Evening star., 1939-10-06
course. the losses on this occasion
were heavy.
Poles Driven Back,
$4,000 Prisoners Captured.

$4,000 Prisoners Captured.
A German division composed of
older ranks, along with other small
contingents, had been instructed to
drive the Poles into the northern
part of the Polish Corridor. to take
Gdynia and then advance in the di-
rection of the Hela Peninsula.
This division was opposed by
Polish picked troops, marines. en-
signs and non-commissioned officers,
the cadet corps, naval artillery and
mounted troops.
With calm assurance, the German
division set about its appointed task,
the performance of which brought
it into conflict with that enemy far
superior in numbers.
Within the space of few days,
however, the Poles were driven back
from one position to another. $4,000
prisoners were taken, Gdynia was
freed, OXhoeft captured. and another
4,700 men driven out onto the PENN
Sula of Hela and surrounded.
The scene when the prisoners
were marched off was an impress
sive one. A majority of the VIC
torious troops were middle-aged
men, many of them wearing dec
orations won during the Great War,
while past them marched columns
of prisoners, young men between the
ages of 20 aid %. AS I am now
about to make known to you the
number of our dead and wounded,
l request that you rise from your
seats. Though owing to the train
ing given our troops, the effective
ness of our weapons and the COM
mand of our forces the figures do
not amount to even one-twentieth
of what our apprehensions had been
at the outset of the campaign, we
will never forget that every soldier
who fell fighting brought for his
people and our Reich the greatest
sacrifice that man can bring.
1o.572 Killed, 3O,322
Wounded, 3,404 Missing.
According to the casualty list of
up to the 30th of September, 1899,
which won't change materially, the
total losses for the army, navy and
air force are as follows: 10,572
killed, 30,322 wounded, 34O4 miss
ing.
Unfortunately, of those missing a
certain number who fell into Polish
hands will probably be found to
have been massacred and killed.
All our gratitude is due to the
victims of the campaign in Po-
land, while the wounded may be
assured of our best attention and
care, and the families of those
killed of our sympathy and help. .
BY the capitulation of the fort
resses of Warsaw and Modlin and
the surrender of Hela the Polish
campaign has come to an end.
The task of safeguarding the
country against vagabonding ma
rauders, gangs of robbers and indi-
vidual groups of terrorists will be
carried through with all energy.
The outcome of the war was the
annihilation of all Polish armies, fol-
lowed by the dissolution of the Polish
state.
Six hundred and ninety -four thou
sand prisoners have set out on their
march to Berlin. The amount OF
war material captured cannot yet
be estimated.
Since the outbreak of the war, the
German forces have at the same
time in calm preparedness taken up
positions in the west ready to meet
the enemy.
The naval forces of the Reich have
fulfilled their duty in the attack on
the Westerplatte, Gdynia, Oxhoest
and Hela, and In protecting the Bal
tic Sea and the German North Sea
| Coast our submarines are fighting In