Evening star., 1939-08-13
Dutch 10 LET in Sea
To Hold Off Foe
Il Invasion Occurs
Plans Carefully Laid to
Flood VitoI Area by
Opening Dikes
By the Associated Press.

~ Vic aSSOClAIeQ FEGeS.
AMSTERDAM, Aug. 12.-If the
Netherlands should be invaded her
citizens may resort to daring COL
laboration with their old enemy, the
sea, in an attempt to hold off the
new foe.
Military experts say that carefully
worked out plans for flooding vital
area of this tiny country by opening
the dikes and diverting the canals
lie ready in the generals ofnces.
The unique part of the water
line defense plan"-as it is called
is that the Netherlanders would be
fighting not on the dry but on the
wet side of the line.
They would stay on in the mum
dated area with intercommunicatio
assured, they believe, by certain
central roads possessing elevation
enough to remain above the water
level
Cautious Diplomatically.
The Netherlands hopes. of course,
that she can remain neutral as she
did in the World War and she is
following cautious diplomatic
policy.
She is very careful especially not
to say or do anything which might
give offense to her mighty German
neighbor.
Get Netherlander talking in pri-
vate, however, and he will tell you
how much he fears the possibility
of German invasion If Germany
and Great Britain should go to war.
The Netherlands coast, he points
out, would be ideal for airplane and
submarine bases against the British.
That is why the defense mechanism
Is geared for thrust from the east.
The water line, it is believed,
would run roughly from a point on
the Zuyder Zee above Utrecht down
to Geldermalsen and across to Rot
terdam. The flooded section west
of this would include the four prin-
cipal cities of the nation-Utrecht,
The Hague, and the ports of Am
sterdam and Rotterdam.
Pillboxes on Frontier.
The question remained, however,
whether the section could be flooded
sufficiently before an invader could
get across the eastern half of the
country. Some believe the flooding
could be oone in "a hours, others
believe 1t would take much longer
There are piliboxes on the frontier
Roads and bridges are kept mined
permanently and dynamite will be
inserted beneath the trees in an
emergency. Lightning makes it too
hazardous to leave the trees mined
permanently.
But all this the Netherlanders say
they recognize would constitute only
minor impediment to German
advance.
Some observers estimated that
even with the water barrier the
Kingdoms tiny army could hold out
alone only for matter of days
two weeks at maximum.
That, however, would be time
enough, they contend 1t would give
Britain a chance to come in as she
would be forced to, it is emphasized
here, in self defense.
Army Gets Unemployed.
The Netherlands is one of the
countries which only started bolster
ing her defenses after last Septem-
bers crisis.
She is absorbing able-bodied un-
employed into her army now, but
even so she could not put more than
an estimated 100000 into the field in
an emergency Informed sources
asserted that the army has been
fairly we'll equipped, but that it has
few tanks.
The nation is said to have about
600 airplanes, some searchlights and
anti-aircraft guns.
Moreover, the Netherlands worries
do not stop in Europe, but 60 on to
the Far East, where the safety of her
empire is constant concern.
Japan's invasion of China and
steady advance southwark toward
Java and the other East Indies is
lands cause anxiety here.
The nation itself has been called
one of the most important listening
posts in Europe. But the Neither
lands does not mind being listen
ing post. Her principal fear is OF
becoming a battlefield.