home guards at 200,000. | % Informed quarters estimated that >Germany has about 20 or 25 divi-| isions in the sector north of the . border, and that France had ap- “proximately an equal number on her | side of the three-way frontier. Nazis Practice Bridging Rhine. Swiss soldiers guarding the north- ern frontiers kept their fingers literally on their machine-gun trig- | literally on their machine gun trig- spanning the Rhine River with pon- ~toon bridges. For the third time in as many | days, Nazi engineers early this morn- ing threw a bridge across the Rhine | near the entrance to Lake Con- stance, where Germany holds a nar- | row strip of land on the south bank hemmed in by Swiss territory. | These maneuvers, coupled with | many signs of German troop con- ‘ centrations north of the Swiss bor- | der, strengthened fears here that Germany might supplement her | drive through Belgium and the | Netherlands by attempting to strike | at France through Switzerland. Allied Legations Burn Papers. ‘These fears apparently were shared by the British and French Legations at Bern, which were re- to have burned official papers night. | Crowds collected outside the | British Legation to watch as mem- | bers of the diplomatic staff heaped | documents on a‘ bonfire. The| Vast Territory Taken by Hitler In Seven Years Drives Forward With Ambitions ‘To Conquer World A Nazi marching song predicts that “tomorrow” the Ngzis will control the world. The Germans may mnever control the whole torld, but since Hitler came to power in January, 1933, they have taken fantastic strides. Here’s the record of the past seven years: From 1919 to 1933 Germany's terri- tory in Europe was 180,961 square miles. The post-World War treaty of Versailles had reduced it from 208,780. And 1,000,000 square miles of colonies had been taken from Germany. In 1938 Germany annexed Austria, thereby acquired 32,639 square miles and 6,760,000 persons. Previously, by plebiscite, she had got back the tiny, coal-mining Saar. In March, 1939, German soldiers completed the subjugation of Czecho-Slovakia. This gave the Nazis jurisdiction over 13,500,000 more persons and about 50,000 more square miles. Border regions (the Sudetenland) were given Hitler at Munich in September, 1938. French were understood to have fol- lowed the same procedure. Some | employes of both Legations left | Bern for Genoa yesterday with | other records. | Switzerland, meanwhile, extended | greuutionlry measures against | fifth column” activities. In Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lausanne. Geneva and other cities police en- forced a federal law requiring all| foreigners to surrender arms in their | possession. By midnight last night the police in Geneva alone had collected rifles and pistols from about 300 foreign- ers. Incoming Persons Checked. Militarized police, wearing steel | helmets and carrying rifles, stood | with soldiers on the outskirts of Bern checking the papers of all| persons in incoming automobiles. | In Geneva and Zurich police | wounded up foreigners whose papers were found out of order. Every bridge within 100 miles of fhe frontiers was mined, and well- | armed troops guarded all radio sta- tions, as well as telegraph and tele- phone centers, Throughout all these preparations the Swiss paid particular care to | avold any action which might be sonstrued as unneutral, No orders have yet been issued for the removal of civilian popula- tions from towns along the German border, but officials said that if such @ step were taken the same pro- cedure would have to be taken in the regions fronting France. Paris (Continued From First Page.) | Gsdoadilaat el Shped T and Chiers Rivers, just south of S8edan. In a continuing battle in this area, Rhe French reported, the Nazi Army renewed its try for & knockout blow against British, Belgium and French forces which apparently still have not brought their own offensive strategy fully into force. Both sides were using the most modern arms, including big fleets of armed cars and tanks, thousands of planes and the newest types of #ns. One German attack was reported %0 have been pointed by flame- throwing tanks which shoot fire %0 yards. In the World War flame apparatus with 15-yard range was mearly as dangerous to the handlers &8 to the intended victims. Sedan Anchor of Front. Sedan, strategic French city fought over by Germans and French throughout history, was the principal southern anchor of the front which curved to the northeast and then morthwest into the coastal plains of Belgium. u:wtheut::;d J‘rom Sedan the e exten rough Longwy, Prance, near the Luxembourg bor der, there joining the compara- tively inactive front between France and Germany. “Serious, but not alarming,” was the way French military commenta- tors described the trend of the battle. The French expressed confidence that, despite the fact that Sedan and the Belgian cities of Liege, Namur and Dinant were held all or in part by the Germans, the French general staff had foreseen In September, 1939, Germany over- ran Poland. Question that set off World War II: What would be done with Danzig? Hitler seized it and half of Poland. When he took office he ruled 65 million people; now he was head man for 110 million. In the spring of 1940, Hitler, hav- ing annexed 150,000 square miles, (1) occupied Denmark (at Versailles she got Schleswig-Holstein from Germany), (2) sent his army into Norway, (3) attacked Holland and (4) attacked Belgium (she got Euopen-Malmedy from Germany at Versailles). Dr. Howe to Speak Dr. Harrison E. Howe, editor of istry,” will discuss “Chemical Pene- tration” at a meeting of the Wash- ington Society of the. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Friday at 5 pam, at the Y. W.C. A, Seventeenth and K streets N. its strategy at the opportune mo- ment. The Belgian defenders were re- ported to be resisting strongly on the northern section of the front. Premier Hubert Pierlot in a broad- cast to the nation said the Belgians had made “certain modification of defense positions according to order” and insisted there had been no Ger- man “break through.” The Liege fortifications, he said, were taking a terrific toll of Ger- mans attacking time and again. The capture of Liege has been claimed by the German high com- mand. : The Belgian governmerit asserted it would remain in Brussels, objec- tive of the German drive through Belgium, M. Pierlot declared “the situation is normal” and called on to “guard intact your morale” against a German invasion “more savage” than in 1914. P Henri Roy, Minister of the In- terior, ordered today the creation of a “civic guard” in all depart- ments -and cities to fight “Afth this line of attack and would bare column” activities and German parachute troops. England took similar action i is confident that he can win or “Industrial and Engineering Chem- ! Lothian Says Battle Now Joining in West Will Tell War's Victor Germany Will Win in 30 Days or It Will Go On 3 Years, With Allies on Top Brecia) Dispatch to The Star. NEW YORK, May 15.—The out- come of the first phases of the bat- tle now gathering across the west- ern front will determine whether the war ends in 30 days, with vic- tory for Germany, or goes on for three years, with triumph for the allies, Lord Lothian, the British Ambassador, told the English- Speaking Union here last night. “I have no doubt that in the end freedom will prevail,” the Ambas- sador said. “The only question is the amount of suffering we bring upon ourselves before we learn our lesson. y “Despite all the murk and gloom of the time, I am not depressed or afraid. We live in the greatest era of history. There stand before us two naked alternatives. On the one side, ‘western civilization may, for a time, take a plunge back into a darker age than we have ever known before. 4 “On the other, we may rise to levels of national unselfishness and vision and dedication which may give to mankind the greatest new birth of freedom it has ever known. It is on us that the responsibility for this fateful decision rests.” Democracies Are Blamed. The Ambassador considered the chances of the French and the British in the light of the recent course of the war, and he contem- plated the extent of the blame at- tributable to the democracies for the present dilemma of Europe. He found the democracies selfish, lack- ing in vision and guilty of evading responsibility from 1920 to 1939, he said, largely responsible for the cur- rent crisis. “In the last few weeks,” he granted, “the allies have been going | | through a bad time. Some of our | defects in prescience, promptness in action and preparedness have been | exposed. | “Needless to say the great German { propaganda machine has exploited our failure in Norway to the utmost and has endeavored to rush some | | European non-belligerents into war ‘ox; Germany's side on the strength | of it. | “I am the last to want to cover our weaknesses and defects or not | to admit that we have had a local failure. Exposure is the first step ‘wward their remedy.” | “Air Not Master of Sea.” | As for Norway, the Ambassador | revealed his doubt of the military | | Wisdom of Britain’s sending an ex- | | peditionary force in an attempt to | relieve that country. “We were able to prove,” he sald,‘ “that though almost every circum- | stance was adverse, the air was not | master of the sea. Despite the dif- ficulties, we were able to land troops. “Hitler's main advantage (in Nor- way) is that he has gained a useful | air base against Northern Britain and that we shall have to expend | more of our energies in organizing its defense.” { The Ambassador turned to the| crisis of the day: “And now the decisive battle has | begun in the west. Whether Hitler | whether he realizes that he must { win this summer or not at all, I can- not pretend to know. Task Is to Avoid Defeat Now. | “Fro mthe start we said that the | war would be a three-year war, that {in the first year, because, like all democracies, we had delayed our preparations too long, our principal | task was to avoid defeat, so that we { might have time in which to mo- bilize our immense resources for the second year and after. “Let me quote you but one in- | stance of the extent of the prepa- rations which are being made in the overseas English-speaking coun- tries “The training scheme for pilots now being rapidly developed in Canada seeks to turn out no less than 50,000 pilots a year, though many of the student pilots will come from other parts of the Brit- ish Commonwealth. “Australia is undertaking a sim- ilar training scheme, though not on 50 large a scale because it is send- ing many of its pilots to be trained in Canada. “New Zealand is doing the same, and South Africa is rapidly building up a formidable aerial force for the defense of South and Eastern Africa up to the Suez Canal. “Many of the machines which these Canadian pilots will use will come from the great allied program now being manufactured in the United States. “Meanwhile, Hitler evidently means to try and gain a decision this year, before these new resources are ready and to induce the other { military dictatorships to come in this year also on his side in order to weigh the balance against us. “The next 30.days may determine whether there is to be any effective barrier left to the domination of all Europe, Asia and Africa by the dictatorships, leaving America iso- lated and alone to champion a free way of life, or whether Hitler's method of conquest by violence and fraud receives its first serious check and mankind, though the struggle will be far from over, begins to breathe more freely again.” What is good for KIDNEY TROUBLE? Phone for booklet, ME. 10883, MOUNTAIN VALLEY From HOT SPRINGS, ARK. MINERAL WATER MR 1008 ) 5 MOOH, THE NETHERLANDS.—NAZIS CROSS RIVER MAAS— German troops crossing the River Maas in a rubber boat as they swept on to the attack today. This photograph was transmitted ‘We'll Have Our Country Back,’ Netherlands Officials Here Say Defense (Continued Prom Pirst Page.) naval bases, or to prevent their use as enemy air or submarine bases, from which to launch an attack against continental United States or the Panama Canal. “A fleet air base in the southeast corner of the Caribbean would un- doubtedly add to the security of that area, as well as to the ability of the United States Fleet to insure the integrity of the Monroe Doc- trine, * * * In view of present European developments it may be necessary to proceed with some of these proposed projects in the near future. Superior Air Force Sought. “Our Army must be adequate to defend the bases from which our fleet and our aircraft operate. We must, in addition, have an air force capable of being concentrated on either coast, superior in number to the greatest number of carrier- borne and catapulted aircraft possessed by any naval power or conceivable combination of powers, and powerful enough to prevent an enemy from establishing in either ocean a base in this hemisphere while our fleet is engaging the enemy's fleet.” In connection with the pending authorization bill, which would add | 19 fighting ships to the Navy's “paper fleet” the committee said a total of $45,400.000 should be made available in immediate appropria- tions. Of this amount, $18,000,000 is needed to provide additional ship- building facilities and $27,400,000 for initial construction costs on 63 ves- sels previously approved by Con- gress or authorized in the pending legislation, the report said. President Roosevelt, working in| his shirt sleeves, conferred yester- day with congressional and military leaders and then told reporters that the armaments race had been forced on the country and that it must| keep abreast. Financing Secondary. National defense is the important | thing, he said, and the method of financing it is of secondary con- sideration. Authoritative sources said the President would recommend an in- crease of $726,000,000 in Army funds and $250,000,000 more for the Navy. The objectives would be to complete equipment for 1,000,000 troops, put warship construction in high gear and bulwark coast defenses. This emergency fund would swell national defense outlays for the year starting July 1 to about $2,724,- 000,000—by far a peacetime record. Would Enlist More Men. The salient features of the Presi- den's program, congressional in- formants said, would include: 1. Production of “critical” items of equipment, such as semi-auto- matic rifles, tanks, artillery and anti-aircraft weapons in sufficient quantities for field forces of 750,000 men and 250,000 replacements. Offi- cials sald this would cost about $265,000,000 and require from one to two years. 2. Addition of 15,000 men to the Army’s enlisted strength to permit creation of another streamlined in- fantry division and provision for training 7,000 additional pilots for the Air Corps. 3. Acceleration of warship con- struction already under way and expansion of facilities for training naval fiyers, . 4 Strengthening of seacoast de- fenses, for which the Army has esti- mated $82,600,000 will be needed in this country, Panama, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. 5. Acquisition of 200 additional four-engined bombers at a cost of $80,000,000. Naval Construction Probed. Each detail of the program had a common element—considerable time would be required before the goals could be achieved. This varied from | Military Affairs Committee intro- ‘dnced a bill yesterday authorizing several months in some cases to EXTRAORDINARY VALUES IN GABARDINE SUITS 340 Single & Double Models 'LEWIS & THOS. SALTZ 1409 G STREET N.W. NOT CONNECTED WITH SALTZ HROS. INC, f Saddened faces greeted visitors to- day at the Netherlands Legation, 1470 Euclid street N.W.,, but there was no thought that peaceful, free- dom-loving Holland ever would sur- render permanently to the Nazi in- vaders. “It's & temporary measure,” a | member of the staff said, referring to the forced surrender of most of the Dutch Army. “We'll have our | country back.” Attaches, speaking personally in the absence of any official state- ment from the Legation, expressed confidence that the exiled Nether- lands government, now in England, never would treat with the Nazis, | never would make any separate pact ' from Berlin to New York by radio today. Passed by the German censor. with the forces that rushed into their homeland so ruthlessly. Holland, it was pointed out, has not been invaded for 127 years, and never will accept the status of a’con- quered province. The Legation has been unable to establish any direct contact with Dutch cities, it was said. Minister Alexander Loudon issued no statement. He planned no visits to the State Department or the| White House during the day, at- taches said, but was remaining at the Legation in close touch with the situation. Several members of the staff were suffering anxiety over relatives in the Netherlands whose fate they have been unable to learn. several years for Navy construction. Mr. Roosevelt made indirect ref- erence to this yesterday when he said that very little had been spent on defense between 1921 and 1933, making it necessary for the country through the past seven years to make up for lost time. First we had to catch up, he said, now we have to keep up. The House Naval Committee al- ready has tackled the problem of speeding up lagging fleet construc- | tion. It opened an investigation yester- day of the delays in completion of | 68 warships now on the ways and | heard the Navy recommend a $300,- 000,000 additional appropriation at this session to accelerate the work. .Chairman Sheppard of the Senate appropriation of $15,000,000 for gen- eral repair work at existing military establishments. Included was an $84,000 program at Fort Myer and more extensive ones at Aberdeen, Edgewood, Fort Belvoir and Fort Monroe. Although Mr. Roosevelt made it | plain he would make no recom- mendations to Congress regarding the financing of the expanded Army- Navy program, some sentimen was developing in both houses in favor of special taxes to raise the money Earlier this year, the President rec- ommended that new taxes be im- posed to raise $460,000,000 for de- fense. Berlin (Continued From Pirst Page.) ' this fighting, destroying a great number of armored cars. “By the crossing of the Meuse in the Sedan sector, the northwestern extension of France’s fortification system—the Maginot Line—has been pierced in closest collaboration with the air force. Here, too, French counterattacks were frustrated with heavy losses for the enemy. “During attacks on the Saar front the first lieutenant of one infantry regiment, Hans Schoene, and his company distinguished themselves by extraordinary bravery in storm- ing a commanding position in the rocky hills south of Pirmasens. Enemy Attacked in Rear. “The main weight of German air operations yesterday ‘lay in attack- ing the rear connections of the enemy, his transport roads and as- sembly stations. “Enemy efforts to hamper Ger- man fighting activity through operations of strong flying forces were repulsed with heavy losses for the opponent without much inter- ference of our command in the air. “Over 70 British and French fight- ing and pursuit planes were shot down at one point alone. Total losses of the opponent on May 14 amounted to over 200 planes, of which about 170 were shot down in air fights, 17 by anti-aircraft and the rest destroyed on the ground. “Thirty-five of our own planes are for Men & Young Men missing. Armed reconnaissance be- fore the Netherlands coast yielded great successes. As previously re- ported in a special announcement, two cruisers and one destroyer were sunk by bomb hits, an additional cruiser was struck by a bomb, one merchant ship of 29,000 tons and four transports were destroyed. “The defense fight around Nar- vik continues.” * Germany sought to extend the scope of her newest conquest by urg- ing Belgium to follow the Dutch. | example. Hour after hour, starting early in the morning, all German radio sta- tions broke in on their programs with appeals to the Belgian soldiers to lay down their arms. In Flemish and in French the soldiers were told that Germany does not wish to harm the Belgian people, that the German invasion of Belgium was brought about be- cause Great Britain and France were getting ready to attack Ger- many through Belgium. “Belgians,” said the broadcast, “if you want to preserve the lives of your men, if you cherish the se- curity of your country, if you want to safeguard the economic life of your country follow the example of the Dutch nation, which now has been saved. “Stop your resistance. Follow the —Wide World Radiophoto.. example of the Dutch and stack your arms. Germany does not want war with the Belgian nation * * *, Belgians, lay down your arms.” Dutch Surrender Hailed. Success of the Nazi forces in their lightning campaign in the Nether- lands was hailed by morning papers throughout the country. One au- thoritative commentator described the achievement of Hitler's mili- tary machine, in bring down a “well-armed nation of over 8,000,- 000" in a little more than 100 hours, as “unique in history.” Another stressed the “tremen- dously stimulating” effect of the vic- tory on the morale of the German Army. But in military circles the strategic value of the Dutch sur- render, as it affects the progress of the campaign against the allies, was singled out as the most vital factor. More than one newspaper com- mentator pointed to the fact that, with Dutch airports in German hands, the war now is virtually on England’s doorstep. Miss Jenetta Cole, who died re- cently in Tattershall, England, was the second child in a family of 11 and the eldest of eight daughters. wea, Ring and summer sterage. Rome Police Check Anti-Allied Feeling; Disperse 10,000 Warlike Demonstrntions' Curbed, but Embassies Still Are Guarded By the Associated Press. ROME, May 15.—Police dllplrud“ persons—mostly stu- parts of Rome today with the in- tention of launching s third day of anti-allied demonstrations at the Piazza Venezia. Foreign observers interpreted the action as placing an official damp- er on the manifestations, which dip- lomatic circles have feared might result in repercussions which would push Italy into the war. New posters, however, were plastered up on buildings near the French Embassy quoting an old edi~ torial in Premier Mussolini’s news- paper, Il Popolo d'Italia, which re- called that Germany supported Italy during the Ethiopian war, while France and Britain opposed her Would Extend Territorial Waters. Meanwhile a new law was intro- duced in the Fascist chamber which would increase from 6 to 12 miles the belt of territorial waters around the Italian coast. It was said that his change corre- sponded with the width of British and French territorial waters. ‘Troops continued to guard the British and French Embassies, focal point of former demonstrations. Mention of the demonstrations was lacking in the morning newspae pers. . Apparently, however, the displavs have served the purpose of driv- ing to cover any Italians who might have anti-German or pro-allied leanings. Ettore Muti, secretary of the Fas- cist party, ordered provincial sec- retaries to appoint, before May 20, substitutes who could take over their duties in case they were called to arms. Transportation Declared Efficient. Giovanni Host Venturi, minister of communications, disclosed in the Senate that Italy has already tested mobilization of transportation facile ities, and declared Italians could be assured of their “full efficiency.” The announcement followed a further report on the “intolerable conditions” created by the allies’ contraband control. 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