Evening star., 1933-09-10
FRENCH BORDER DEFENSES
BEST SINCE ROMAN ERA
Daladier's Recent Tour of Fortifications
Serves Notice Nation Is Ready in
Case of Invasion.

as that attack proceeds from German
or Italian soil to French. While IN
theory the Italians might borrow the
Swiss routes to invade France, the ma
ture of the country and the resistance
the Swiss are certain to put up pre-
other hand, while the new system COW
ers the approach via Luxembourg a.
well as the German Rhineland, it does
not affect the Belgian route via Leige,
by which the Germans came in 1914
So far, too, the Belgians have done
little of real importance to restore or
extend the old defenses of Liege or Of
Namur. This failure has been due to
quarrel between the Flemish and
Walloons. The former. living away
from the frontier and not sharing the
Walloon sympathieS for France, have
up to the present time successfully re-
sisted making appropriations on the
scale necessary to cover the eastern
frontier. To a certain extent the Bel
gian Army has been reorganized and re-
equipped, and it would doubtless put up
a better resistance now than in 1914.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that
France Is still exposed to invasion COM
ing from Belgium and following the
line of march of Kluck and Buelow in
1914. And that is precisely why the
French have turned deaf ear to such
proposals as that of President Roosevelt
that all but defensive weapons should
be abolished-a project which would
rule out tanks and mobile heavy artil-
lery. These the French have today in
vast quantities and the Germans lack.
Thus to meet German invasion
through Belgium the French could
move up these weapons and promptly
establish a new line Of defense. Theo-
retically, banning these weapons would
cripple the Germans. too. But once
war was declared, all restrictions would
vanish, and the Germans, II they can
obtain a superiority in machine power,
could produce them far more rapldly
than the French.
Viewed from the standpoint OF policy
rather than tactics, it is obvious that
the French program Of frontier defense
has again forced upon the Germans the
alternative of defensive action or viola
ton of the Belgian territory. But. as
the French reason not without some
Justice, Britain would hardly be more
willing to see the forces OF Hitler than
of william III in Antwerp, Ostend and
Calais.
Canal System Reorganised.
OF course. were it not for the impos-
sjble expense the French would have
covered their whole northern frontier
from Dunkirk to the Meuse with the
same sort of works they have construc-
ted in Alsace and Lorraine. They have,
too, reorganized the old system OF
canals and dykes which would permit
! them to food much Of the area north OF
Arras. But there still remains the open
gap marked by the old battle fields OF
Mons and Charleroi. Thus French ap-
| ~ O q
unreasonable as the uninformed think.
In point Of fact French strategy does
not envisage passive waiting behind the
new system Of Notifications for Ger
man attack. The Rhineland Is neutral
lied so far as Notifications are con-
cerned by the Treaty of Versailles. Vlo-
lation of this prohibition either In re-
spect Of forts or troops would constl-
| tute a basis for q declaration OF war II
Germany persisted. Beyond question
the opening Of hostilities would see az
| immediate French drive to occupy the
| left bank Of the Rhine all the way from
Holland to the Swiss boundary. And
at the moment it Is difficult to see how
the Germans could hold it back. But
time must work for them alike in the
matter of numbers and material.
At the moment, however, France can
rely upon allies quite as much as upon
her own defenses. Poland and Czecho-
slovakia are bound by treaty to fight
with France if Germany attacks. Bel
pium is under q similar pledge and the
spectre of the Nazis is breaking down
Flemish opposition to the French al
lance. Germany would thus be COM
PEELED to cover Berlin and Breslau
against Polish attacks, Dresden and
Leipzig against Czech attack and all
|
less than a million and half Slav
troops would take the field in the east
while the French and Belgian forces
would be well over million.
It is the double fact of the strength
of French Notifications and the su-
periority of the French system of alll-
ances in numbers and equipment which
gives an appearance of ultimate folly to
! the fashion in which the German Nazis
are multiplying their provocations
against France, Poland. Czechoslovakia
and Belgium. in particular, and against
Denmark and Switzerland as we'll
Finally, any effort to force the Ans
chluss would compel armed italian in
tervention also
It was to call attention to the fact
that France was ready that Daladier
went to the eastern frontier. But il
also served to emphasize the fact that
on the nineteenth anniversary of the
Marne campaign, which brought the
invader within sight of the Eiffel Tower,
the danger of new conflict and the
possibility of yet another invasion we1e
not to be disguised or discounted. It
Is from incidents like this, too, that one
gathers real appreciation of the situ-
alton on the European continent today
Moreover, all around the semi-circle of
German land frontiers. her neighbors
have begun to post their forces at the
boundary. So far the serious incidents
have been confined to Austrian and
Swiss territories. but similar per-
fl nance on Polish or French soil
night have consequences hardly to be
exaggerated.
Copyright, 1887