Evening star., 1938-09-04
Man New Siegfried Chain
of Defenses Facing
Maginot Line. (.
TANK DETACHMENTS
RUMBLE INTO PLACE
Car Owners of 0ldenburg and Saar
Basin Ordered to Register
Autos and Trucks.
BACKGROUND

oe'WuHy HuS OeeH engaged, IN
recent months, in campaign to
complete her Siegtrted line OF
Notifications which parallels the
French Maginot line Week ago
Chancellor Adolf Hitler made tour
OF inspection along defense line
from Belgium to Sutherland.
White-collar workers, as pell az
laborers OF eUery kind, haze been
impressed in 1Dork OF completing
the forts as the Czech-German
crisis 0roUs worse.
BY the Associated Press.
METZ. France. Sept. 3.-German
troops, believed to number between
$4,000 and 10000, moved today into
the Reich's new Siegfried chain Of
fortifications facing Frances steel
and concrete Maginot line.
Frenchmen in the frontier regions
were calm as generally accepted re-
ports said the German troops were
strung along the entire French-Ger-
man border from Luxembourg to Kehl,
opposite Strasbourg.
French officers said the $4,000 to
10000 figure was the normal gar
rison" for fortifications such as Ger
many has erected along the French
frontier.
Regular Army Units.
Although Germany frightened con-
troll OF her side of the frontier, reports
reaching France indicated all the
troops were units Of the regular army.
(In Berlin no information was
available concerning such troop
movements.)
Tank detachments rumbled along
roads Of the Saar basin to garages
especially built as part of the defense
line. travellers said. Motorized and
foot infantry could be seen from sew
eral points on the frontier moving
along border roads in German terri.
tory.
Reports reaching Thionville, Mont.
medy and other French border towns
said automobile owners of Oldenburg
and the Saar Basin had been instruct
with military authorities.
Regarded as Natural Move.
French officers said this was a nat
ural move in any defended frontier
zone enabling the high command in
case OF emergency to requisition all
trucks and cars needed
Strasbourg residents standing on
the French side of the Kehl Bridge
saw troops marching through streets
of the Rhine village to forts along
the rivers east bank. They bore the
regiment numbers l434 and 1885.
Since Adolf Hitler appeared at Kehl
August % and inspected work on
the new Notifications down to point
opposite Basle. Switzerland. inhabi-
tants of the French side had been
expecting German troops to move
into the new military works.
Less Than Maginot Line.
II the maximum figure of 10000
men covers all the German troops
manning the Siegfried line, it is far
less than the 100000 which ordinarily
occupy Frances Maginot line.
Furthermore French forces tenn
porarily have been increased since
September l as the result of move
ment of the new 1918 class of raw
conscripts into army garrisons to be-
gin their regular two-year service.
Until they become 'acclimated" the
new conscripts' terms will overlap
those Of the retiring conscripts, thus
temporarily raising Frances army
from a normal 100000 to 825,000.
Paris mot Surprised"
PARIS, Sept. LR.-Officials Of
the foreign Office said tonight they
were mot surprised" at today's move
ment OF German troops into the
new line of Nazi Notifications on the
Franco-G German frontier.
A spokesman said the foreign office
knew all about all the reports" of
German movements. He said the
French government would Simply
wait and see what it means"
This source said quarters close to
the foreign ofiice considered the oc-
cupation of the fortifications in the
midst OF tension over Czechoslovakia
to be a part of Adolf Hitlers program
for building up pressure prior to his
speech before the Nurnberg congress
next week.