Evening star., 1939-09-12
Germans Favored
By Weather and
Polish Tactics
Speed Of kozi Drive
Upset Defenders Plans
For Protecting Country
BY COL. FREDERICK PALMER.

BY COL. FREDERICK PALMER.
Here in Washington you are
closer to the war in q military and
political sense than anywhere else
in the United States. The military
comes frst. For all international
political speculation and views are
subject to the latest news from the
battleflelds.
Not the least interested is Gen.
Pershing, whose soldiers of the army
Of occupation marched to the Rhine
over some of the ground where the
French are now fighting He is kept
informed by Gen. George c. Mar
shall, chief of stan of the Army,
one of the experts In operations
upon whom he relied as an adviser
in the battle of the Meuse-Argonne.
1t is not for Army and Navy ofi-
GERS to express any partisanship
with one side or the other in the
war. Their part is professional
silence in detached professional out
look as they read the latest bulletin
into q map on the wall with the aid
Of their professional knowledge and
instinct. Their aim Is to learn all
they can from the progress Of the
war that will be Of value In our
own defense. With all zeal, they
are pressing their efforts for both
rapid and sound fulfillment Of the
preparedness program passed by
the last session Of Congress.
Weather Favors Germans.
What has most challenged mill
tary opinion has been the speed OF
the German operations in Poland.
Both the weather and Polish tactics
have favored the Germans. They
got the jump on the Polish armys
plan to retire to defensive positions,
the better to arrest the major blow.
1t was anticipated that the Poles
would take advantage Of the natural
mountain defensives to prevent any
drive by the Germans through the
Carpathians in the south. Possibly
the Polish staff did not take the
danger of a drive in that direction
seriously enough or trusted to too
small force, Understanding Ger
man numbers.
Not only did the southern drive. in
conjunction with the drive from East
Prussia to the north, mean two
f1anking movements in the pinch
of development, but the southern
drive has already captured, accord
irr fo ifc
progress, is close to the plants upon
which the Poles depend for their
arms and ammunition. The Ger
mans threaten their plane-making
plant near Warsaw, and they must
have lost some of their plants for
the making of cartridges for their
soldiers rifles. In their fear of
Russia, and trust in the now obso-
lete pact with Germany. they placed
their munition plants too far from
the Russian border.
Poles Situation Desperate.
After having seen a wall map a
few hours ago, as I check of the
latest German bulletins on the map
I carry with me, at this writing, the
situation of the Polish Army does
seem desperate. The southern drive
is on the banks of the Vistula. the
northern has evidently lodgment
on the Bug. The interior line, ap-
proximately semicircle, upon
which the Polish plan depended
for defense, has become a loop,
corridor with the Germans on both
sides. Now the Germans are press
ing on its western end, too.
The taking of Warsaw, which will
be within the development, is only
incidental in the evident German
plan to surround the Polish Army
and force such wholesale surrender
as at Sedan. Any further with
drawal for the Poles will be fatal
They are in for a last-ditch fight.
If they can open their way for re-
treat through the bottle neck east
of Warsaw. it must be to the south
east toward the Russian border-on
the flank of the German drive from
the south-or into the bogs of the
Pripet Marshes.
A military miracle may happen,
thanks to Polish courage, tenacious
to the last shot in their rifle clips.
The German mechanization may
have outrun supporting infantry
and artillery. 1t may be that Ger
man bulletins are far wide of their