Evening star., 1938-09-26
.HENLE|N |NSPECTS
LINE AROUND ASCH
Free Corps Is Armed With
Guns Heavy Enough to
Halt Tanks.
BY MELVIN X. WHITELEATHER,
Associated Presa YoreiRn Corre esnondank

I1dIl ] dIjNos
BY MELVIN X. WHITELEATHER,
Associated Press Foreign Correspondent.
ASCH. Czechoslovakia. Sept. 2e.-
Nazi Sudeten Leader Konrad Henlein
crossed back into Czechoslovakia, spent
an hour inspecting his Sudeten Free
Corps fighters front line, then returned
today to his party headquarters at
Bayreuth, Germany.
He left $50 Free Corps legionnaires,
who had accompanied him on his first
survey Of the line. to reinforce Asch
volunteers. They had guns heavy
enough to halt attack by armored cars
or tanks.
The Sudeten fuehrer ordered that
combat with Czechoslovak troops be
avoided.
The Asch volunteers and Free Corps
reinforcements-the latter said to be
composed entirely of Sudetens who had
ned to Germany-according to his
order were to defend the Asch free
territory" which the Czechs have not
tried to take. They were not, he said.
to attack Franzensbad or Eyer.
The only preventative weapons, said
a spokesman for the Asch Sudeten
government, were on the front line
No more recruits, he said, were ex-
pected
Henlein was greeted joyfully when
ne appeared Unexpectedly, riding at
the head of five bus loads of free
corps fighters.
Secrecy Envelopes Territory.
Great secrecy enveloped the terri
tory about Asch, Henlein's home town.
and the German side of the frontier
as well.
Automobiles were being stopped on
the edge of the city of Asch, some
10 miles behind the lines. Interna-
tional telephone communications which
the provisional regime had established
were broken of again this morning.
I had a military pass issued at z
pm. last night and good until noon
today. for my visit to the front. This
was revoked at 1890 am. and I was
stopped with others at the edge of
Asch.
The Sudeten fuehrer arrived at the
first line held by his Free Corps troop
ers on the Asch-Eger highway at 9:25
am. He led his legionnaires to with
in three-quarters Of a mile of Czecho-
slovak soldiers stationed at Ober
Lohma.
The Sudetens intended apparently
to push on farther toward the city
OF Eyer. An Asch government Off
cial said I'VE would take the city of
Eyer, if We could"
Czechs Outnumbered.
The Sudetens on this line now out
number Czech soldiers more than two
to one. unless the Czechs have sent
reinforcements within the last "a
hours.
The return was Henlein's first openly
since he fled Czech government
charge of treason September "a. (He
has said he returned secretly in dis
guise since then)
Henlein crossed the border at
Wildenau behind Asch, coming from
Selb. He rode in an open automobile
with his storm troop chief OF staff
Willy Brandner.
Behind him came five trucks OF
steel-gray uniformed men.
Their arrival in Asch, Henlein's
home town, completely surprised the
population.
Shouts went up as Henlein was
recognized. Everybody cried. "Es geht
los!'-"now it's going to start"
The men carried rifles and hand
grenades. but no heavy guns. No
armored cars or tanks were seen.
Front Line Advanced.
Henlein found his front line con-
siderably advanced after yesterdays
maneuvers. The Sudetens occupied
about is miles along the Asch- h-Eger
highway and controlled about 20 miles
Of Czechoslovakia's farthest western
frontier.
Czechoslovak soldiers held main
highway positions taken two days ago
at Ober Lohma on the edge of
Franzenbad.
The lines were SO shaped that the
Czechs must withdraw II the Sudetens
were to advance much further without
actual conflict.
The lines roughly were drawn from
a position southwest Of the Muelbach
frontier post, seized by free corps men
operating from the German side on
Saturday, through the hamlet Of REIN,
and crossing the main highway at
Antonien.
One man was reported wounded and
. Czechoslovak armored car was de-
commissioned by machine-gun fire
yesterday. Two automobiles were
demolished by gun fire. but German
and other foreign newspaper men who
had occupied them escaped by run
ming across open fields.
Marks Freedom Day"
Asch yesterday celebrated freedom
day" Youths with tin boxes collected
money to support the Sudeten Ger
mans along the frontier who fed their
homes.
It appeared the Czechoslovak gov
ernment did not now intend to chal-
lenge Asch's right to declare itself
free from Czechoslovakia.
The district forms q narrow, bottle