Evening star., 1939-10-01
Wars First Month
Reviewed in Par|ey
OF French Leaders
Army, Navy and Air
Force Chiefs Confer
With DoIudier
~ tne Associated Press,

~ the Associated Press.
PARIS, Sept. 30.-Ranking con-
manders Of Frances army, navy and
air force met Premier Daladier to-
day for an hour and . half review
Of the first four weeks Of the war.
Immediately after the conference
M. Daladier went to the Elysee Pal
ace 70 report to President Lebrun.
This, in brief, is what the first
month of the war showed:
On land the Polish front has COM
pletely disappeared under the Joint
German-Russian invasion, thereby
releasing German troops and planes
for action against France and Brit
ain in the west.
Methodical French advances on
the western front partly cleared out
the norman s-land separating the
Maginot and Siegffied Lines of for
tifications by driving a series OF
salients, the deepest of which was a
scant miles on German soil.
Convoy System Established.
Two Of these salients, however
one on either side of the industrial
city of Saarbruecken-were reported
by French military commentators to
have three-fourths encircled the
capital Of the Saar mining basin.
On the sea the French and Brit
ash fleets established a convoy sys-
tenn which was asserted to have as
sured reasonable safety for their
shipping, despite the continuing
activity Of German submarines.
The French pointed to the safe
arrival at lie Havre yesterday OF
the liners Champlain, De Grasse
and Colombo after trips across the
Atlantic as an indication that Ger
man submarines were being brought
under control.
The French and British assert
they have sunk at least a dozen
submarines and halted more than
100000 tons of contraband con-
signed to German ports.
Air Victories Reported.
In the air, French and British
planes have been meeting the Ger
man air force on an equal foot
ing. Although no total figures havA
been made public for the western
front, partial figures issued by the
French left the impression that
their losses were only approximate
ly half Of those of the Germans in
q series OF almost daily dogfights
over the 'front.' American-built
Curtiss planes have been doing their
share for the French.
British planes. it was announced.
have carried out one raid against
the German fleet at Wilhelmshaven
and have repeatedly bombed" Ger
man towns with pamphlets, while
French long range scouting ships
have been flying deep in German
territory to observe troop move
ments.
On the last day of the wars first
month the tactical situation along
the western front, which now has
become the only fighting front,
showed little change.
Activity Restricted.
Activity was restricted to artillery
duels and local skirmishes between
advancing French and German pa
trolls who were hampering the
French penetration Of German ter
Sitory.
The Germans today were reported
increasing the strength Of their pa
trolls in sectors on both sides of
Saarbruecken, where the French
have driven their most important
salient, and along 3-mile-wide
plateau north of the French town
Of Wissembourg.
French military commentators
maintained, however, that German
patrols showed themselves to be ex-
tremely prudent by withdrawing at
the first burst of machine gun fire
from French outposts.